VietNamNet Bridge - Situated in the center of Hue City, Thuy Bieu is a peaceful village with vast gardens of plum mangoes and nha ruong houses of hundreds of years old.

The village road. Photo doanhnhansaigon.

Thuy Bieu Ward in Hue City today is the combination of the two ancient villages of Nguyet Bieu and Luong Quan. “Thuy” is water; “Bieu” is gourd, so “Thuy Bieu” means a water gourd. In fact, Thuy Bieu’s three sides are surrounded by the Perfume River.

With that position, Thuy Bieu is the best place to view the Perfume River. On the top of Vong Canh hill, which is located in the middle of the Huong’s meander, you will see the Hue’s relics and beauty spots on the other riverside like the Hon Chen Palace, the Thien Mu Pagoda and the Trang Tien Bridge.

About 4 km to the southwest Hue’s center, Thuy Bieu still maintains many unique ancient architectural works, including an intact arena of 183 years old for elephants and tigers.

A nha ruong house in Thuy Bieu.

Grapefruit is Thuy Bieu's specialty.

But the highlight of Thuy Bieu is the system of nha ruong houses of over 100 years old.

Nha ruong are hand-made traditional wooden houses with 48 columns for the cult of the ancestors and Buddha.

Each nha ruong is built with many beams (ruong) and pillars (cot), and its name derives from this very characteristic. But the most distinctive feature is that all beams and pillars are joined by mortise and tenon, not nails. Roofed with brick tiles, nha ruong has all beams and pillars made of precious and solid wood, such as lim (iron wood), gu (sindora) or thong xanh (teranthera pine). The whole house stands on big pillars placed on a round or square stone base.

All nha ruong houses have a front garden. The gardens in Thuy Bieu do not have fences. They are separated by rows of trees, with the top being trimmed. Thuy Bieu is known for its thanh tra grapefruits - a specialty of Hue.

If you visit Hue, you should take the time to stop by Thuy Bieu to be immersed in the lovely scenery with tree-lined country roads and ancient nha ruong houses surrounded by green gardens.

Pha Le