The name Dong Van is transliterated from the mandarin word “Tong Puon” meaning trading field. Historically this was the trading center of the entire large Dong Van district, the main hub for transporting opium to China. Quoc.
The central area of Dong Van town in the past belonged to Dong Quan canton, Nguyen Binh district, Tuong Yen district, Ha Tuyen province. After that, it split into Bao Lac province, managed by a Tay mandarin named Nong in Bao Lac. When the French colonialists occupied, Dong Van was separated from Bao Lac.
From 1923-1940, the houses in Dong Van street area were built by Sichuan workers and local workers, that is, the old Dong Van Commune People’s Committee building (3-gate house) built from 1925-1928 by Mr. Luong Trung Tu is in charge
The house where Mrs. Pham Thi Thu currently resides was built in 1925 and is managed by Mr. Ta Ho Than from Trinh Tay (China).
The house where Mr. Pham Van Duc resides was built in 1927 and is managed by Mr. Pham Van Quy and there are many other houses that form an old town today.
Regarding architecture: Most of the ancient houses on Dong Van Street were designed and built by Chinese and local craftsmen, so they have very common nuances, such as: the foundations and porches are built of green stone. , the walls are made of clay mixed with lime, molasses and paper or fired bricks or rustic bricks, so they are durable.
Doors and windows are designed as arched or square doors with stone or brick cladding in the door frame. House columns were built of burnt bricks or solid wood and pine. Currently, some houses in the neighborhood still retain elaborately carved stone column bases in many different shapes, mainly 4-sided or circular pillar with the appearance of a poppy flower.
In the house, the floors and second floor are all paneled with precious woods. The houses are designed to be built in the style of 3 rooms and 2 roofs, with yin and yang tile roofs or square houses in the middle of the yard with paved stones (like the old People’s Committee house).
Ancient houses in Dong Van Old Quarter were built with the same decoration and arrangement. The middle space is an important space used to place the altar, right at the entrance and also a place to receive guests, behind the altar of the middle room and the two rooms. Next to it is the bedroom, the middle room behind the altar is the room of the elders in the family, the two sides are the rooms of the children and grandchildren. If the house is large, you can have a separate kitchen or stairs to the second floor depending on how you arrange it. each family’s mindset
The houses have an imposing appearance and delicate softness of wood and stone carvings, a harmonious combination of ancient Chinese architecture and Vietnamese art.
According to a survey by Ha Giang Museum, the neighborhood currently has about 40 houses that retain ancient architecture, however only about 18 of them are still intact, most of the rest are partially or partially damaged. multiple. The reason is that most of the ancient houses in Dong Van have gone through many eras and generations of management and use, due to the historical process with many events, natural disasters, and the aging process of materials. Due to the destruction of the harsh climate in the rocky plateau, many houses have now been damaged, the former grandeur of the house has more or less been reduced, losing part of the inherent profoundness of the area. city.
In the Quarter, there is still a 3-gate house (former Dong Van Commune People’s Committee house) that is now Old Town Coffee, built in 1925 – 1928, the house was built with a combination of ancient Chinese architecture and Vietnamese art. Male,.
The house is designed according to the three-door architecture (ie has 3 doors). The doors and windows are designed in the form of arched or square doors with stone or baked bricks in the door frame. The windows are often made high and narrow, thus always keeping the space cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Inside the house is a slate-paved courtyard. According to Asian beliefs, this is the skylight, where Attracting and filtering the essence of heaven and earth to bring good luck to the homeowner, the base of the stone pillars are carved very delicately, to get the gloss and dark yellow color on the human stone pillars. We have to spend a lot of silver coins to grind the stone until it shines with the shine of an old silver coin
Go to the rocky plateau to visit Dong Van ancient town, visit the highland market to immerse yourself in the indigenous culture. It can be said that the market is the place that most clearly shows the cultural identity of the people here. The highland market is not only a place for trade but also a meeting place for boys and girls. This is truly a festival for the people of the mountainous frontier. Every Sunday when the market The session was held, a noisy, bustling and boisterous atmosphere, boys and girls with colorful dresses came to the market. It can take them half a day to get to the market. Some people go to the market to buy and sell products. Wives and mothers go to the market to shop, husbands go to the market to socialize, drink wine and eat Thang Co, and young men and women go to the market to socialize and find partners. These are bold expressions of the market cultural identity of the stone plateau region. We can see somewhere the image of a wife standing under an umbrella waiting for her drunk husband to sleep at the corner of the market or on the sidewalk. It is a beautiful image imbued with identity that cannot be found anywhere else.
Every year, residents here have two major holidays: Lunar New Year and the full moon day of the 7th lunar month. And some small festivals such as the full moon day of the first month are the 15th and 30th days of the lunar calendar. On the 15th day of the first lunar month, people continue to wrap banh chung to review the Tet atmosphere and to signal that the Tet season is about to end, on the 30th day of the first lunar month. Summarizing the end of Tet, wishing for a new year, a new crop of success and luck, in addition to the 5th full moon day of the 5th lunar month, Doan Ngo festival, 8/15 new rice, 9/15 rice flowering celebration ( roasted mouth). …
With ancient and mossy features that have survived the flow of time, Dong Van Old Town was recognized as an architectural and artistic relic in 2010.
