Ancient house on Tan Loc Island

The Mekong Delta island of Tan Loc is known for the many ancient houses that belonged to wealthy mandarins and landlords in Long Xuyen, Chau Doc, and Sa Dec districts at the beginning of the 20th century.

Tan Loc is a big island in Thot Not District in Can Tho City, covering an area of 15 kilometers in length and two kilometers in width in the Hau River. Tran Ba The, an offspring of the seventh generation of the island’s founder, said that Tan Loc island was formed from sand and alluvium from the upstream of the Mekong River around 400 years ago.

Visiting The’s house in Tan Loc Commune is an interesting experience as The, who used to be a legal officer in Long Xuyen City’s court for 30 years before 1975, is a lively story teller at the age of 88. His house is also typical of the ancient houses on the island. His father, Long Xuyen City’s council chairman Tran Thien Thoai, built the house in 1918 in Western architectural style with a green-stoned terrace, arch doors with relievo and flower patterns, brick roofs and patterned tiled floors.

The house is circled by a large balcony, brick walls and many rectangular windows with iron bars, as well as some small windows. The ceiling is high and unusual with thin wooden stripes. These ancient houses are usually cool due to the open-style architecture.

The interior decoration in the house still retains many old features with wooden 19th century Chinese lanterns hanging on the ceiling. There are also incandescent gas lamps, the oldest model imported to the country from France, and kerosene lamps from American miners in the previous century.

Cabinets inlaid with nacre are around the house, placed next to scroll pictures and horizontal lacquered boards featuring images of fairy tales, natural landscapes, or human’s daily life. However, it is the tea cabinet by the front door that attracts tourists. It is carved with two poems in the "Peaceful melody" of Li Bai, a brilliant poet in the Tang dynasty in China.

Occasionally The shows tourists a big ivory tooth with waves and slits on the surface. As the tooth is around six or seven kilos, it is believed to be the fossil of an elephant’s tooth.

Residents in the Mekong Delta have unearthed fossils of animal bones, such as crocodile, buffalo, or bull. In 1985 archeologists discovered relics of the Oc Eo culture in Chau Thanh District which are now displayed at Can Tho City’s Museum for local and international visitors.

Ancient houses on Tan Loc island have become popular tourist attractions in the Mekong Delta in recent time. Besides The’s house there are about ten others, which are damaged to a certain degree. Some owners expect authorities to preserve the houses, which are a cultural feature reminding people of old memories on the island among the Hau River.