Satisfy your passion
Born a farmer, Mr. Tuan has a passion for antiques. This has motivated him to travel far and wide to find and buy many unique and strange items.
For example, Mr. Tuan's ancient Southern house located at No. 17, Hamlet 2, Lai Vung Town (Dong Thap) was built in the "East - West" architecture. The house has three rooms and two wings; the area is over 200m2.
According to Mr. Tuan, this ancient house is a Southern traditional house that was restored a few years ago with precious wood, costing about 2-3 billion VND.
"To have a house with a strong Southern character like the present, I had to buy three other ancient houses and then select and reuse the columns, rafters, roof tiles... that were still usable.
After that, I hired many workers specializing in restoring ancient houses in Tien Giang and Bac Lieu provinces to come and do the work," Mr. Tuan added.
According to Mr. Tuan, among the three old houses he bought, there was one in Tien Giang province that he had to work very hard to own. After a long time of persuasion, the homeowner had to hold a family meeting to discuss before agreeing to sell. Although it is 130 years old, the house has not been damaged much by time.
What is special is that the parallel sentences are carved into the column body, not hung like many other ancient houses in the South where the parallel sentences are glued to the column.
In Mr. Tuan's old house, there are three altars symbolizing the three regions of North - Central - South.
Visiting Mr. Tuan's house, the reporter was surprised to see that inside there were many large and small antiques that he had collected from inside and outside the province such as: tables, chairs, altars, beds, bonsai pots, a pair of red copper vases, a pair of cranes standing on copper turtle shells, a tea set shaped like a snail shell, hanging lamps from the French colonial period, Buddha statues, locks, irons, ancient swords...
According to the homeowner, there are three altars in the house, symbolizing the three regions of North - Central - South.
But what he likes most is the one in the middle of the house. This altar is about 140 years old, very delicately and meticulously made with many patterns. Someone has offered to buy it for 500 million VND but Mr. Tuan has not sold it yet.
Mr. Tuan is also the owner of a pair of red bronze vases weighing over 200kg (over 100kg/piece) and a pair of bronze cranes.
"More than 20 years ago, I went to a friend's house and saw a pair of parallel sentences and a bed that the homeowner no longer used. I bought them and from then on, I became passionate about antiques and spent time and money hunting for antiques," said Mr. Tuan.
In general, Mr. Tuan's antique collection consists mainly of items used by the wealthy class in the past. Among the items that Mr. Tuan owns, there are many items that are hundreds of years old and very valuable.
The most prominent and unique is the stone bed, which makes people lying on it feel warm in the cold season and cool in the hot season.
The bed is about 2.5m long and 2m wide, made of wood, intricately carved, inlaid with mother-of-pearl and the bed surface has 8 marble panels.
The ceiling of the bed is made of shiny black wooden bars, even adults can climb up without breaking.
Mr. Tuan said: "After nearly 5 years of "watching", in 2012, I was able to buy this precious bed in Tay Ninh province at the price of 1.8 billion VND at that time. Currently, the value of the bed has increased but I have no intention of changing its owner."
Incubate tourism
Nguyen Dinh Tuan's passion for antiques gradually "infected" his twin brother, Nguyen Dinh Kiet (50 years old, living in Lai Vung town, Lai Vung district, Dong Thap province).
Mr. Kiet said: "Seeing Mr. Tuan playing with antiques, I gradually became fascinated. The two of us often pay attention to and look for antiques near and far. Sometimes, even rich people cannot buy the antiques they like.
The old Southern house and the antiques inside are a place to worship our grandparents and ancestors.
Old objects help us reminisce about the past. Children and grandchildren know more about the history and traditions of the nation. In the future, we will continue to display some long-lasting objects such as: cups, plates, kettles, tea sets...".
Because of their special love for antiques, for Mr. Tuan and Mr. Kiet, the items they collect are priceless and they have no intention of reselling them. Being willing to spend a lot of money to own the item they like, perhaps only those who are truly passionate about antiques can understand.
The bed that Mr. Tuan painstakingly collected is displayed in the old house.
Visiting Mr. Tuan's ancient house, Ms. Nguyen Bich Lieu (40 years old, residing in Lai Vung district, Dong Thap province) expressed her excitement: "I live nearby and often visit Mr. Tuan's ancient house because I like it. There are many unique and strange antiques here that I have never seen before."
"My favorite is the bamboo bed because looking at the bed reminds me of the saying "a husband and wife sleep on a bamboo bed" to remind each other about the ethics of husband and wife.
Therefore, when I came here to visit, I witnessed with my own eyes the objects that were often used by people many years ago," said Mr. Tran Van Duong (45 years old, residing in Lap Vo district, Dong Thap province).
Mr. Tuan said: "I am completing some necessary items to open this place as a tourist destination. The purpose is to let many people who share the same passion for antiques as me come here to visit and learn."
"After investigation, the local government also found that Mr. Tuan's house is currently displaying many rare antiques. They have encouraged Mr. Tuan to develop it into a tourist destination to create a richness in the existing tourism products in Lai Vung district.
Therefore, when Mr. Tuan needs support, the district is ready to help shape Mr. Tuan's location to develop the appropriate type of tourism to meet the needs of tourists to visit and learn every time they have the opportunity to visit," Mr. Nguyen Huu Hien - Vice Chairman of Lai Vung District People's Committee (Dong Thap) informed.
Some pictures of the ancient house of Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tuan (50 years old, residing in Hamlet 2, Lai Vung town, Lai Vung district, Dong Thap province):
The ancient house of Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tuan (50 years old, residing in Hamlet 2, Lai Vung town, Lai Vung district, Dong Thap province).
Front of Nguyen Dinh Tuan's old house.
Inside this 3-room ancient house contains more than 100 rare antiques.
The table and chairs are inlaid with mother of pearl very delicately.
The hot and cold bed collected by Mr. Tuan is very rare.
The record player still works.
The desk phone was connected by Mr. Tuan for communication.
The "super big" tea set is displayed in the ancient house.
After many years of collecting, Mr. Tuan has many valuable household items.
Swords and helmets worn by ancient generals.
Many antique items used daily are on display at Mr. Tuan's ancient house.
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