The exhibition is displaying photos on old villages in the northern provinces of Bac Giang, Hung Yen, Nam Dinh; central province of Thua Thien Hue and Hanoi. — Photo Nguyen Binh

Kiến Trúc Làng Việt Truyền Thống (Architecture of Vietnamese Traditional Village) introduces six old villages including Tho Ha in the northern province of Bac Giang; Cu Da in Hanoi; Nom in the northern province of Hung Yen; Hanh Thien in the northern province of Nam Dinh and Phuoc Tich and An Chuyen in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.

“Traditional Vietnamese villages are inherently a coherent structure of organisation and social governance,” said architect Hoang Dao Cuong, director of the institute.

“Depending on the natural environment and society, each village has its own organisation contributing to the diversity and typical features of traditional Vietnamese villages.”

Tho Ha Village is on the banks of the Cau River, about 50km from Hanoi. Different from other northern villages, Tho Ha did not rely on rice cultivation but from pottery and the floating market on the river.

It used to be a famous place of gốm sành (pottery without glaze fired with dry grass and then firewood and coal).

Cu Da Village in Thanh Oai District lies 20km from Hanoi near the banks of the Nhue River.

Large houses built during the Le Dynasty and 50 French-style villas from the 1920s give Cu Da a reputation as a culturally rich and historic place.

Located about 40km south of Hue City, Phuoc Tich Village was founded in 1470 under King Le Thanh Tong.

The village has unique cultural value systems such as the architecture of the temple and pagoda. It also preserves a typical Vietnamese community living space and culture.

These villages are close to rivers creating a friendly environment between people and nature.

The photos are the results of yearly research by the institute.

The exhibition also features detailed drawings, survey data on the architecture of the villages.

The six villages are introduced in the first volume of a book entitled Kiến Trúc Làng Cổ Việt Nam Qua Tư Liệu Viện Bảo Tồn Di Tích (Architecture of Vietnamese Traditional Village) which was released on August 9.

Currently, there are 3,500 national relics, including only four old villages, namely Thua Thien Hue’s Phuoc Tich; the southern province Tien Giang’s Dong Hoa Hiep; Hanoi’s Duong Lam and Quang Nam Province’s Loc Yen.

“These old villages in the book are very valuable in many aspects but they are disappearing,” said Cuong, the book’s editor. “They are also threatened by the whirlwind of urbanisation.”

Cuong hopes the book will help preserve traditional village heritage.

The exhibition runs until September 15 at the institute, 489 Nguyen Trai Road, Thanh Xuan District.  VNS

Cu Da - A 17th century village in Hanoi

Cu Da Village in Hanoi is known for its many old houses and pagodas built in the 17th century but many of the houses in the village are deteriorating.

Images from the peaceful ancient village of Phuoc Tich

Located 40 kilometres north of Hue is Phuoc Tich, a place that has remained relatively unchanged over the past hundred years and represents a peaceful village that serves as a popular destination in Hue.