Duong Lam Ancient Village - Son Tay Ancient Citadel (1 Day Tour from Hanoi)

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Just over an hour from Hanoi, step back in time at Son Tay Ancient Citadel, Vietnam’s only laterite fortress, standing strong for nearly 200 years. Continue to Duong Lam Ancient Village, where time lingers at mossy village gates, centuries-old banyan trees, and traditional houses of warm brown laterite.

Savor a rustic lunch inside a 300-year-old house before exploring the spiritual treasures of Mia Pagoda with its rare Buddha statues, and paying tribute at the temples of national heroes Phung Hung and Ngo Quyen, tied to the legendary Bach Dang victory.A perfect day to “touch the soul of Vietnam” and feel the timeless charm of the Red River Delta countryside.

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07h00: Trima Vietnam tour guide picks you up at the hotel in the center of Hanoi city to depart for a tour of Duong Lam Ancient Village – Son Tay Ancient Citadel

08h30: Arrive in Son Tay, you will visit Son Tay Ancient Citadel. The citadel was built in the 3rd year of Minh Mang (1822) and is the only ancient citadel built of laterite in Vietnam with unique architecture such as: laterite walls, 4 ancient brick gates. This is one of the few citadels under the Minh Mang dynasty that remains today, the citadel was solidly built to protect the land northwest of Thang Long.

Then the group continues to move to Duong Lam Ancient Village.

10h00: Arrive in Duong Lam, you will feel the fresh, peaceful air of the Vietnamese countryside and admire the ancient beauty of the village gate, banyan tree, ferry, communal house yard...

The ancient village gate is located in Mong Phu village, facing Southeast. Unlike the gates of other villages in the North, this village gate is shaped like a two-roofed house, located right on the way into the village, next to a banyan tree that is more than 300 years old. You can freely take photos and check in at the village gate with the banyan tree, the ferry, the lotus pond... intact landscapes that are rarely preserved anywhere else.
Along the cleanly paved village road, between the dark yellow laterite walls, visitors will visit Mong Phu communal house, built in 1553 under King Le Than Tong with an area of 1800m2, worshiping Duc Thanh. After many times of restoration and repair, the communal house still retains the original architecture and sculptures of the early 19th century, typical of the traditional architecture of the ancient Northern Delta.
Also located in the center of the Duong Lam Ancient Village relic complex is Giang Van Minh Temple. The relic was built during the Tu Duc period, with an area of 400m2, worshiping the Third Prize winner Giang Van Minh to commemorate his great contributions to the nation. In the church, precious relics such as parallel sentences, stone steles, incense burners, bronze urns, etc. are still preserved.

In addition, you can visit some ancient houses, family temples, communal houses, etc. to freely explore and take photos with rice mills, ancient wells, etc. The rich natural landscapes create an attractive highlight in the middle of Son Tay, Hanoi.

12h30: You will have lunch at the ancient house. Enjoy specialties: sticky rice wine, Lam tea and rustic dishes made from wood and laterite.

13h30: Continue the journey to visit some more ancient houses on the way to visit Mia Pagoda - also known as Sung Nghiem Pagoda. The highlight of this pagoda is the system of extremely unique Buddha statues, rich in shape and quantity, vividly sculpted by the hands of sophisticated artisans. You come here to feel the peaceful, ancient space amidst the billowing incense smoke and the echoing sound of the temple bell.

15h00: From Mia Pagoda, you get on the car to move to Phung Hung Temple - Bo Cai Dai Vuong. Phung Hung Temple was established in many places, but Duong Lam is the largest in scale, however, the year of construction is unknown. Nestled under the canopy of ancient trees, the temple impresses with the serene beauty of the mossy tiled roof, silent over time.

Not far from Phung Hung Temple, only about 500m to the left is Ngo Quyen Temple and Tomb. This architectural complex is in the process of restoration and embellishment but still retains the ancient temple built of bricks and roofed with fish-tail tiles. Inside the temple, there are still two wooden stakes used by Ngo Quyen to fight the Southern Han army, creating a glorious historical victory.

Ngo Quyen's tomb is about 100m from the temple, built in 1874, designed in the style of a stele house, with a roof, about 1.5m high. What is special is that this place still has 18 thousand-year-old duoi trees, it is said that in the past, Ngo Quyen tied elephants and horses there, today it has been recognized as a "National Heritage Tree".

16h00: You get back on the bus to return to Hanoi. End of the 1-day tour of Duong Lam Ancient Village.
Trima Vietnam says goodbye and see you again.