Duong Lam has 956 old houses, and a handful receive visitors: the best known is the Nguyen Van Hung house in Mong Phu, built in 1649 and still lived in by the same family. Others, such as the houses of the Ha families, open for tea or lunch.
They are family homes, not museums. You greet the family, look around the main room and courtyard, and leave a small offering at the ancestral altar before you go.
Sit down inside a 400-year-old house
Our guide arranges the visit with the family and translates as they show you around.
★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 →The houses that open their doors
| House | What stands out |
|---|---|
| Nguyen Van Hung house, Mong Phu | Built in 1649, the oldest known house; ironwood and jackfruit-wood frame, laterite gate |
| Ha Huu The house | Classic three-bay house with a deep veranda and carved doors |
| Ha Nguyen Huyen house | Garden house with a well-kept courtyard; often cooks lunch for visitors |
| Family worship houses | Clan halls opened on anniversaries and by arrangement |
Which houses receive visitors on a given day depends on the families. 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.
What you see inside
A typical house faces south across a brick courtyard, with clay jars along the wall and a well or water tank at one side. The main room is divided into bays by wooden columns; the ancestral altar stands in the centre bay with photographs, incense and offerings, and some houses have a Buddhist altar to one side.
Look up at the joinery: the frame is held together without nails, and the beams are often carved with clouds or flowers. Families will point out the oldest pieces with some pride.
Visit a house with the family at home
Tea on the veranda is part of every tour we run.
Duong Lam Half-Day Private TourAbout 5.5 hoursSee the tour →Duong Lam & Thay Pagoda Day TourAbout 9 hoursSee the tour →Offerings and manners
There is no ticket at a house. The custom is a small note, 20,000 to 50,000 VND, placed on the altar tray before you leave. Ask before photographing people, keep voices low near the altar, and take shoes off if the family does.
Tea is almost always offered. Accept it; it is how the visit begins.
Questions people ask
What is the oldest house in Duong Lam?
The Nguyen Van Hung house in Mong Phu, built in 1649.
Do I need to pay to enter an old house?
No ticket, but leaving a small offering at the altar is the custom.
Can I stay overnight in an old house?
A few families run homestays; it is a simple, quiet stay rather than a hotel.
Step inside the old houses
One group price with every offering and tasting included, 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 →House counts and dates from local heritage records; which houses receive visitors was checked in September 2026 and changes with the families.