Vietnamese farmer’s museum attracts foreign tourists

Hanoi, September 3 (VNA) - Tran Cong Khanh, colloquially known as “Sau Khanh’ from Vietnam's southern province of Ben Tre, has spent dozens of years and a lot of money on collecting antiques. The 59-year-old farmer said he wants to preserve his family’s traditions and his homeland’s special cultural values. Khanh’s 200sq.m house stands under green coconut trees in Ben Tre city’s My Thanh An commune. It is now home to thousands of antiques such as porcelain, lamps and clocks. Khanh said the collection of antiques has been gathered by generations of his family. He has been in love with antiques since he was 13. However, up until to 1980, he had a chance to establish his own museum. “My ancestors came from the central city of Hue. I have collected and restored the objects featuring our family’s seven generations,” said Khanh. Seeing antique collection and preservation as the strongest passion in his life, Khanh can remember exactly about every single antique, of which there are thousands. Like other hospitable southerners, the farmer is always ready to welcome visitors and clear up their questions on the antiques. Most of them date back from the 19th century. Many are even older than that. They mainly come from Vietnam, China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Japan. Apart from intact objects, Khanh has also brought home broken ones and restored them. Over the past nearly decade, Khanh’s house has become an interesting tourist site, especially those from France, Australia, the UK and the US. “As tourism has developed in Ben Tre province, many travel agencies have asked me to make my museum a tourist destination,” Khanh said. “I feel very happy as my collection has become well-known.” After cycling under the shadow of coconut trees, guests will be introduced about special cultural identities in Ben Tre as well as the Tran family’s traditions.-VNA