French President to delve into Hanoi's history with trip to ancient house

According to the itinerary, the president will take a tour of the Old Quarter and visit the ancient house at 87 Ma May Street. Together with another 13 "old friends", the houses were built during the 1890s and have been restored to become the historic landmarks in Hanoi’s Old Quarter.

The house features traditional Vietnamese architecture to serve both as a residence and shop with a big window on the ground floor. The original owners made a living from selling rice, but sold it to a Chinese family in 1945 who used it to sell traditional medicine. 

In 1999, the house underwent a joint restoration project between Hanoi and Toulouse (France). The house covers an area of 157.6 square meters. Above is the wooden staircase.

The altar of ancestors is placed in a sacred place in the living room on the first floor with two wooden plaques with Chinese verses, a popular thing in the past.

The owners' bedroom with wooden furniture. There are balconies on both sides of the room.

Another bedroom with big doors to receive light and help with ventilation.

The house is an example of traditional building techniques, and features through sophisticatedly engraved wooden trusses, weight-bearing walls (in the days of no steel reinforced concrete pillars) and a tiled floor on wooden beams. In 2004, Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture recognized the house as a national monument.

The wooden cupboard houses ancient artefacts.

A set of paintings named “Four Prosperous Seasons” hung on the wall.

This ancient phone used to be a sign of prosperity in the past.

The old wooden pantry which could be found in all Vietnamese homes during that era.

A ceramic bong, teapot, cups and paan box all date back to 18th and 19th centuries.