Wooden house with hundred-year-old murals

Hundred-year-old mural on wooden house wall 

“The most beautiful and unique old house Soc Trang" is the beautiful name given by tourists to the rare old wooden house of the Lai family, which is nearly a hundred years old. The house is built with 5 rooms, the walls, pillars, and doors are made of rosewood, the roof is tiled, the floor is paved with Chinese tiles with traditional Chinese architecture. The furniture and household items are made of red wood.

Mr. Lai Van Tia (59 years old), the fourth generation descendant of the Lai family's wooden house builder, is currently the one taking care of the ancestral altar. Mr. Tia said that his great-grandmother built this house in 4 and completed it in 1925. In 1926, the house was renovated with financial contributions from descendants but still kept in its original state. Currently, the two side rooms in the house are still used by generations of descendants.

“My great-grandfather passed away early, and my great-grandmother worked hard to raise five children by herself. At that time, she worked as a farmer and saved money to build a big, beautiful house for her children and grandchildren to live together. Therefore, the next generation always tries to preserve it,” said Mr. Tia.

The house is nearly 20 meters wide, with 36 pillars made of rosewood and planks made of red wood. On both sides of the house are ancestral altars and two large planks recording the history of the Lai family.

Although he does not know clearly about the house's construction process and family life in the past, through the murals on the wall, Mr. Tia and his descendants clearly imagine the life and career of their grandparents.

Tourist destination

Taking us to the front wall of the house, Mr. Tia explained about the mural paintings with the theme of local occupations and family life such as: rice farming, onion farming, longan farming, salt farming, fishing... In particular, the front wall of the house is decorated with murals with the theme of "birds and animals", birds from phoenix, peacock, pheasant, crane, mandarin duck, parrot, chicken, duck... vivid in every line.

“These murals are almost as old as the house; one depicts the longan growing profession. That is why I followed my family’s longan growing profession and succeeded. Currently, I own over 1 hectare of land growing longan and longan, with a very good income,” Mr. Tia shared.

When Mr. Tia was young, this old house was the place where the whole family lived, so it was very crowded. Now, most of the descendants of the Lai family work far away, some live abroad, so the house has become quiet. The descendants of the Lai family choose January 16 every year as the anniversary and gather in large numbers at the ancestral shrine.

Recently, the Lai family's ancestral house has become a tourist destination for many visitors. TravelMr. Tia is always willing to open the door to welcome visitors.

Visiting the wooden house of the Lai family, Ms. Le Thi Thuy Diem (33 years old, residing Hau Giang) can not help but admire the architecture is so beautiful and preserved almost intact. Through each architectural work has shown the skillful hands, talent of ancient artisans, creating many beautiful works of art.