There is an ancient Vietnamese village located right next to Saigon called Làng Cổ Phước Lộc Thọ. So what does Làng Cổ Phước Lộc Thọ have? How to get to Làng Cổ Phước Lộc Thọ. Let’s explore this fascinating Long An tourist destination together.
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Where is Làng Cổ Phước Lộc Thọ located?
Làng Cổ Phước Lộc Thọ is located at the address Ấp 2, Xã Hữu Thạnh, Huyện Đức Hoà, Tỉnh Long An. Located right on provincial road 824 from Đức Hòa to Long An. Located more than 30km northeast of the center of Tân An city (the political, economic, cultural, scientific and technical center of Long An province), Làng Cổ Phước Lộc Thọ has a total area of about 30,000m². This place has a peaceful, serene, and romantic river flowing through called Vàm Cỏ Đông, which has been immortalized in poetry, history, and was once the living place of the Phu Nam people belonging to the ancient Óc Eo culture.
How to get to Làng Cổ Phước Lộc Thọ?
Getting to Làng Cổ Phước Lộc Thọ by motorbike
Getting to Làng Cổ Phước Lộc Thọ by bus
If you take the bus, go to Chợ Lớn bus station to catch bus 627 (Chợ Lớn – Đức Huệ) or 626 (Chợ Lớn – Hậu Giang) to the Đức Hòa intersection, then take a motorbike taxi to the ancient village.
What does Làng Cổ Phước Lộc Thọ have?
After many years of restoration, Làng Cổ Phước Lộc Thọ now presents the image of an ancient, peaceful, and elegant Vietnamese village. It can be said that this place preserves the ancient traces of unique traditional Vietnamese culture. The entire village’s structures, from houses to household items, are collected from all over the country and reconstructed.
The different areas within Làng Cổ Phước Lộc Thọ
In addition, there is a house built in the Central style (“Tửu lầu tứ giác bát dần”) reminiscent of a royal palace. The other 6 houses are wooden stilt houses in the style of the Central Highlands. Most of the ancient houses were collected by their owners from Huế, Quảng Nam, the Central Highlands, and provinces in the southwestern region, and were skillfully and delicately reconstructed by artisans. Each house also displays many antiques such as fans, horse carriages, telephones, record players, bowls…
Làng Cổ Phước Lộc Thọ captivates visitors with the ancient charm of the old houses with various characteristic architectural styles of the Vietnamese people. Most of the houses here were collected by their owners from Huế, Đắk Lắk, Gia Lai, Đắk Nông, Quảng Nam, and southwestern provinces. This is also an ideal space for tourists to relax, meditate, and immerse themselves in nature.
Layout of the different areas within Làng Cổ Phước Lộc Thọ
Next to it is a house built in the Central style (Tửu lầu tứ giác bát dần), reminiscent of a royal palace. The other 6 houses are wooden stilt houses, with a unique style of the Central Highlands. Each house displays many valuable objects, antiques from the daily lives of kings, officials, landlords, and people such as fans, horse carriages, telephones, record players, bowls, horned buffalo dishes, ivory… to spiritual objects of Vietnamese culture.
In addition, in Làng Cổ Phước Lộc Thọ, there is a temple modeled after the One Pillar Pagoda in Hanoi.
Leaving the sightseeing area to the entertainment area of Làng Cổ Phước Lộc Thọ, visitors will admire over 250 thousand orchid trees of various types imported from Thailand, nearly 20 ancient bonsai trees hundreds of years old, and many miniature landscapes placed among the ponds with diverse and rich designs.
The Làng Việt Cổ tourist area is nestled in Long An city, like a bridge between Bến Lức and Đức Hòa. Amidst the bustling streets, Làng Việt offers you a green, warm space. When you come to Làng Việt, you seem to immerse yourself in the ancient charm of the old houses with long-standing architecture, observing and feeling the rhythm of life in the ancient town, a quiet space for exchanging conversations, getting closer to nature.
The ancient village is a complex of 15 ancient wooden houses, including 5 communal houses, each communal house has 5 bays, 3 aisles, all using the rare wood species. Each beam, rafter, and column in these communal houses are intricately carved, with delicate decorative lines. The interior is decorated with a variety of motifs: Four Supernatural Creatures, Eight Precious Things, plum – phoenix – bamboo – chrysanthemum, fish – turtle, willow – horse, lotus – lion, grape – peach… The wooden house with the most columns in this area has 114 columns and the least has 36 columns.
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The ancient village is divided into two separate areas: the sightseeing area and the dining and entertainment area. The sightseeing area has 22 ancient houses that are also divided into different zones with distinctive features. The first zone consists of 15 wooden houses, including 5 stilt houses in the style of the Western region with 5 bays, 3 roofs, all made of cam xe wood. Each beam, rafter, and column in these stilt houses is intricately carved with exquisite decorative lines. The wooden houses in this area have the most columns, with 114 columns, and the least with 36 columns, showcasing a unique and beautiful ancient architectural style. The interior is decorated with a variety of carvings, including: the Four Supernatural Creatures, the Eight Treasures, plum – phoenix – bamboo – chrysanthemum, fish – phoenix, willow – horse, lotus – deer, grape – apple, pomegranate – persimmon…
Review of Phuoc Loc Tho Ancient Village
Visiting Phuoc Loc Tho Ancient Village, visitors not only have the opportunity to explore the hidden beauty of the ancient houses but also to learn about the culture of the Vietnamese people in the Mekong Delta region along the Vam Co River or the ancient Oc Eo culture, enjoy the local specialties of Long An land and the river region, listen to folk songs, sweet and touching lullabies… That’s why Phuoc Loc Tho Ancient Village always attracts many tourists, especially those who love ancient beauty, traditional Vietnamese architecture, and photography enthusiasts who come here to visit and create.
Reconstructing ancient houses has long been a refined hobby for many people and can be found in various locations across Vietnam such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and many other provinces and cities. However, when it comes to a large number of ancient houses concentrated in a spacious area, there is no place like the ancient village of Phuoc Loc Tho. Not only that, the ancient village of Phuoc Loc Tho has been well preserved and almost completely restored, arranged harmoniously, and meticulously planned in a vast space with hills, green trees, and lakes, allowing visitors to fully experience the ancient soul of the past. In 2012, the ancient village of Phuoc Loc Tho was recognized by the Vietnam Record Book as the place with the most diverse collection of ancient wooden houses and intricate patterns in Vietnam. The village has also been acknowledged by the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Long An province as a tourist destination, welcoming visitors for sightseeing, entertainment, picnics, wedding photoshoots, wedding ceremonies, and more.
