(VOVworld) – Phu Luu, a village in Bac Ninh province, is home to many historical relics sites. The area has been urbanized, yet still retains cultural traditions.

Phu Luu village gate (Photo: infonet)

Phu Luu is about 16 km north of Hanoi. A long time ago, there was a market of betel and areca, a specialty of the ancient Viet people. After many centuries, Phu Luu has become a famous market, where everything is traded. Local villagers, particularly women, who are good at doing business and sensitive to the market, have continuously expanded their trade to other localities in Vietnam. In today’s Phu Luu, the old houses and tranquil alleys intermingle with hectic trading streets, colorful signboards and busy traffic. Elderly villager Le Tran Thuy explains: “Phu Luu was originally a market village, so local activities are open, unlike other rural areas. We absorb the new thing of urban modernization while preserving village essence”.

Strolling around market alleys, visitors are engrossed into a peaceful and relaxing ambience. Phu Luu communal house’s curved roofs are hidden under the shade of fig trees. Nearby is located Phap Quang pagoda, an ancient structure with a bell tower and mossy walls. The village also boasts a stone stele which honors those who contributed to the foundation of the village and the market.  Le Thanh Binh, the guard of Phu Luu communal house, said those historical relics reflect the unique cultural features of the village: “Our village’s tradition is trading and becoming mandarins. A long time ago, men pursued education and passed the exams to become mandarins in the feudal government. We were also engaged in farm work but it was not our main job. Many families have become well-off thanks to doing business. Wives did business to earn money to help their husbands study and pursue their career”.

Phu Luu retains its old houses (Photo: infonet)

Village elder Le Thanh Binh says villagers retain their custom of child adoption: “Nowhere else in the world has as long a tradition of child adoption as the people in Phu Luu. Because women worked far away from home, their children were adopted, even 5 or 6 children were all adopted. Thus, in many families, children have 2 family names, including the family name of their adopted fathers”.

Despite their busy trading activities, Phu Luu people are keen on education. Clans have high academic records with many members holding important positions in national history. Phu Luu-born writer and translator Hoang Thuy Toan told VOV: “Phu Luu villagers are proud of their age-old tradition and culture. Our village in the northern delta is one of the few villages that had doctorate degree holder like Chu Tam Di in the 16^th century and Nguyen Duc Lan and Hoang Van Hoe in the 19^th century”.

Phu Luu is home to famous intellectuals and artists. Many villagers are generals, ministers, or senior officials of the Party and State. The movement of learning promotion developed in there. The local people have a saying: “Where there is a market, there are Phu Luu people”. Trading has brought about prosperity, which nurtures the locals’ motivation for a better life.