In Duong Lam you are visiting homes, not attractions. Greet the family before entering, accept the tea you are offered, leave a small offering at the ancestral altar when you go, and ask before photographing people or altars. At the communal house and pagodas, cover shoulders and knees, take off hats, and keep voices low. […]
Author Archives: duonglamancientvillage
On your own, a day in Duong Lam can cost very little: the village ticket is per adult, and transport is the main expense, from a few tens of thousands of dong by bus to roughly 600,000 to 1,200,000 VND for a car there and back. Our private half day costs from per person for […]
Duong Lam in light rain is still worth the drive: the laterite walls turn dark and rich, the lanes empty, and the houses, communal hall and pagoda are all under cover. Heavy storms and typhoon warnings are different, and then it is better to move the date. Bring shoes with grip, because old brick lanes […]
Duong Lam is one of the easier day trips from Hanoi for older travellers: the village is flat, there are no stairs to climb, and old houses make natural rest stops with tea. The walking adds up to about three kilometres if you do it all on foot. The things to plan for are uneven […]
Duong Lam works well for children when they have something to do: pressing che lam in a family kitchen, cycling the flat lanes, spotting animals in courtyards and exploring the maze of side lanes. Walking from house to house listening to history bores most children quickly. Keep it to a half day, go in the […]
The best time to visit Duong Lam is from October to April, when days are mild and dry enough for walking the lanes. October and late May to June bring rice harvest to the fields around the village. Whatever the month, go in the morning: the light is softer on the laterite, families are working […]
Half a day is enough for Duong Lam itself: the gate and communal house, the laterite lanes, an old house with tea, a che lam kitchen, Mia Pagoda and the shrines of the two kings, in about five and a half hours door to door from Hanoi. A full day makes sense when you want […]
Duong Lam and Ba Vi can be combined, but not comfortably in a day from Hanoi. Ba Vi National Park is roughly an hour beyond Duong Lam, and the road up the mountain adds more; with a morning in the village, you reach the summit area late and drive home in the evening rush. If […]
Son Tay citadel is a square fortress built in 1822 under Emperor Minh Mang, entirely of laterite, in the town of Son Tay a few kilometres from Duong Lam. Its walls, moat and gates survive, and it was captured by French forces in the 1880s. Half an hour is enough to walk through a gate, […]
Tay Phuong Pagoda stands on a hilltop in Thach That, west of Hanoi and close to Thay Pagoda. It is reached by a flight of 239 laterite steps and is famous for its carved wooden statues, especially the eighteen arhats, some of the finest religious sculpture in Vietnam. It suits travellers interested in carving and […]