150-year old House in Tien Giang Province

The old house in Cai Be district, Tien Giang province is the oldest house in the region and has become an attractive destination for local and foreign tourists. The beauty and antiquity of the house are the sources for discovery of Vietnamese culture and especially in the submerged areas in the Mekong Delta.

 

The 150-year old house is located in Dong Hoa Hiep commune among orchards laden with special fruit of the region: dorian, rabustan, longane. Visitors can reach the house by boats on boat tours along the rivers and canals, relaxing and enjoying delicious fruit.

 

According Mrs Tran Tuan Kiet, the fourth generation of the family, the old house was built in 1850 and has survived a lot of history. The house is 1,000 sq. metres large with over 100 pillars and all the structure and furniture are in precious wood. After several repairs, the house remains with delicate carvings and decoration of the old time.

 

In the framework of cooperation between Vietnamese and Japanese governments, JICA has surveyed 350 old houses in Tien Giang and decided to rehabilitate the 150-year old house. With six month of work and nearly VND2 billion, the house has been restored to the original form.

 

To receive more visitors, the owner has expanded the facilities and services to ensure comfortable stay for up to 300 visitors. The old house has become an attractive destination for the tourist tours in the region.

 

According to Mr. Doan Van Phuong, Deputy Director, Tien Giang Trade & Tourism Department, Tien Giang Tourism will be more professional and attractive. With favourable location, advantages in historical relics and newly built tourist centres (Thoi Son islet, Dong Tam snake farm), Tien Giang is increasingly attractive to local and foreign tourists. The province will focus on the development of eco-tourism, making it a typical feature of the province.

 

So far, foreign tourists coming to the province through the intermediary of other travel agents. Therefore, the province will upgrade the staff to receive directly foreign tourists to the province.

 

In addition to tourist programmes, the province will build more hotels, recreation centres so that the tourists will prolong their stay in the province. Thoi Son islet, Tan Thanh Go Cong sea-tourism and other projects will create a turning point in the development of tourism in Tien Giang.

 

The province receives some 300,000 tourists each year, including 200,000 foreign tourists.