Just 50km From Hanoi, Đường Lâm Village Is a Charming Historical Relic

Tuesday, 09 December 2025. Written by Saigoneer. Photos by Marcus Lacey.

Darkroom is a Saigoneer photography series that documents the beauty and stories of Vietnam and beyond. The compelling images encourage one to reflect upon the complexity of the human condition and the world.

AAA

Read this article in Vietnamese at Sài·gòn·eer.If one were to strike out west from Hanoi and follow the Red River for some 50 kilometers, there they will find Đường Lâm Village — a quintessence of rural Vietnam.

An old Catholic church in the distance.

Đường Lâm is home to green paddy fields, cobbled roads, and old ladies with betel-blackened smiles. Phùng Hưng and Ngô Quyền, two war heroes, were said to be born here — a story that is up for some debate — thus this place is also called “the land of two kings.”

In 2006, Đường Lâm was officially recognized as a national cultural and historical relic, the first village in Vietnam to receive such a title. Marcus Lacey, a photographer, knew of this village by chance through a passerby while Lacey was selling prints in Tây Hồ. “I went the very next day,” Lacey shares. “It is beautiful. I think it reminds me of my childhood because of the cobbled alleys and little courtyards.”

The villagers were very friendly; one man invited Lacey into his house for tea and was happy to be photographed, though he spoke no English. Lacey also found a well with crystal-clear water, next to which was a stone tablet with the inscription: “a heart pure as ice.”

If you haven’t been to this village yet, we hope these images below can inspire a visit, once it is safe to travel, of course.

Another day at the grind.

Historical artifacts and architectural features galore, even though they are worn by the elements.

A typical busy morning.

Cobbled streets and their pedestrians.

A crystal-clear, decades-old well.

Homes with traditional courtyard entrances.

Đường Lâm is among a few places in Vietnam where old ladies keep their dyed black teeth.

Love and peace in 2026 – John