Photo of a garden house. (Source: ttxtdldongnai.vn) DongNai (VNA) - Despite homeowners’ efforts, many garden houses in DongNai province need restoration to prevent them from falling into ruin.
LeTri Dung, Director of the province’s Relic Management Board, said the MekongDelta province has 100 garden houses, including 13 older houses built before1900 of significant value that needed to be restored.
"Manytraditional-style houses located in Bien Hoa city and Vinh Cuu, Long Thanh and NhonTrach districts are in danger of further deterioration," he said."However, only a few homeowners have received support from localauthorities and domestic and foreign organisations to restore theirhouses."
TranNgoc Thu Nghia, granddaughter of owner Tran Ngoc Du of a garden house locatedin Tan Van commune, Bien Hoa, said her family received financial support fromthe Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Showa Women’s Universityin Tokyo in 2004.
Thegarden house is located on 2,700 square metres of land. It has two main parts:a house built with 36 big wood pillars and a surrounding garden, designedaccording to traditional architecture style by Vietnamese in the south and tocolonial French standards.
Anotherdistinctive feature of the garden house is that all beams and pillars arejoined by mortise and tenons, not nails.
"Mygrandfather spent several years to build our house. Construction was completedin 1900, and it has been upgraded several times," said Nghia, adding thatthe house was once open to the public free of charge, without support fromlocal tourism firms.
Nghia’shouse is now closed because of its poor condition.
NguyenThi Diep, owner of a garden house in Thach Phu commune, Vinh Cuu district,said: “Most owners of garden houses cannot afford to restore their property. Weneed support from local authorities to preserve the buildings.”
Diep’sproperty is one of the province’s five oldest garden houses. It was built in1915 on 1,000 square metres of land.
Thehouse includes several big pillars made of precious solid wood such as cam xe(xylia xylocarpa). It has a brick-tiled roof, and stands on pillars surroundinga garden with trees and flowers.
In1998, the Dong Nai Museum and HCM City University of Architecture, inco-operation with Showa’s Women University, conducted research on 401 gardenhouses, including 76 old houses built before 1900, in Dong Nai province.
Theprovince has lost nearly 300 houses over the last two decades.
Manyowners have sold their houses to outsiders, who often disassemble the housesinto small parts to move them for resale.
“Oldgarden houses are part of the traditional culture and architecture ofVietnamese. We are working to find ways to help local residents in preservation,”said Dung.-VNA
LeTri Dung, Director of the province’s Relic Management Board, said the MekongDelta province has 100 garden houses, including 13 older houses built before1900 of significant value that needed to be restored.
"Manytraditional-style houses located in Bien Hoa city and Vinh Cuu, Long Thanh and NhonTrach districts are in danger of further deterioration," he said."However, only a few homeowners have received support from localauthorities and domestic and foreign organisations to restore theirhouses."
TranNgoc Thu Nghia, granddaughter of owner Tran Ngoc Du of a garden house locatedin Tan Van commune, Bien Hoa, said her family received financial support fromthe Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Showa Women’s Universityin Tokyo in 2004.
Thegarden house is located on 2,700 square metres of land. It has two main parts:a house built with 36 big wood pillars and a surrounding garden, designedaccording to traditional architecture style by Vietnamese in the south and tocolonial French standards.
Anotherdistinctive feature of the garden house is that all beams and pillars arejoined by mortise and tenons, not nails.
"Mygrandfather spent several years to build our house. Construction was completedin 1900, and it has been upgraded several times," said Nghia, adding thatthe house was once open to the public free of charge, without support fromlocal tourism firms.
Nghia’shouse is now closed because of its poor condition.
NguyenThi Diep, owner of a garden house in Thach Phu commune, Vinh Cuu district,said: “Most owners of garden houses cannot afford to restore their property. Weneed support from local authorities to preserve the buildings.”
Diep’sproperty is one of the province’s five oldest garden houses. It was built in1915 on 1,000 square metres of land.
Thehouse includes several big pillars made of precious solid wood such as cam xe(xylia xylocarpa). It has a brick-tiled roof, and stands on pillars surroundinga garden with trees and flowers.
In1998, the Dong Nai Museum and HCM City University of Architecture, inco-operation with Showa’s Women University, conducted research on 401 gardenhouses, including 76 old houses built before 1900, in Dong Nai province.
Theprovince has lost nearly 300 houses over the last two decades.
Manyowners have sold their houses to outsiders, who often disassemble the housesinto small parts to move them for resale.
“Oldgarden houses are part of the traditional culture and architecture ofVietnamese. We are working to find ways to help local residents in preservation,”said Dung.-VNA
VNA
