Duong Lam: A Vietnamese Village Frozen in Time

I got you with that title, didn't I? I was trying to sound deep like everything else I read about it, but I took a day trip there and it wasn't as magical as I’d heard.

Now, I take plenty of group tours like your average tourist because it's often the best option. I hear plenty of travelers act like they're above them, but fuck those people. It’s like complaining about traffic while sitting in a car, you are traffic. If you want to see Ninh Binh, don't speak the language, and can't drive in the country, a tour is hands-down the easiest and most cost-effective way to maximize limited time.

But I do love going out on my own whenever I can. Hopping on a bus, heading to a destination, and doing whatever I want without being on anyone else's timetable. Today, I did that to the nearby village of Duong Lam, about 37 miles (60 km) outside of Hanoi, and I'm about to tell you how to get there and what to REALLY expect.

First, you need to take a Grab (Vietnam's Uber) to the My Dinh Bus Station on the west side of town. You don't need to go inside and buy a ticket—just look for the 70A bus. Be careful, because the internet told me it was the 71, but that wasn't correct. Maybe it changes occasionally, so break out Google Translate and confirm with the driver that you're going to Duong Lam via Son Tay.

Type those words into Google maps to see where you need to go.

Two nice buses and one janky. Guess which one I rode. It wasn't much to look at but it was fine. It had AC and that is all that mattered.

Even though it isn't really that far, it takes about an hour and a half to get there. The bus will drop you on the eastern edge of Son Tay. There will probably be at least one driver there wanting to give you a ride. If I had it to do over again, I would have taken him up on it. I'll explain why in a minute, but there is a landmark I wanted to see in Son Tay first.

About a 20-minute walk from the stop is Thành Cổ Sơn Tây. It is an old fort with a moat around it right in the center of town. Moats around a fortress are pretty badass, so I wanted to see it.

The moat circles the whole fortress

The bridge to cross into the fortress

There was a nice pathway that circled the whole moat, which would have been great for a romantic walk with a loved one. But since I fly solo, all it meant to me was unnecessary time in the Vietnam heat. I went to enter, and the guard just waved me right through. I think it usually costs about $5 to go in, but when I stepped inside, I saw why it was free. There is a huge tower in the center and what looked like a bunch of buildings or temples all along the edges, but they were all completely blocked off for construction. So I pretty much walked in, took a pic of the tower, and walked right back out.

The tower in the middle of the isle

Remember how I said I wished I took the ride when I got off the bus? Well, it wasn't only because the fort was under renovation. It was because it was absolute hell to get a ride to Duong Lam village from there. It isn't far, only a couple of miles outside of town, but I got the distinct sense the drivers didn't want to go because there aren't as many fares on the way back. When using Grab, you have the option for a motor-bike or a car. The bike is about half the cost, but I went through five different drivers who kept accepting and then canceling. I finally just booked a car, and someone picked me up right away. Not a huge deal in the end, it just bumped the cost from 30,000 dong to 60,000 dong, a massive price difference of about $1.25.  

There is also an entry gate about a quarter mile from the actual village where the driver insisted on dropping me off. This was actually totally fine because it was a pleasant walk alongside some rice fields. What caught me off guard, though, was that the fields had random graves sitting right in them. Apparently, it is a Vietnamese tradition to bury loved ones on ancestral farmland. Plus, private land ownership doesn't work the same way it does in the West. The state technically owns all the land, so burying relatives on the plot is a local custom that helps solidify and maintain a family's historical claim to the property. 

A grave in the rice field

After three to seven years, the family performs a sunrise ritual to exhume the remains. Family members carefully wash the bones before moving them to a permanent family plot. Once the bones are relocated, the temporary grave is filled back in, and active farming on the land resumes.

A map of the village of Duong Lam

I finally arrived at the village. Not far into it, I found a place where I could rent a bike. For 50,000 dong ($2), I got a bike that had barely functional brakes. I would recommend this because while the area isn't that big, it is big enough that the interesting stuff is spread out. It is mostly a residential place, so on foot, you are just spending a lot of time walking past residents.

One of the many temples in the village

I'm sure this an ancient work of art, but it looked like the dragon had googly eyes.

There are 12 homes here that stick with the ancient style, and the big draw to the village is you can go inside the homes and the residents will make you a meal. I was going to do this, but the home I went to had already served lunch. You have to plan ahead for this, they aren't like restaurants where you can just show up. Also, the language barrier here is extremely hard. This is really more of a place that only local tourists go to. It isn't a big draw for international visitors.

I really stood out here. A lot of the residents selling stuff were older ladies who had no clue how to work translator technology. There was a place where three older women were selling some liquid in plastic bottles. It didn't look like a drink, so I asked what it was. I showed them the translator and switched it to Vietnamese so they could speak and answer my question, and all three ladies started speaking into it at the same time.

My whip parked near a lake

The place is very quaint and does have a nice vibe, but I just want anyone visiting to temper their expectations. Everything I read about this place made it sound like some ancient village trapped in time. While it does reflect that, the reality is that it is 2026 and that just isn't entirely possible. There were some very fancy homes in here, and other parts were just like any other town.

I'm not trying to be negative and say, "I expected rustic and you motherfuckers had the nerve to install running water." I just want to be realistic.

If you are like me and slow traveling and have a weekend to kill, there are worse ways to spend a day. If your time in Vietnam is limited, you can probably skip this.