Vietnam´s official travel and tourism guide

ARCHITECTURE
Before the 10th century
Vietnamese architecture originated during the Hung Dynasty. According to several tales of Linh Nam, villages and hamlets first appeared during this period when the ancient Vietnamese used wood to build houses to protect themselves from tigers and wolves. Two kinds of houses were depicted on the bronze drums from this era. One kind of house was in the shape of a boat, and the other was in a shape of a turtle shell. Due to the dense lakes, swamps, rivers, and highly humid tropical climate, it was most appropriate to use bamboo and wood as building materials and to build houses on low stilts. At the end of the 19th century, stilt houses still remained in the mountainous areas, midlands, and plains throughout the country. During the Thuc Phan Dynasty in the 3rd century B.C, Co Loa Citadel was built out of clay, which was suitable for the rugged terrain of the area. The architecture during the Chinese sovereignty, from 2nd century B.C to 9*i century, consisted of various structures such as ramparts-; royal tombs, citadels, folk-houses, and pagodas.
Ly Dynasty
During the 11th century, while a united feudal state was developing, the Ly Dynasty initiated a new phase of architectural deve­lopment.
Generally, the architecture of the Ly Dynasty, during the 11th and 12th cen­turies, included five orthodox structures: citadels, palaces, castles, pagodas, and houses.
The Thang Long Citadel was a complex of palaces, many of which were three or four floor temples. The characteristics of the tower pagoda deeply reflected the culture of Thang Long at that time. The architectural contribu­tions of the Ly Dynasty included residential complexes, more ornamental roofs, doors, door-steps, banisters, and rounded statues, all suitably designed for the climate and tradi­tional customs of Viet Nam. Simultaneous to the development of royal palaces, streets, markets, and both ground and stilt houses of popular architectural design were developed.
Tran Dynasty
The dominant models of the architectural style of the Tran Dynasty were the royal palace, pagoda, house, temple, and citadel. These styles are illustrated in the Binh Son Tower in Vinh Phuc, the Pho Minh Pagoda in Nam Dinh, and the Thai Lac Pagoda in Hung Yen.
The complexity and structure of the Pho Minh Pagoda is an outstanding example of the architectural style of the Tran Dynasty period and of the following centuries. The Pho Minh Pagoda was designed in three main sections, including the lobby, main hall, and sanctuary. The inside yard, or interior garden, played an important role in the traditional architectural style and reflected the concept of oriental space. The contemporary royal palaces were designed with upper floors and systems of consecutive corridors in an open-air space, which was very convenient for living in a warm climate. Despite rapid development, the most common construction materials were still bamboo and wood. Even though the Ho Dynasty lasted for only seven years, an outstanding architectural heritage remains from this period, including the splendid doors of the Tay Do Citadel in Thanh Hoa.
Le Dynasty
At the turn of the 15th century under the Le Dynasty, traditional architecture had two dominant styles illustrated in the imperial palace and the royal tomb. From the 16th to 17th centuries, religious architecture gained much popularity.
But Thap Pagoda in Bac Ninh is famous for its structure and for the techniques used to build the tower and to carve and paint the statues. When feudalism lost popularity active scenes of rowing, hunting, sloughing, wrestling, and  cutting  continued  to  be reflected in the carvings and paintings. During the 18* century, pagoda and temple construction techniques progressed. Two precious works of art of this period of con­temporary architecture were the Dinh Bang Communal House and Tay Phuong Pagoda.
Nguyen Dynasty
The development of the Bac Ha region at the beginning of the 19th century slowed down after the capital was moved to Hue by the Nguyen Dynasty. At the same time, development in Thang Long increased as citadels, cultural structures, temples, and new residential areas were built. The centre of this significant development was in Hue where imposing citadels, palaces, and tombs were built. The Vietnamese culture in Hue was influenced by the garden-type houses, which were quite different from the tubular type of houses found in Ha Noi. Hue's architecture was considered to be a collection of traditional influences, such as flat surfaces, citadels and urban centres, interior decorations, and scenery structures.
Modern & Contemporary Architecture
At the end of the 19th century, architectural characteristics were influenced by a new construction style brought by European urban planning and the interaction of French and Oriental cultures. Since reunification in 1975, Viet Nam's architecture has been impressively developing. Many new urban and residential areas, indus trial zones, and new villages with major archi­tectural works have brought high artistic value to regional development. Today, archi­tectural development consists of five main domains, including interior design, architec­tural design, environmental design, urban planning, and regional planning. Also, issues on spontaneous development of urban areas, protection of architectural relics, and house­building strategies are problems that need urgent solutions.