HA NOI (VNS)— A restored nha ruong in the old village of Phuoc Tich will allow tourists to visit a typical house in the central province of Thua Thien- Hue.

The old house is the first of its kind in the village to be upgraded under a joint project between the province and the Wallonie-Bruxelles region.

The five-room house is owned by Truong Duy Thanh, whose family has lived there for five generations. Located in a 150sq.m area in Phong Hoa Commune, Phong Dien District, the house gradually degraded over time.

"My ancestor built this house when he was a mandarin. My family has lived here despite its physical decline," Thanh said. He had to repair the house many times due to his limited budget.

Then came the project Village Cultural Heritage Preservation and Development for Tourism - An Experiment in Phuoc Tich Pottery Village by the Viet Nam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies (VICAS) and Wallonie Bruxelles's Heritage Institute, under which the house was chosen to be restored due to its historical value, according to Dr Tran Dinh Hang, from the VICAS's Thua Thien- Hue branch.

The house was restored in 10 months with the assistance of two architects from the Wallonie-Bruxelles. The restoration was completed on September 18 with a total investment of 24,000 euros (US$31,000).

"My family is very happy with the restored house. We will display the house as a museum," said Thanh. "I plan to be a host for homestay tourism. It is a long-time dream of mine that has finally come true."

The house restoration is the second phase of the three-year project, which aims to preserve and promote the cultural heritage of Phuoc Tich Village to help tourism development.

Formed in 1470 under the reign of King Le Thanh Tong, Phuoc Tich is the second village in Viet Nam recognised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a national cultural and historical relic site.

Spread out along the scenic O Lau River, about 40km north of Hue City, the village still contains over 100 old houses. People here live by making pottery. Phuoc Tich is now a popular tourist destination in Thua Thien-Hue Province. — VNS