Duong Lam is a working farming village in Son Tay, about 45 km west of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, and the first village in Vietnam to be protected as a national heritage site. Its houses, lanes and gates are built from rust-brown laterite, and more than nine hundred old houses still stand, the oldest from 1649.
Half a day covers the heart of it: the Mong Phu gate and communal house, one or two old houses, Mia Pagoda and the shrines of the two kings born here. The village is quiet rather than spectacular, and what you get out of it depends on who opens the doors.
See the village from inside the houses
A local guide who knows the families, a car from your hotel, and every ticket already paid.
★Duong Lam Half-Day Private TourThe laterite lanes, a 400-year-old house and a che lam kitchen, with your own guide · About 5.5 hoursSee the tour →Duong Lam & Thay Pagoda Day TourDuong Lam in depth, lunch cooked in an old house, then the pagoda where water puppetry began · About 9 hoursSee the tour →What Duong Lam actually is
Duong Lam is a commune of nine hamlets on the edge of Son Tay town, close to where the Red River plain meets the first hills of Ba Vi. Five of those hamlets, Mong Phu, Dong Sang, Cam Thinh, Doai Giap and Cam Lam, hold most of the old houses and monuments; Mong Phu is the one most visitors mean when they say Duong Lam.
People still farm, cook, dry rice and raise children here. That is the point and also the catch: nothing is staged for visitors, and nothing is explained unless someone explains it.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Son Tay, Hanoi, about 45 km west of the Old Quarter |
| Protected | National historic and cultural monument, the first village in Vietnam listed as such |
| Old houses | 956 counted, 441 in Dong Sang, 350 in Mong Phu, 165 in Cam Thinh |
| Oldest house | The Nguyen Van Hung house in Mong Phu, built in 1649 |
| Known for | Laterite walls, the land of two kings, che lam, Mia Pagoda |
What to see, in the order that makes sense
The Mong Phu gate and communal house
The village gate is a small house-over-gate with two tiled roof slopes, standing where the road enters Mong Phu. A few minutes on is the communal house, built in 1684, where the hamlet met, worshipped its guardian spirit and still holds its festival in the first lunar month. Its courtyard sits lower than the ground around it, so rainwater drains out through two channels likened to a dragon’s whiskers.
The lanes and the old houses
From the communal house, narrow lanes branch off like the bones of a fish, walled in laterite laid without plaster. Several houses of the 17th to 19th centuries welcome visitors, usually for a small contribution to the family altar.
Mia Pagoda and the shrines of the two kings
Mia Pagoda holds 287 statues in bronze, wood and lacquered clay. At the village edge stand the temple of Phung Hung and the tomb of Ngo Quyen, the two leaders born in Duong Lam who give it the name land of two kings.
Getting there and what it costs
A private car takes about 1 hour 15 minutes each way. City buses run from My Dinh to Son Tay in roughly twice that, with a short taxi or motorbike ride for the last few kilometres. A taxi or ride-hail car there and back costs roughly 600,000 to 1,200,000 VND depending on waiting time.
The village ticket is 20,000 VND (~$1) for an adult, sold at the booth beside the Mong Phu gate. Inside, the monuments are free; old houses ask for a small offering at the altar.
Want the houses opened for you?
Our guides know which families are home and ask ahead, so you sit down for tea instead of looking over a wall.
Duong Lam Half-Day Private TourAbout 5.5 hoursSee the tour →Duong Lam & Thay Pagoda Day TourAbout 9 hoursSee the tour →How long to stay, and when
Two to three hours on the ground is enough for the gate, the communal house, a couple of houses and Mia Pagoda. Add lunch in an old house and the shrines of the two kings and it becomes a comfortable day. October to April is the pleasant season; from May to August go early, because the laterite lanes hold the heat.
The old houses of Duong Lam are family homes, not museums. If a family is out on the day, your guide takes you into another house of the same age instead.
Questions people ask
Is Duong Lam a UNESCO site?
No. It is protected by Vietnam as a national historic and cultural monument, and was the first village in the country to receive that status.
How far is Duong Lam from Hanoi?
About 45 km west of the Old Quarter, beside Son Tay town. Around 1 hour 15 minutes by car each way, longer in the evening rush.
Do I need a ticket?
Yes, a village ticket sold at the booth by the Mong Phu gate; it covers the monuments inside. Old houses ask for a small offering instead of a fee.
Is half a day enough?
For the village itself, yes. A full day makes sense only if you add lunch in an old house or a second place such as Thay Pagoda.
Spend the morning inside Duong Lam, not just walking past it
One price for your group, every ticket and tasting inside it, and free to cancel until 3 days before.
★Duong Lam Half-Day Private TourThe laterite lanes, a 400-year-old house and a che lam kitchen, with your own guide · About 5.5 hoursfrom$45/ person›
Choose your group size · price is the group totalSolo traveller$165BOOK →2 guests$170BOOK →3 guests$175BOOK →4 guests$180BOOK →See the full tour page →Duong Lam & Thay Pagoda Day TourDuong Lam in depth, lunch cooked in an old house, then the pagoda where water puppetry began · About 9 hoursfrom$93/ person›
Choose your group size · price is the group totalSolo traveller$275BOOK →2 guests$305BOOK →3 guests$340BOOK →4 guests$370BOOK →See the full tour page →Ticket price, house counts and travel times checked in September 2026; the village ticket is set by the local management board.