Can Tho is well-known for its Cai Rang floating market, Ninh Kieu wharf, fruit orchards, and gardening cuisine. But there's more: ancient houses that bear the imprint of Western culture in this land. Binh Thuy ancient house is the most well-known of them all, because to its distinctive architecture and priceless collection of items inside.
Can Tho city's Binh Thuy old house is located at 142/144 Bui Huu Nghia Street in Binh Thuy ward. The historic home was constructed around 1807. Mr. Duong Chan Ky, the house's owner, is a wealthy intellectual businessman as well as an artistic farmer who enjoys discovering new and weird aspects of the current Western trend, particularly in the field of architecture. As a result, the house is designed in a luxury French and old-villa style. It does, however, bear the imprint of clear East feng-shui. This intriguing feature creates a harmonious blend of two cultures, East and West.
The house is built on a total area of approximately 6,000 square meters in the East-West direction, surrounded by well-trimmed bonsai and flowers that bloom throughout the year. This design makes the house appear nostalgic, one-of-a-kind, lively, and romantic all at the same time. The entire space consists of three main houses: the front house (5 rooms) – used as a reception place for ceremonious occasions, furnished in European style; the middle house (5 compartments) – three compartments are planned as a place of worship according to tradition, while two compartments are used for living; and the following house – used as a common place, with small scenes inside and out.
The facade of Binh Thuy ancient home, unlike many others, does not have a direct stairway, but is created on both sides to lead to the main door. As you climb the stairs, you'll notice a series of windows that allow the house to be ventilated. The stairwell is also adorned with a large number of flowers on the side.
The owner of Binh Thuy old mansion arranged the inside directly according to the law of symmetry. All of the floor tiles come directly from France. A system of wood shafts and triplets separates the three main components of the home. The Vietnamese worship altar is the most important place in the house, despite the fact that the architecture is decorated in European style.
The artifacts collection, which is the spotlight of Binh Thuy ancestral house, encompasses many priceless items such as 1.5m green veins, blue marble surface, Louis 15 French-style satin, marble furniture, teacups from the Ming – Thanh dynasty, white lanterns from the XVIII century, hanging lanterns from the XIX century, high green enamel Thuong Ngoc... These items are proof of excessive affluence and wealthy households' high-end living styles in the nineteenth century.
The peculiarity of Binh Thuy's antique house has enticed numerous visitors, as well as directors and studios, to use it as the setting for their films. “Lover,” directed by Jean Jacques Annaud, is the most famous film that used Binh Thuy historic mansion as a filming location. J.J. Annaud admitted that when he left Can Tho to return to France, he was "stunned by the magnificence of this wonderful home and wanted to show it to the world" through his movies.
A visit to Binh Thuy's historic mansion would leave you feeling nostalgic and royal. If you want to capture a lot of great shots, you should dress yourself in a fancy or retro, vintage style.
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