Long An is not only famous for water tourism sites, it also has many long-standing historical sites. The most famous one is a Hundred columns house, depicting the quintessence of carving technique and harmony in design, classified as a National Historic-Cultural Relic.
How an Hundred Columns House is unique?
The owner of the house was Mr. Trần Văn Hoa. It’s 21m wide, 42m long, built by in 1898 and completed in 1903, includes 3 spaces, 2 double wings with an area of 822m² in a garden of nearly 5,000m².
The architecture and sculture of the house were relized by 15 clever and skillful northen workers. Called the Hundred columns house, but the actual number is 120 columns, including 68 round columns, 52 square columns.
The house was built mainly with precious woods such as rosewood, ebony…The roof was covered with yin and yang tiles, the floor was made of 0.9m high boulders, the floor was tiled with hexagonal Chinese tiles.
A view from the outside of the house
In particular, the architectural decoration at the Hundred Pillar House shows that the sculptural art of past artisans was at a high level through layout, theme expression as well as technical processing.
The house’s panels, doors, diaphragms, etc. are uniquely decorated
The entire truss and truss system is elaborately embossed and carved with the themes “clouds turning into dragons”, “four times” like “strings turning leaves” typical of Hue, very sharp.
The Hundred columns house is divided into 2 parts. The first part is the place that use to welcome guests, another part is the place to stay and the family’s activities. From the columns to the furniture, such as tables and chairs, altars, beds, cabinets… are all meticulously carved with classic themes such as the ” Four Spirits (Dragon – Unicorn – Phoenix)”, the ” Four Elements (yellow Mai – orchid – chrysanthemum – bamboo)”…
Besides Western themes such as roses, squirrels and grapes, along with Southern elements such as custard-apple, bowls, starfruit, and mangosteen, the artisans have meticulously and skillfully presented them.
The room at the Hundred Pillar House is also adorned with horizontal parallel sentence, vertical, lacquered, gilded, and conch-encrusted paintings with content expressing thoughts towards a leisurely life, or praising beautiful scenery, pray for blessings and longevity.
Valuable items in the house are hundreds of years old, most of them are made of precious wood as well. In particular, the most valuable is the set of wood couch in the main room for daily tea reception.
Set of wood couch with horizontal parallel sentence, vertical, lacquered in the room
The arrangement and placement of each item inside the house has meaning, shows dignity, and carries the content of advising children and grandchildren to live according to the moral principles of Confucianism and Buddhism.
The space inside the house is splendidly decorated with arrangements of places of worship.
The Hundred Columns House was built with the style of the Nguyen Dynasty, in general bearing a clear mark of Hue style. But because it was made according to the orders of the owner in the Southern context of the French colonial period, there were many small features in the decoration topic, creating richness and diversity.
Ancient space behind the house
It is also a part of the history – culture of the Mekong Delta at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.
How to get here?
To be able to admire the beauty of the famous house in Long An, visitors need to choose the appropriate means of transportation. For tourists living in the Northern or Central regions who want to visit the hundred columns house, you can choose to book plane tickets to Tan Son Nhat airport as there is not airport in Long An yet.
It only takes about 1 – 2 hours on the plane, after landing, you can take a taxi or use local bus to get here. It would be the best option, especially when you travel with a group is booking private car to Long An with a driver, as the car can pick you from the airport, easy for sightseeing and relaxing on the way.
model of 7 seater car to Long An
For tourists living in the city. Ho Chi Minh or neighboring provinces, you can choose also book a private car/bus or take a tourist bus. Currently, there are a number of bus companies providing trips to Long An such as: Futa, An Hoa Hiep, Thien Bao,… with ticket prices around 200,000 VND – 250,000 VND, depends on type of seater you prefer.
If you are a person who loves speed and wants to conquer the road to the hundred-pillar house, you can choose a motorbike. With an easy-to-understand route, you can search and follow Ms.Google Maps advices!.
Useful information
- Address: Trung Hamlet, Long Hựu Đông, Cần Đước, Long An Province.
- Best for: Family, couple, solo
- Entrance: Free
- Opening Hours: Daily 08:00 – 17:00
Source: collected by An
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