An architectural and artistic monument
The house is about 240 square meters wide, in the style of an ancient Dinh-shaped house. In the middle of the living room is the altar of the Governor. The floor is paved with hexagonal tiles, the roof is covered with yin-yang tiles. The brick wall is 40cm thick, bonded with lime mortar. The house has 32 wooden pillars. All the pillars, rafters, walls, floors and altars are made entirely of precious woods. The main entrance of the house is a main door and eight side doors divided equally on both sides, so when the doors of the house are opened, it creates a spacious and airy space. All the doors are made of wood, designed in the form of folding doors. Ancient Dinh-shaped houses usually do not have attics, but this house has a fairly large, airy mezzanine. The railings, stairs and walls are all elaborately carved.
In front of the house is a large yard, with many ornamental trees, a river running across (Tay Ninh canal). Looking to the right is Quan bridge, looking up ahead is the majestic Ba mountain, in the afternoon the wind blows in strongly, the house has a natural location, beautiful feng shui.
Mr. Nguyen Anh Kiet - the 5th generation descendant of Governor Nguyen Van Kien (1854 - 1914), who is managing this house, said: "Mr. Nguyen Van Kien is a native of the Central region who passed the imperial examinations and was sent to the South by the Hue court to work as an interpreter, promoted to the position of prefect and then Governor - a high-ranking official during the French colonial period. The house still retains its original structure, arrangement of objects and furniture as it did 130 years ago."
Over the years, the old house has become a cultural and tourist destination. With a convenient location, beautiful scenery, and located in the center of Tay Ninh city, on holidays, many students come to visit and take pictures. The family has also welcomed many groups of guests to visit and admire; students to research and study; film crews use it as a backdrop to film scenes of ancient activities.
Need to restore and preserve to serve tourism development
Although the house was solidly built and carefully maintained by Mr. Kien's children and grandchildren, over time the structure has become damaged and degraded. Some places on the walls have cracked, with many cracks running vertically and horizontally on the walls. Some places have peeled off the outer cement layer, revealing the bricks. In some places, the outer brick layer has been soaked with water and rotted. Some places have been plastered with cement a second time, but this protective layer continues to peel off. The crossbeams in the house are rotten and could collapse at any time.
Mr. Kiet shared that due to damage caused by war, the house was renovated around the 1960s, all the ancient yin-yang roof tiles were replaced with hook tiles. The walls of the house were previously bonded with lime mortar, not plastered with cement, but were plastered with an additional layer of cement on the outside and inside to increase its longevity. Previously, the house only had three rows, during this renovation, the family added a fourth row - connecting the third row to the yard to protect from the sun and rain, limiting the impact of the weather on the front of the house. The second renovation took place in 2003, the family had to replace many rotten wooden floors on the second floor, the rest of the house remained intact. Behind this main house are the kitchen, granary, and houses for the servants. In previous years, these outbuildings had deteriorated and collapsed. In 2015, Mr. Kiet invested in building a new house with a harmonious architectural space, suitable for the old house. The house still preserves many ancient objects hundreds of years old that have been carefully preserved by many generations of families.
Currently, the biggest concern not only for the family but also for those working in culture, conservation and tourism is the desire for authorities, organizations and businesses to support funding to renovate and preserve the house's architecture, renovate the landscape into a tourist attraction; create a destination on the map connecting sightseeing and tourism in the Southeast region.
According to cultural and architectural researchers, the house is the only building that still has original architecture, decoration and many ancient objects in Tay Ninh. Therefore, this house has great cultural and historical value and needs to be preserved and maintained.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/ngoi-nha-co-hon-130-nam-o-tay-ninh-post786296.html
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