A visit to Doung Lam is a trip into Vietnam's past in two ways: Firstly, two of the most important leaders were born and buried here more than a thousand years ago and secondly, it is a living museum village.
Duong Lam is located 60 km northwest of Hanoi on the Song Tich, a tributary of the Red River. The village is slightly elevated on a hill made of laterite, a red, iron-rich clay that is also used for the walls and houses. All around are rice fields, fish ponds and gardens with root vegetables and tropical fruits.