Duong Lam ancient village travel tips 2024(Updated)

Ultimate Duong Lam ancient village travel guide 2021

Here are some useful information and money savings tips, travel guide for travelers to Duong Lam village, which helps you get greater enjoyment during the trip to Duong Lam village Vietnam about what to do in Duong Lam, where to eat in Duong Lam, how to get to Duong Lam and so on. It is written by a local guide who has been working 10 years in tourism industry and 5 years as a professional writer for Hanoi Eco Tour

Wonder where to escape to rural areas of Vietnam? In search of an excellent day trip from Hanoi, Duong Lam ancient village is the right choice for you. It just 1.5-hour drive from Hanoi, and easy to get there by bus, private car or taxi

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Table of Contents

Tip 1 : Safety in the village

Duong Lam village is safe for travelers The only real hazard in this part of the world is your own misfortune. Be careful as you ride a bike in a tiny alleys. It’s better to check brakes and types before cycling.

Biking route : From Duong Lam village to Ngo Quyen tomb seems to be the most popular route with scenic view

Tip 2 : Say hello to locals & Ask permission before taking photos

Before paying a visit to any ancient houses, you should ask permission of homestay owner and and say “hello” to them to show respect. You should donate some money on the altars (VND 30,000 – VND 50,000, about US$1.5-3). Small gifts from foreign visitors are welcome too. You shouldn’t face against family altar. . If you want to take any pictures, please ask the locals before hand.

Tip 3 : How to get Duong Lam village from Hanoi

Local bus from My Dinh bus station to Duong Lam village

By bus : Bus is available in bus station. It costs approximately 25,000VND per person

My Dinh bus station – Trung Ha (number 70A). Ask the crew who correct the fee to get off at Duong Lam ancient village. This is the best option so far in my opinion.

Ha Dong bus station – Son Tay (number 77)

My Dinh bus station – Son Tay (number 71)

Upon arrival Son Tay, you should take Son Tay taxi (024 3362 6262) to the village, it costs around $3.5.

Private car costs approximately 65USD/ per car includes fuel, parking fee, English speaking driver. Bonus : free travel consultant in Duong Lam, a water bottle per person.

By public bus

From My Dinh bus station, you can take the bus My Dinh – Phu Pho and get off at Duong Lam village entrance new gate. The cost is around 40,000VND per person

By private car

It is properly the best option so far with afforable cost, only $65 per day for 4 seater car with 1.5 to 2 hours drive from Hanoi. When it comes to rice planting season either in Feb or July, ask the driver to stop on road side for shooting photos of local rice farmers planting on their field.

By Grab taxi or regular taxi

Ask your hotel receptionist to catch a taxi to Duong Lam village. Ask them to deal with the taxi driver to stay there and wait for you a couple of hours. Because the return transfer back, you get 60% discount. This deal is applied for a regular taxi not Grab.

In term of Grab taxi, the driver like to be paid in cash, instead of booking via the app.

For one way ride, it costs around $28 USD, around trip around $45 USD

Tip 4 : Accomodation in Duong Lam village

Homestay in Duong Lam ancient village

Homestay : Its facilities are basic : air-conditioning, western toilet and hot shower. Private rooms are available upon request. It’s available in Mr Kieu Anh Ban, Mr Giang Van Luu, Mrs Duong Thi Lan, Mr Ta Quang Tam . Homestay start at about $15.

In my opinion, the best homestay in Duong Lam is located at He village, Duong Lam commune. Room rate is around $25/per room/ per night.

You can make a reservation via Air BNB via this link https://fr.airbnb.com/rooms/11420461

Tip 5 : Eat & Drink in Duong Lam ancient village

Lunch in a local family Duong Lam village

Drinks are available at the homestay : beer, coca- cola, water… The best drink is a cup of green tea and have chat with locals. You’d better order food with house owner to enjoy the best authentic Vietnamese food. There’s no food menu printed but classic country cuisine is served up from a set menu for lunch. The food is simple but great. Vegetarians should be inform before your arrival.

There’s several address to have lunch in Duong Lam

Mr Hung’s homestay : 0984.871.912 . He is a kind generous man.

Mrs Vuot’s homestay (Mr Huyen’wife) : 038.792.7315

Hai Loi : 038511136

Note : Please check out the Duong Lam travel map on top of this page for the location of these ancient houses which serves lunch

There are 2 other small restaurants on the side of Mong Phu communal house on the way to Mia Pagoda from Mong phu . I have forgotten these names but it is suitable for family, solo travelllers, small group who want a small portion of lunch. You can order Bun Cha ( Grilled pork with vermicelli and fresh greens) or a proper alacarte rice meal with pork skewer, Mia chicken (local specialties with half of them) , fresh water crab meat soup with vegetables, deep fried spring roll. Please note that it is just a normal house not an ancient one.

Specialties in Duong Lam village

Duong Lam ancient village speciality

Local people in this village do farming work and make “tương” soy sauce to sell as major income. The sauce is made of water, rice, soybean and corn and it’s cooked with fish or eaten with tofu and rice cake (bánh đúc). Apart from it, there are a few other local specialties in Duong Lam such as Mia chicken, peanut candy, and sesame candy…..

Tip 6 : Things to do in Duong Lam ancient village

Enjoy hands-on experiences such as walking tour, cycling, chatting with locals living in the ancient houses, great local foods supply in an local ancient house, visiting pagoda and seeing rural market , biking around the village, heading to Ngo Quyen and Phung Hung temple for 5 kilometers round trip bike ride. You will see their daily routines surrounded by breathtaking scenery in a peaceful area. It’s great to go with a tour guide. They are able to help you understand what you’re seeing because the locals aren’t able to speak English.

Tip 7 : Things to see in Duong Lam ancient village

Mong Phu Communal house

Communal house in Duong Lam ancient village

A communal house is a worshipping place of the god – founder of the village. . The god Tan Vien Son was dedicated in Mong Phu communal house. So far, Mong Phu communal house is a gathering place of the villagers for cultural activities. The communal house was made carefully with sophisticated decoration details. It is considered as a flower of unique sculptural architecture.

Mia Pagoda

Mia Pagoda, a great Buddist temple to check out in Duong Lam ancient village

The pagoda is built in 15 th century and admire 287 statues of all sizes, among with are famous sculpture such as the statue of Buddha in the Himalayas and the statues of the Eight Vajra Deities.

Highlights of the pagoda is Mia Tong Quan Âm Tu (0.76 m high), often called the Ba ocular. This subject described a woman who was modest, with grace, of boring but at very lenient. Road features engraved soft, machine sliding.

Mong Phu Church

Mong Phu church in Duong Lam village

There is a church inside Mong Phu hamlet, like many those seen in many regions of Vietnam. A Vietnamese parish priest designed and hired carpenters of other villages to build this church in 1953. Most of the Christians in the village contributed time and effort to build this church. During the French colonial period, there were about 100 households of believers. Today, many followers still go to the church every Wednesday to attend the service. The soaring bell tower serves as a landmark of the village.

King Ngo Quyen temple and tomb

Ngo Quyen Temple in Duong Lam ancient village

Ngo Quyen tomb is 500 meters away from Phung Hung temple on the left. It’s a large tomb and there is an endless rice paddy in the front of it. Built in 1874 under reign of King Tu Duc and mantained in 1871 under reign of King Minh Mang.

The Ngo Quyen temple’s honor in Duong Lam was erected long gao and has been upgraded many times. The great repair was done in 1858. Nowadays, at the remarkable archeological artifacts excavated in this locality along with a wooden stake brought from Bach Dang river are displayed

Phung Hung – Great father King’s temple

King Phung Hung temple in Duong Lam village

The shrine worships Phung Hung is situated on a low hill. The front yard of the shrine is flanked by two side buildings. At the heart of the front worship, hall is flanked by two rear worship halls. The front worship hall worships high-ranking mandarins of Phung Hung. and the rear worship hall was built in 1882. According to locals, the temples were built right on the house where King Phung Hung lived when he was a child.

Chapel Giang Van Minh temple

Chapel Giang Van Minh temple in Duong Lam village

Located in the heart of Duong lam ancient village complex, the temple has become a well-known destination for both domestic and foreign travellers . Built in reign of King Tu Duc to worship Giang Van Minh . The tempel consists of 5 small compartments, with the platform used for the annual celebration of Giang Van Minh’s death anniversary. The yard is narrow and paved with bricks. The bonsai tree was set around the edge.

The one who look after the temple, which is 13th generation of the Giang clan – Giang Van Ke

Ancient houses in Duong Lam village

Mr Hung’s ancient house

Entrance gate to Mr Hung’s ancient house in Duong Lam ancient village

His house has been recogized as level 1 ancient house. It is an ancient house of a rice farmer. you will be amazed by an entrace gate modeled after ancient architecture style by well mixed soil, stone, rice husk and mud and full shade of Cuscuta tree at the entrance.

Built in 1649 mainly by jack fruit wood and Ironwood, the quintessence of wooden carving has been preserved since Post Le Dynasty. It composes 3 main compartments for worshipping ancestors and welcoming guests and 2 small auxiliary compartments for bedrooms.

Mr Huyen’s ancient house

Mr Huyen’s ancient house

The house makes a great impression on visitors because of its green color. Due to a wide experience of making sauce bean paste for a long time, he spent almost his yard for processing sauce bean paste. Several brown sauce bean jars are arranged equally on the brick playground.

Mr Huyen has a great passion on Old Chinese scripts so parallel sentences have been engraved beautifully on the columns. Small households such as ceramic bowl shape tobacco pipe, ceramic cups and tea pots, oil lamp…. enhances nostalgic character of the owner.

Mrs Ha Thi Dien ancient house

Mrs Ha Thi Dien ancient house in Duong Lam village

Located in Dinh hamlet, Mong Phu village, Duong Lam, known as the first class ancient house for livehood of the people.

The main materials are jackfruit wood and China berry wood, available in the village. The house are five spans wide and three spans deep. There is a living room at the heart of the house for worshiping their ancestors and welcoming the guests. The sleeping room is on two sides. The front yard is made of bricks. Its wall is a mix of mud, ashes from rice plants and dry rice straw.

Mr Ha Huu The ancient house

Mr Ha Huu The ancient house in Duong Lam village

Mr Ha’s ancient house located in Mong Phu village, Duong Lam commune, is ranked as an ancient house type I in Duong lam and stay as its origins amongst ancient houses in Mong Phu village.

There are 13 human life living in this house. In terms of architecture, the house today is the art of the middle of the nineteenth century. There are seven spans in the main room and 02 spans, each of them on both side.

Its tile roof is made of “yin-gang brick roof” , its floor is made of laterite brick. Its veranda with 8 wooden columns (about 1.7 meter high) horizontally runs from the beginning to the end of the house. At the bottom of the wooden pillars are supported by a square-shaped stone representing the harmony between heaven (circle shape) and earth (square shape) or yin-yang. .

Inside the house is divided into separate areas, 3 spans in the main room for worshiping their ancestors, Jesus because his family are Catholic followers and welcoming the guests. Two side span for sleeping.

This is a great ancient house worth a visit in Duong Lam village

Mrs Duong Thi Lan ancient house

Duong Thi Lan ancient house in Duong Lam village

One of the most famous ancient houses in Duong Lam village

It was built in 1780, almost 300 years old. Her family is the 8th generation living here. She will be a volunteer guide when visiting her house. Despite lots of difficulties in life but she always want to preserve the ancient houses which was built by her husband’s family’s ancestor. The great grand father of her husband used to get “PHD” title and was engraved in the doctoral stele stone garden in the temple of Literature in Hanoi , which is a great honor of the family. There is a few valuable things such as “eight Taoist fairies flying over the ocean”, a statue of Bodhisattva dated back 1th century.

If you are looking for home-cooked lunch in Duong Lam village, you can order by making a phone call to her in advance for better preparation.

Tip 8 : Support

Most of homestay owners have a basic spoken English but can understand you. For local villager, they couldn’t speak English at all so that it’s a bit difficult to communicate with them.

Tip 9 : What to bring when visiting Duong Lam village

Passport, sunglasses & hat, suncream, sun-block, insect repellent, good shoes, personal first aid kit & medicines, VND for personal expenses.

Tip 10 : Best time to travel Duong Lam village

September, October, November and early December. Other time, it’s also good but summer time is a bit hot. Travel in the best time to get the best rural life experience.

Tip 11 : Important things to know when travelling to Duong Lam ancient village

Parking at the right place
Say hello to ederly
Buy tickets before visiting the village
Don’t throw waste at a wrong place
Don’t sit or lie in the middle section of the homestay
Don’t wear shorts or sleeves when visiting sacred places such as temples, pagodas…
Ask permission before taking photos inside the ancient house.

Tip 12 : Estimated cost for services in Duong Lam village

Local cycling in Duong Lam ancient village

A young boy cycling in Duong Lam ancient village

Bike for rent from 30,000VND to 50,000VND per bike

Lunch with set menu starts from $8

A small donation from 30,000VND to 50,000VND when visiting an ancient house

Where to rent a bike

Right at the ticket booth, there are bikes for rent. If you are walking around the village, there are a few places like a stall near the communal house, and some of the ancient houses of Mr Hung, Mr Huyen.

Bonus : Some cool photos of Duong Lam ancient village

Local farmers putting rice into the plastic basket in Duong Lam ancient village

Local people in Duong Lam ancient village

An old man hanging out on a hammock with great smile

Sunset in Duong Lam village

See more : Best Duong Lam village photos and pictures

Is Duong Lam village is a right place for you?

This is a great place for those who like to learn more about history, culture, local living of a typical rural village, and see a unique ancient house made of mud and laterite, only 1.5 hour drive from Hanoi. A great escape to the bustle and hustle of Hanoi Old Quarter.

If you want to gain a deeper understanding, you do recommend booking a guided private tour to Duong Lam village. Because the local guide are able to show you secret alleyways, take you to someone’s home, eat local specialties that you can do it yourself

Suggested itinerary for Duong Lam village day trip

This is the suggested itinerary for a day trip in Duong Lam village . Depending on your interest, duration and budget, you can design your own itinerary.

8.00am : Take a private car from Hanoi to Duong lam village with scenic drive passing by a few towns, see bonsai gardens, vegetable plantations, rice paddy fields and more.

9.30am : Arrive in the village. Take a walking tour around the villages, includes : Mrs Ha Thi Dien ancient house, Mia pagoda, Mong Phu Communal House, Hien Bao workshop to try some peanut candy, sausage candy

12.00pm : Check out the church in Duong Lam when it is open for ringing the bell

12.30pm : Have lunch in an ancient house in Duong Lam village.

13.30pm : Take a short drive to see the two King temples of Phung Hung, Ngo Quyen

14.30pm: Hop on the car and get back Hanoi.

16.00pm : Arrive in Hanoi. Trip ends

Read more : Duong Lam village itinerary one day

Guided tour option for Duong Lam ancient village

A private guided tour from hanoi to Duong Lam ancient village costs around $65 USD per person with lots of activities: fun, educational, meaningful for travellers with hassle-free. Hanoi Eco Tours has arranged a day trip to Duong Lam village. Contact them for further information

Things to do near Duong Lam ancient village

When you have done Duong Lam village , there’s lots of places closeby and worth a visit

+ Ba Vi national park : A famous place for great natural beauty by taking some hiking to reach its peak 1227 meter above sea level and see Uncle’s Ho temple

+ Vietnam Ethnic village of Culture and Tourism : A greater version of the museum of Ethnology in Hanoi but lots of real houses of 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam

Note : Suggest not to go there from January to March which is the high season for Vietnamese tourists.

+ Tay Phuong Pagoda : A picturesque Buddist temple, sit on a mountain overlooking the rice paddy field. One of the oldest pagoda in Hanoi, built in 8th century

+ Son Tay Old Fortress is about 4 kilometers from Duong Lam village. Built in 1832 under the reign of King Ming Mang, it is the only ancient capital which is made of laterite bricks it features a preserved banyan tree gate and flag tower. From the road, the fortress looks like a green utopia surrounded by a wide moat.

+ Stay overnight in Moon Garden Homestay : It is something like high end accommodation in the region with lots of services such as a steam bath with herbs, foot bath in warm water and a lot more. It is a great place for those who want to stay in a comfortable condition.