Typical Architectures in Long An Province

11:05:51 AM | 15/7/2009

Not only famous for developed agriculture and aquaculture, sand dunes, islets and luxuriant orchards, Long An province is also noted for its architecture and historic relics.
 
Buddha statue with one thousand arms and one thousand eyes
Visiting the traditional art gallery at the Long An Museum, you will have the chance to see the marvellous statue of Avalokiteśvara with one thousand arms and one thousand eyes - a replica of the Guan Yin statue, the Goddess of Mercy, in But Thap Temple in Bac Ninh province.
 
In September 1978, Long An Fine Arts Company assigned Monk Nguyen Duc Luu, former Director of the company, and three artisans of the Huynh family, Huynh Van Dinh, Huynh Chinh Duc and Huynh Mang, to visit Northern Vietnam to study and replicate the Guan Yin statue. After three months and 15 days of hard work, artisans from Long An completed the replica of the Avalokiteśvara statue with one thousand arms and one thousand eyes in But Thap Temple. All processes were made by measuring and naked eye measuring. The new wooden statue was measured 0.69 high and 26 cm wide - a 1:5 miniature scale. The Goddess of Mercy statue in Long An created a wide-spread resonance in the art world in Vietnam. The Ministry of Culture and Information, which is now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, conferred three certificates of merits for the three artisans.
 
The display of the replicated Goddess of Mercy statue with one thousand arms and one thousand eyes enriches exhibits in the museum and increases the pride of the sculpture tradition in Long An province.
 
One hundred pillar house
Can Duoc - Long An is famous not only for Nang Thom Cho Dao rice but also for many historic and cultural relics. If you have a chance to visit Can Duoc, you should not forget to visit an architectural work in Long Huu Dong commune called the Hundred-pillar House (as the house has more than hundred pillars). With the area of 882 square metres, the Hundred- pillar House is located on a 4,044 square metre garden that faces the northwest. The house is totally made of wood (Dalbergia, Afzelia xylocarpa, Sindora siamensis), roofed by Yin and Yang tiles, and floored by carved stones of 0.9m high and Chinese hexagon-shaped tiles. On the topographical map, this house has a Chinese Guo letter shape - three compartments and two lean-tos. All frames and structures were carved meticulously. Master and guest compartments are places with the highest aesthetic value in the house, and are also displayed in each sculpture of the ancients. The guest compartment of the Hundred- pillar House is decorated with horizontal lacquered boards, vermilion lacquered and gilded wood panels inlaid with conch, the contents of which signify a peaceful and contented life or beautiful natural scenery, good fortune and longevity. All of them were settled in a harmonious architectural layout to flatter the solemnity of a place of worship and the magnificence of traditionally carved architecture.
 
According to researchers, the Hundred- pillar House is a type of house of the Nguyen Dynasty or Hue style in general. However, this house was built directly for the owner in southern Vietnam during French colonialism; thus, there are differences in style. This is a part of history and culture of Vietnam at the end of 19th century and the early 20th century.
 
With such values, the Hundred- pillar House was certified as the National Historic Cultural Vestige by the Ministry of Information and Communications.
 
Ton Thanh Pagoda
Located next to Provincial Road 835 in My Loc commune, Can Giuoc district, Ton Thanh Pagoda is famous in history and literature. This Pagoda is a historic vestige certified by the Ministry of Information and Communications on November 27, 1997.
 
Ton Thanh Pagoda was initially named Lan Nha Pagoda established by Vien Ngo zen master in 1808. His real name was Nguyen Ngoc Dot, a child of Sir Nguyen Ngoc Binh and Madame Tra Thi Hue in Thanh Ba village, Phuoc Dien Trung canton, Phuoc Loc district.
 
After many years, Ton Thanh Pagoda has slowly decayed leaving behind its former splendor of “magnificent and splendid pillars with vermillion and gilt.” Instead, its architectural layout includes a front chamber, central chamber, lecture hall, eastern corridor, western corridor with a tile roof and brick wall. However, Ton Thanh Pagoda maintains old traits in its pillar system such as the central chamber, the Buddha statues from early 19th century, and red lacquer trimmed with gold wooden panels with Chinese characters. In the right side of the pagoda, there are two memorial steles built in 1973 and 1997 to commemorate poet Nguyen Dinh Chieu.
 
Phuoc Lam Pagoda
Phuoc Lam Pagoda is located at Chua hamlet, Tan Lan commune, Can Duoc district, Long An province. In 1880, a herb doctor and landlord in Tan Lan village called Bui Van Minh built this pagoda to be a place of worship for Buddha as well as an ancestral hall for his Bui clan. Due to his merit to the village, Mr Minh was venerated as a sage in Tan Lan Temple. Phuoc Lam Pagoda is also called Mr Mieng Pagoda (a taboo name of Mr Minh).
 
In general, the pagoda has three parts: Central chamber, grave tower and annex. The central chamber is a large house built in a “three-cornered pie” style with a stone foundation, brick wall and fish-scale roof type. All pillars were made of precious wood chocked up by stone, linked by a system of frames and girders to create a commodious space. Interior design of the central chamber still keeps its ancient traits after several restorations with more than 40 statues of Buddha. Most of those statues were made of wood and bronze in the 19th century with the southern Vietnam Buddhism art style.
 
Nguyen Huynh Duc Tomb and Temple
About 3.5 km from Tan An town to the west, Nguyen Huynh Duc Tomb is considered one of the most untouched ancient tombs in Long An province. This is an architectural complex consisting of an entrance gate, tomb and temple. Nguyen Huynh Duc is a meritorious country-founding official of the Nguyen Dynasty. The tomb was built in 1817 on a campus of more than 3,000 square metres before he died. The ancient-styled laterite tomb was in the rectangular shape measuring 35 m long, 19 m wide, 1.2 m high and 0.4 m thick. This place highlighted the tomb architecture of the early Nguyen Dynasty and valuable objects of the 18th-19th centuries that reflected the life and career of a renowned general. He also contributed to reclaiming Giong Cai En (Khanh Hau). With what it had, the French colonial administration listed Nguyen Huynh Duc tomb as one of the 404 ancient vestiges in Indochina in early 20th century. The Ministry of Culture and Information recognised the Nguyen Huynh Duc tomb as the National Relic on May 11, 1993.
Huong Thao