Every Friday afternoon, Truong Quynh Mai, born in 1991 and living in Hanoi, and her husband bustle around tidying their home and packing their belongings before picking up their two children from school and driving to the suburbs, about an hour from the capital’s center.

Their destination is a 368-sqm garden property featuring a charming container home, rows of leafy vegetables and a flock of hens that lay eggs every day.

Mai’s family currently lives in an apartment in Thanh Xuan, Hanoi. The couple run an interior and exterior building materials business, while their children attend school in the city. Living close to the maternal grandparents also makes daily life convenient.

However, Mai frequently felt that inner-city living lacked space for her children to run around and explore nature.

She always dreamed of having a small home in the suburbs where the whole family could relax, garden, and enjoy a peaceful lifestyle every weekend.

In 2024, when her parents-in-law gifted them a 368m² plot in her husband’s hometown, the couple decided to turn that dream into reality.

Initially, she planned to construct a modest house just for temporary stays during visits. However, as work progressed, her enthusiasm grew, prompting her to transform the barren plot into a dream living space.

The couple opted for a container home instead of traditional construction. Earlier, during a vacation, she had stayed at a container hotel and was thoroughly impressed by its unique design.

Financially, the family did not have a large sum set aside to develop the entire garden property from the outset. Instead, Mai carried out the work in stages, depending on the family’s needs and financial capacity at each point.

She ordered two containers, each measuring 18 sqm, and joined them to create a 36-sqm home. From placing the order to transportation and installation, the process took only around 30 days and cost approximately VND400 million.

Mai arranged two bedrooms and a multipurpose room, along with appliances and amenities such as a dishwasher and bathtub, to make family life comfortable.

The couple later added a living room, kitchen, storage room, outdoor bathroom and a glass-enclosed room overlooking the garden. The total area of the spaces used for daily living now stands at around 90 sqm.

The remaining land was transformed into her dream garden, divided into sections for growing vegetables, fruit trees, and a chicken coop.

"Initially, I only intended to build a small home. But every time I came back to the countryside, new ideas kept popping up. Sometimes I wanted to build a kitchen, other times I wanted to plant more vegetables or raise more chickens," Mai shared.

To date, the couple have invested around VND1 billion in their countryside retreat.

In the city during the week, out in the suburbs on weekends

Since acquiring their second home, Mai’s family has maintained a rather unique routine. From Monday through Friday, they work and study in the city center. On weekends, the whole family retreats to live and unwind at their suburban garden home.

On days in the countryside, Mai’s husband, Chuc, often gets up early to feed the chickens, tend the plants, and clean the yard. Mai prepares breakfast, after which the whole family engages in activities they love.

Their eldest son helps his parents pull weeds, sweep the pathways, and clean the chicken coop. The youngest child plays freely in the spacious, open environment.

Every afternoon, the two brothers read books, play soccer, or walk over to their paternal grandparents’ house 200 meters away. The children hardly watch television when they are in the countryside.

Mai herself finds immense joy in this place. She is delighted whenever family meals feature seasonal vegetables grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

“Coming to the countryside doesn’t mean resting completely; sometimes we are even busier than in the city because of tending plants and house cleaning.

However, my mind feels relaxed. What’s more, our family gets to spend quality time together, and the kids learn practical skills by planting trees, caring for animals, and doing chores,” she shared.

After nearly two years of maintaining this lifestyle, Mai’s perspective on happiness has gradually changed. Harvesting a bundle of fresh greens, gathering a few eggs, or sitting and admiring her lush garden now brings her full contentment.

Thanh Minh