To elevate Duong Lam Ancient Village to the status of a Special National Relic and ultimately achieving recognition as a World Cultural Relic, Hanoi City is urgently developing a project titled “Investment in Restoration, Preservation, and Promotion of the Values of Duong Lam Ancient Village Relic, Son Tay Town, for the period 2024 – 2030, with a vision towards 2035.”
Located nearly 50 kilometers from the center of Hanoi, Duong Lam Ancient Village in Son Tay Town consists of five hamlets: Mong Phu, Dong Sang, Doai Giap, Cam Thinh, and Cam Lam. It is also referred to by names such as the “Ancient Vietnamese Ong Stone Village” or the “Village of Two Kings,” and is often called a “living museum” of Vietnamese culture.
Duong Lam preserves and safeguards a valuable treasure trove of cultural history from a quintessential Vietnamese rural village in the Red River Delta. The village still maintains an array of ancient village gates, communal houses, temples, shrines, tombs, cultural halls, wells, ancient banyan trees, water banks, traditional festivals, distinctive culinary traditions, and hundreds of ancient houses, totaling nearly 1,000 traditional Vietnamese homes. Noteworthy sites include the ancient gate next to the 300-year-old banyan tree in Mong Phu, the Mong Phu communal house, Mia Pagoda, the shrine for Phung Hung, and the temples and tombs of Ngo Quyen.
In 2006, Duong Lam became the first ancient village in the country to be awarded the title of National Historical and Cultural Relic. In 2019, it was recognized as a City-level tourist destination.
After nearly 20 years of being classified as a National Architectural and Artistic Relic, Duong Lam Ancient Village has become a “shining example” in the preservation and promotion of relic values.
Currently, Duong Lam is emerging as an ideal destination attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists. The village aims to welcome between 150,000 and 200,000 visitors annually by 2030, with a target of 250,000 to 300,000 visitors per year by 2035. The locality is developing this area into a unique creative space, offering new and exciting experiences for visitors. Highlights include the Doai Creative space for artistic performances, workshops, and creative development, which is the first of its kind; the recently launched Doai Community space in Duong Lam Ancient Village also serves local children and tourists visiting the area.
According to Nguyen Dang Thao, Head of the Management Board of Duong Lam Ancient Village Relic, these activities contribute to providing residents and visitors with insights into the characteristics of Duong Lam Ancient Village, thereby enhancing awareness of preserving and safeguarding traditional values.
This initiative is significant as Hanoi is promoting the development of the cultural industry and actualizing initiatives as part of the Creative Cities Network.
To realize the ambition of transforming Duong Lam Ancient Village into a Special National Relic and ultimately achieving World Cultural Relic status, Hanoi City is expediting the development of the project “Investment in Restoration, Preservation, and Promotion of the Values of Duong Lam Ancient Village Relic, Son Tay Town, for the period 2024 – 2030, with a vision towards 2035.” The project focuses on the preservation and restoration of relic, safeguarding traditional values, and ensuring sustainable development while creating a diverse range of high-quality tourism products.
Son Tay Town will enhance and maintain activities that highlight the traditional beauty of Vietnamese Tet; upgrade the scale of the death anniversary celebrations for Kings Phung Hung and Ngo Quyen; and reenact legends through artistic performance programs and 3D mapping technology demonstrations, among other initiatives.
Duong Lam – a treasure trove of cultural and historical values
Amid the celebration of Duong Lam Ancient Village’s designation as a Special National Relic, President To Lam visited Duong Lam commune on the occasion of Vietnam Family Day on June 28 and the commemoration of War Invalids and Martyrs Day on July 27, 2024.
During his visit, the President and his delegation met with and presented gifts to two exemplary families in Mong Phu hamlet, one of which boasts a lineage spanning three to four generations living together. One family is led by a veteran who has been affected by Agent Orange.
President To Lam and Chairman of Hanoi People’s Committee Tran Sy Thanh visited Duong Lam ancient village.
While at the ancient village, President To Lam expressed his wish for every family to be united, harmonious, and loving, akin to the extended family of Mr. Quoc and Mr. Phuc. “A strong family leads to a united community; maintaining the traditional culture of the village ensures that each locality thrives. If each commune and district excels, then the province will prosper, and when provinces flourish, the whole nation will thrive,” President To Lam emphasized.
The President reaffirmed that the Party and State are committed to caring for each individual and family, ensuring that no one is left behind. On the occasion of Vietnam Family Day and War Invalids and Martyrs Day, he encouraged the people of Duong Lam commune, Son Tay Town, to continue preserving the foundational cultural traditions of the village, emphasizing that a strong and happy family fosters solidarity among residents.
President To Lam expressed confidence that with the values that have been established, Duong Lam will continue to serve as a center for the cultural relic of the ancient land of Doai, a home of rich cultural and revolutionary history, proud of its long-standing tradition of valuing education, not only for the generations of Duong Lam families and its people but also for the capital city of Hanoi and the entire nation.
Thanh Anh