Vietnamese slimline residences are featured as the best examples of so called ‘tube houses’ on the pages of two highly acclaimed architecture magazines – Dezeen and Archdaily – thanks to their innovative design.

The house designed by Vo Trong Nghia, Sanuki Daisuke, Nishizawa Shunri

Located in Ho Chi Minh City, the four-storey family residence is 21 metres deep but just four metres wide, typical of the tube houses that are common throughout Vietnam's cities.

Architects have combined Japanese and Vietnamese architectural styles to create an open space filled with trees and natural light.

The ground floor features a double-height living room sandwiched between a pair of open-tread staircases, creating a well-lit family area with a raised dining room and kitchen at one end.

Large planters allow spaces for tropical plants throughout the house including the three balconies that front the street-facing elevation.

The house is located not too deep in a rather quiet lane on the outskirts of Saigon. 

Three Vietnamese architects Le Van Canh, Dang Huy Cuong, and Chu Ngoc Anh have designed the house using a ‘double-skin house’ approach. The outer skin (or layer) is the ‘wall’ built up by hollow concrete bricks of 30x30cm to let the wind, sunlight and rain in the house, while ensuring security. 

A small space with a playground, garden, minimalist wooden stairs and iron, all soaked in the natural light really create the heart of the home.

The architectural team have created a space where all generations can communicate with each other, from the swing for small children, the garden for grandparents to relax and take care of trees, to where parents can display their cooking skills.

The house is built on an 8m wide and 22m deep plot in a residential district of Saigon. It was designed for a couple and their 3 young kids.

A first block in the front with entrance, living area and kitchen, merge together in one large open space, encouraging interaction between family’s members. After crossing a small interior garden with a large roof opening, a second block with the two kid’s bedrooms on the ground floor, parental suite and an additional bedroom on the first floor.

The house aims to bring an alternative approach for the conception of middle range Vietnamese urban house, combining traditional construction principles, low cost material solutions and contemporary design.

Built for a young couple, the house is 20m long and 4m wide, typical of narrow but long 'tube houses' in Vietnam.

Concrete planters span between the side walls to cover the front and back facades, and are spaced according to the height of the plants.

The distance between the planters and the height of the planters are adjusted according to the height of the plants, which varies from 25 cm to 40 cm.

 

VOV/VNN