HÀ NỘI — A 123-year-old house in Phan Chu Trinh Street in the southern province of Tây Ninh was recognised Tuesday as a provincial relic of arts and architecture by the local People’s Committee.

Built in 1894 by Nguyễn Văn Kiên, a Vietnamese mandarin during the French colonial era, the house carries unique and elegant architecture. It is 12-metres wide, 20-metres long and includes a ground floor and a mezzanine which are divided into rooms for generations of the family. All the pillars and posts in the building are meticulously carved from precious kind wood which is in good condition.

The highlight of the ancient house is a pair of vermillion lacquered and gilded wood panels inscribed with parallel sentences in Chinese characters. In the middle of the house is the altar to mandarin Nguyễn Văn Kiên and in front of it, replicas of eight kinds of Vietnamese weapons. The mezzanine is mainly used to worship the ancestors.

The contemporary owner of the ancient house is 81-year-old Trần Ngọc Sương, a descendant of mandarin Kiên. Sương and other relatives have preserved the house in its original condition.  It has also become a highlight for provincial tourism, welcoming many tourists and researchers. — VNS