Mansion Of Vuong Family – A Historical Destination In Ha Giang, Vietnam

Photo Of Ha Giang Landscape By Tuyet Thi Nguyen

Updated: 08/24/2019

The mansion of Vuong family (dinh thự họ Vương) is located in Sa Phin (Sà Phìn), Dong Van (Đồng Văn). It is a famous place for people who come to Ha Giang (Hà Giang). From the top of the pass and looking down, the Vuong family’s mansion is amazing with a unique architecture. This mansion is recognized as a National Monument in 1993, and it is an interesting destination for tourists to discover. This mansion has become very popular for tourists thanks to its unique position, architecture, and historical value. In this article, Vina.com will reveal some of the unique features that make the mansion of Vuong family a must-see destination in Ha Giang, Vietnam.

1. How To Come To The Mansion Of Vuong Family

Photo Of Ha Giang Landscape By Tuyet Thi Nguyen

The roads from other provinces to Ha Giang province are quite complicated, so tourists often choose Hanoi City as a starting place when coming to Ha Giang. It is about 300 kilometers from Hanoi to Ha Giang, and there are two means of transport for visitors: passenger car and motorbike.

From My Dinh bus station, you can catch a passenger car to Ha Giang from 19 to 22 hours every night. The ticket prices are in the range of 220,000 – 280,000 VND, depending on the garage. Otherwise, you can try moving by motorbike that can help you enjoy the beautiful scenes. An important thing you need to note is that the time to ride a motorcycle from Hanoi to Ha Giang is about 8-10 hours. So, if you decide to travel by motorbike, you should check your vehicle frequently and pay attention to your health before starting.

To go to the mansion of the Vuong family in Ha Giang, from the center of Ha Giang city, you have to rent a motorbike. The rent for a motorbike is about 150,000 VND per day. This mansion is located on Dong Van stone plateau. You can follow the direction: Ha Giang city center – Quan Ba (Quản Bạ) heaven’s gate – Yen Minh (Yên Minh) pine forest – Mansion of Vuong family.

2. Features Of The Mansion Of Vuong Family

Photo Of Ha Giang Landscape By Tuyet Thi Nguyen

The mansion of the Vuong family is known as one of the best tourist attractions when discovering Ha Giang. Legend is that in 1913, there was a subordinate of Vuong Chinh Duc (Vương Chính Đức) named Cu Gia Lu (Cư Trồng Lù). He suggested that the leader should find a new residence. The previous place at the foot of the mountain and next to the canyon does not match the age of the king, so it is disadvantageous for his posterity. The king went to China to find a feng-shui master. The king led the feng shui master to go through his four districts. Finally, he decided to stop at Sa Phin (Sà Phìn) valley. This place has a high land that looks like the turtle’s hood; so, if the mansion is built here, the career will be successful.

The mansion is nearly 100 years old, and it is built within nearly 10 years (1919-1928) by many the skilled Mong and Chinese workers along with thousands of workers. The mansion cost about 150,000 piastre (about 150 billion VND at that time). The special feature of the mansion is its structure and layout of the rooms. The mansion is like a fortified fortress with thick walls. It has two blocks for defense, warehouse for storing assets, warehouse for weapons, etc. Inside the mansion, there are many original artifacts such as stoves, stone mortars, wooden tables, etc.

In front of the gate to the mansion, tourists will see two lines of big trees as guardsmen who protect the safety of the king at the entrance to the palace. The mansion is surrounded by high mountains, creating a circular terrain that embraces the entire house. The stone gate of the mansion is beautifully carved into bat-wing shape, a symbol of happiness.

The whole mansion has an area of 3000 square meters, featuring 3 different cultural architectures: China, Hmong, and France. The mansion has 6 vertical houses and 4 horizontal houses, divided into the pre-palace, central, and rear palace with 64 rooms for 100 people. It was built 2 floors with stone walls. The pre-palace is the residences of guardsmen and slaves. There is a wooden floor in the middle of pre- and central areas that is the area of judgment. The central palace and the rear-palace are the residences of the Vuong family members. Today, the central palace is the place where saves many photos of the Vuong family and worships the ancestor. Also, surrounding the house is a garden with many different kinds of trees and flowers such as peach, sycamore, cinnamon, pear, etc.

Over many years of history, some materials used to build the mansion have been replaced, but it still retains the original architectural features. For example, all the wood in the mansion was pine wood, which has now been changed by about 60% with ironwood. Becoming an attractive destination to domestic and foreign tourists thanks to its unique architecture, the mansion of the Vuong family in Ha Giang will be an interesting choice for you to discover when discovering this province.

Vina.com Editors