Traditional Vietnamese Architecture

Vietnamese architecture is closely associated with the ups and downs of the thousands-of-years history of development of the Vietnamese nation. All the ethnic groups making up this nation have contributed to the common cultural and art treasury. In particular, many architectural master-pieces left by the past generations are worthy of national pride and careful preservation as they bear the imprints of each historical period and testify to our nation's creativity.

Many architectural structures have been ruined over time because of unfavorable natural and social conditions. Therefore, the oldest structures still seen today in Việt Nam date back only to the 11-15th centuries, the time of prosperity of feudal Việt Nam. They have undergone major and minor repairs and alterations on many occasions. So few of them retain their original architectural characteristics.

The architectural treasury of Việt Nam is in fact a rich collection of various structures: communal houses, temples, pagodas, churches, royal palaces, ancient fortresses, ancient streets, traditional residential houses, etc. They are imbued with the identities of each ethnic group and of each region.

This book is a cooperation project between the Architectural Research Centre, Ministry of Construction and Thế Giới Publishers. It is meant to furnish readers with some knowledge of the architecture heritage of the Vietnamese nation, with a focus on some valued representative architectural works built between the 19th and 19th century.

We sincerely thank those who have contributed to this book, and those whose remarks and suggestions would improve its subsequent re-editions.

Author: Nguyen Ba Dang

Publisher: The Gioi

Released Date: 2004