CA Essay Edited

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INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY – VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CIVIL ARCHITECTURE

Lecturer : Prof. Luu Truong Van

Project : Summarizing a history of Civil Architecture of Vietnam

Students’ Name – ID

Lý Tu ấ n Huy – CECEIU14042

H ồ Quang Vũ – CECEIU13037

Đặng Quang Thành – CECEIU13027

Phạm Qu ốc Cường – CECEIU14006

Lương Gia Bảo – CECEIU14002



I. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1

II. Body ...................................................................................................................... 1

1. Van Lang – Au Lac period (2879 BC – 111 BC) .......................................................... 12. The Chinese Colonial era (179 BC to 938 AD) and the Dynasties era (938-1883) .... 2

a. Ly Dynasty (XI – XVI) ............................................................................................... 3

b. Tran Dynasty (XIII – XIV) ......................................................................................... 3

c. Ho Dynasty (XV) ..................................................................................................... 4

d. Le Dynasty (XV – XVI) ............................................................................................. 4

e. Nguyen Dynasty (XIX) ............................................................................................. 4

3. Pre-modern era (1858-1945) .................................................................................... 5

4. Modern era (1945-1980) ........................................................................................... 6

5. Modern era (1980 to the present) ............................................................................ 7

III. Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 8

IV. Reference .............................................................................................................. 9



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I. Introduction

Vietnam is a nation with a rich history of 4000 years of development. Much of the culture,

art and civil architecture of Vietnam has transformed over this period of time. This paper

will specifically look at Vietnam’s history of civil architecture from 2879 BC to the present.

II. Body

1. Van Lang – Au Lac period (2879 BC – 111 BC)

Brief history:

In 2879 BC to 258 BC, the Hung Kings found the kingdom of Van Lang whose territory is the

present day Northern Vietnam. From 258 BC to 111 BC, Thuc Phan – An Duong Vuong

founded the kingdom of Au Lac. This period was ended in 111 BC when Trieu Da

successfully conquered Au Lac, leading to the formation of Trieu Dynasty.

Civil Architecture during Van Lang – Au Lac period:

The most remarkable architecture feats accomplished during this period is in the building of

the capital Co Loa (see Figure 1), specifically in foundation treatment and the defense

layout scheme. Because the foundation was built on weak soil, the ramparts could not be

finished despite many layers of materials being put on top of one another. Instead, people

found a way of utilizing stones to reinforce the foundation base for the ramparts to be

structurally sound. Furthermore, the ramparts layout scheme takes advantage of natural

surroundings to strengthen the defensibility of the capital.

The result was something to behold.

There were three protective walls 16 km

long with deep moats connected with the

river Hoang. The outer wall was built

following the topography. They were

over 8 km long, 3-4 m high on average,

and the highest point was 8m. The base

of this wall is 8-12m wide, depending onthe section. The middle wall was also

built to take advantage of the

topography. Its perimeter was around 6.5

km. It was 6-12 m high with a base 20m wide. Finally, the inner wall is rectangular and

1.6km long. Its upper section is around 10m wide and 5m high, while its base was 20m in

Figure 1: Co Loa Capital



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width. There were guard towers along the wall for observation and security. Within the

perimeter of the wall, there were the king’s palace, garrisons and civilians homes.

The remarkable civil architecture of the civilian homes during this period was the various

kinds of stilt houses (nha san). These are traditional structures which are suitable to the

natural setting and tropical climate of Vietnam.

2. The Chinese Colonial era (179 BC to 938 AD) and the Dynasties era (938-1883)

Brief history:

China ruled Vietnam for 1000 years as its colony. The ancient Vietnamese finally succeeded

in displacing the Chinese to form their own kingdom called Dai Co Viet in 939 AD.

Civil Architecture during this period:

Under the colonial rule of China, the civil architecture didn’t change much because Chinaadopted a policy of suppression of Vietnam’s development. Nonetheless, ramparts, tombs,

and civilian homes did develop somewhat thanks to landlords and kings. Furthermore,

when Buddhism arrived at Vietnam, it introduced Vietnam to pagoda architecture.

After the rule of China ended, there were remarkable architectural achievements during the

Ly Dynasty (XI – XVI), Tran Dynasty (XIII – XIV), Ho Dynasty (XV), Le Dynasty (XV – XVI), Tay

Son Dynasty (XVIII) and Nguyen Dynasty (XIX).

One notable development of architecture during this 1000-year period of independence is

in the progress of towns and cities. In ancient Vietnamese cities, there were marketplaces,religious buildings, and palaces. Cities of this era were mostly formed in accordance with

Feng Shui. The development and management of districts within the cities were similar to

those of suburban villages. Houses in the era were mostly in tube shape (hinh ong).

Furthermore, construction projects all used local materials.

In addition, the use of wooden truss and beam system is another architectural

characteristic in this era. Such systems were popular in residential houses, palaces and

religious buildings. The differences in architecture between the dynasties are in the

structure layout and types of truss, beams, and the slope of the roof as well as the

decoration on buildings themselves.

However, construction in this period did not utilize any technical drawings. The buildings

are built based the constructors’ rough estimation.



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Particular civil architecture development in each dynasty period.

a. Ly Dynasty (XI – XVI)

Architecture during the Ly Dynasty has 5

general categories: rampart, palace, castle,

pagoda and temple. The most noteworthy

architecture achievement during this period is

Thang Long capital (see Figure 2) with a variety

of castle and palaces 3-4 stories high.

Architecture during this period was influenced

by that of pagodas and tower temples. The

buildings themselves are very expressive

through their design of roof, doors, stairs, statues, decorative bricks and tiles. The styles are

light, modest and suitable to the climate as well as customs of Vietnam.

b. Tran Dynasty (XIII – XIV)

Similar to Ly Dynasty, the main architecture development of the Tran Dynasty were

mainly focus on palaces, pagoda, temples, residential houses and ramparts. Some of

achievements are Binh Son tower (Vinh Phuc), Pho Minh pagoda (Nam Dinh) (see Figure 3),

Thai Lac pagoda (Hung Yen) and Tay Do ramparts (see Figure 4). Most notably, the following

characteristics of Pho Minh pagoda inspired architectural design of the following centuries.

Firstly, the three main buildings were structured as the “tam” Chinese character. Each

building was held up by an array of columns known as "tứ trụ", which are relatively easy tobuild and structurally sound. Furthermore, the yards, garden and plants enriched the

architecture design during this period. As for materials, bamboo and wood were the most

popular choice for building in this time.

Figure 2: Thang Long imperial citadel

Figure 3: Pho Minh pagoda Fi ure 4: Ta Do ram arts



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c. Ho Dynasty (XV)

Despite lasting only 7 years, the rule of the Ho Dynasty left behind some notable

architectural projects, such as the Tay Do ramparts in Thanh Hoa, some of which last to the

present day.

d.

Le Dynasty (XV – XVI)

The most remarkable architecture developments in the beginning of the Le Dynasty in

the 15th century are palaces and tombs. In the 16th and 17th century, religious architecture

reached a higher level of development. For example, But Thap pagoda in Bac Ninh were

striking in its architecture, construction techniques of the tower and statue decoration. In

the 18th century, the architecture and construction of pagoda and village communal houses

reached new heights. Two most recognizable building from this time period are Dinh Bang

communal house (see Figure 5) and Tay Phuong pagoda.

Figure 5: Dinh Bang communal

e. Nguyen Dynasty (XIX)

In the 19th century, most construction activity shifted away from Northern Vietnam as

the capital was moved to Hue. At Thang Long, construction projects focused on maintaining

the ramparts and some cultural sites such as Khue Van Cac and Ngoc Son temple.

On the other hand, the imperial city of Hue (see Figure 6) was the center of new building

projects, such as ramparts, palaces and tombs. Vietnamese culture is furthermore enrichedwith “garden house” (nha vuon) architecture, which departed significantly from that of

houses in Ha Noi. Hue architecture during this period is viewed as the consolidation of

concepts of surfaces, structures, urban development, and landscape design.



5

Figure 6: Hue imperial city

3. Pre-modern era (1858-1945)

Brief history:

Vietnam was colonized by France in the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century.

Civil architecture during this period:

As Vietnam became of colony of France, it slowly came under influences of European

architecture. The end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th is a significant turning

point for Vietnam’s civil architecture development. The ancient cities developed during the

Nguyen dynasties slowly transform into Western-style cities. The streets became straight,

creating a chessboard-like network of roads. Furthermore, the roads became wider and had

sewerage system. Trees and streetlight lamp were planted along the sidewalks. In addition,

modern structures such as factories, office buildings, and other types of contemporary

buildings became popular during this period. In short, Vietnam was being modernized little

by little by the French.

The modernization process was different between single-story structures and multi-story

ones. The modernization of one-story structure started with the exterior. The exterior walls

were built using bricks and were supported by Western-style column. However, the interior

structure still used traditional system of wooden trusses and beams. On the other hand,

construction of multi-story structure, such as Dalat railway station (see Figure 7), requiresthe use of stronger materials than wood or bamboo. New Western designs using more

advanced material, such as brick column, hollow brick floor, Western-style tiles and steel

trusses and beams were introduced to Vietnam in this period. Furthermore, the use

advanced material like cast iron, steel, concrete, steel-reinforced concrete combined with

Western engineering planning allowed Vietnam’s civil architecture to take a huge leap

forward.



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Figure 7: Dalat railway station

This lead to what is known as Indochina architecture. This style of architecture is

characterized by its roof that was designed particularly for air circulation using a new

system of supports. This new style of house also includes, for the first time, a basement

floor. Despite being founded upon Western designs and concepts, this type of architecture

did draw inspiration from traditional Vietnam architecture in order to decorate the

buildings and to counteract the hot Vietnamese tropical weather.

4. Modern era (1945-1980)

Brief history:

On 2/9/1945, Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence and thus found the

Democratic Republic of Vietnam. After the August Revolution (21/7/1954), Geneva Accordswas signed leading to the independence of Northern Vietnam. Then America intervened

and started the Vietnam War from 1948 to 1975. Vietnam finally gained its independence

on 30/4/1975.


In this period, there was a difference in civil architecture between the North and South of

Vietnam. In the North, austerity limited the development of architecture. On the contrary,

in the South, architecture continued to flourish with a focus on interior design and ways to

block the sunlight as well as to ensure air circulation. One prime example of this is theIndependent Palace (see Figure 8). However, the South had inequity in urban development

between the rich and the poor. The slums of the poor stood in contrast with the villas and

multi-story houses of the rich.



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Figure 8: Independent palace

5.

Modern era (1980 to the present)Brief history:

This period is a time of market economy.

Vietnam opened its economy in 1986 and has

grown at a fast rate ever since.


From the 1980s to the present, Vietnam has

opened up its economy to foreign ideas and

investment, which allows its architecture toflourish. Residential houses grow up fast and

come in a variety of design. Large buildings

funded for foreign investment also are built in

this period by the dozens. The styles of these

buildings are very diverse.

Some buildings took inspiration from

architecture of Europe. They use the classical

columns, balcony and other design

specifications from Western architecture. On

the other hand, some buildings adopt modern

architecture. These buildings use glass panes,

aluminum door, modern blinds and other

modern architecture details. An example of this is the Bitexco Financial Tower (see Figure 9).

Other buildings take inspiration from post-modern architecture, which puts heavier

Figure 9: Bitexco Financial

Tower



8

emphasis on relationship between shapes and the overall look of the building. Moreover,

Western-style projects such as hotels, office buildings, banks and supermarket further add

to the dynamism of Vietnam’s architecture progress.

What’s more, Vietnam’s architects have drawn inspiration from Western architecture

concepts to come up with their own. In the recent decades, there has been an increasing

level of cooperation between Vietnamese and Western architects in large projects that are

funded by foreign investment.

III. Conclusion

Vietnam traditional architecture has been slowly giving way to modern contemporary

architecture. Nonetheless, Vietnam traditional architecture should be studied carefully to

conserve what has made Vietnam unique so that we can keep our traditions as Vietnamtransforms into an industrialized country.



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IV. Reference

1. Kiến trúc Việt Nam qua các thời đại

https://www.academia.edu/9623276/KI%E1%BA%BEN_TR%C3%9AC_VI%E1%BB%86T_NAM_Q

UA_C%C3%81C_TH%E1%BB%9CI_%C4%90%E1%BA%A0I

2. Lịch sử Việt Nam thời phong kiến - Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư - Ngô Sĩ Liên 3. Đại Việt sử lược - khuyết danh, Trần Quốc Vượng dịch

4. Kiến trúc Việt Nam

http://www.vietnamtourism.com/index.php/about/items/2452

5. Các giai đoạn lịch sử - Lịch sử Việt Nam lớp 10, 11, 12 – Nhà xuất bản giáo dục vào đàotạo

6. Kiến trúc qua các thời kì - Âm nhạc và mĩ thuật Lớp 6, 7, 8, 9 – Nhà xuất bản giáo dục vàođào tạo

7. Kiến trúc Việt Nam “xưa và nay” qua bộ ảnh lồng trong ảnh

http://designs.vn/tin-tuc/kien-truc-viet-nam-xua-va-nay-qua-bo-anh-long-trong-anh_14237.html#.VrA57_l96hc

8. Vũ Tam Lang. Kiến trúc cổ Việt Nam 1. NXB Xây dựng - Hà Nội 2008

9. KTS. Trần Quốc Bảo - Kiến trúc Việt Nam đương đại - Những xu hướng sáng tác nổi bật

http://www.ashui.com/mag/chuyenmuc/kien-truc/11078-kien-truc-viet-nam-duong-dai-nhung-

xu-huong-sang-tac-noi-bat.html

https://www.academia.edu/9623276/KI%E1%BA%BEN_TR%C3%9AC_VI%E1%BB%86T_NAM_QUA_C%C3%81C_TH%E1%BB%9CI_%C4%90%E1%BA%A0I








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