Duong Lam Ancient Village

The ancient village of Duong Lam on the outskirts of Hanoi is also known as a museum of laterite, home to around 300 houses built three or four centuries ago with lateritic bricks. The village has also been described as the last stronghold of wet rice farming culture in northern Vietnam.

The ancient village has a history of about 1,200 years with many houses dating back up to 400 years. One special thing about the village is that most of the buildings here are made of laterite and mud, two materials that are abundant in the area. Laterite is used on house walls, gates, wells, temple walls, and so forth. The mud is taken from ponds. Apart from its historical and tourism values, Duong Lam ancient village is an important place for scientists to study resident communities in ancient agriculture. The village gate, banyan, well, communal house are important factors in classifying Duong Lam ancient village.