For Nguyen The Tuyen, each house is not merely a model. It is a life story - a repository of memories belonging to an entire family and even a generation.

Childhood nostalgia

Born and raised in the peaceful countryside of Xuan Thanh commune in Xuan Truong district of Nam Dinh province, now part of Xuan Hong commune in Ninh Binh province, Nguyen The Tuyen (born in 1992) developed a deep affection for the traditional houses typical of the northern Vietnamese delta.

Because of his love for these familiar forms of architecture, Tuyen gradually found his way into crafting miniature models of traditional northern houses, evoking powerful emotions for those who see them.

Tuyen said he studied at the National University of Civil Engineering, gaining a solid foundation in structure, space and technical design. Later, he took on various jobs to make a living, including selling plants and working as a beauty consultant.

Although these jobs were unrelated to model making, they helped him cultivate patience, careful attention to detail and strong observational skills - qualities that later became essential in his current work.

Several years ago, when his grandparents’ old house was about to be demolished and replaced with a new one, Tuyen felt a deep sense of nostalgia and regret. His childhood had been closely tied to that house.

He decided to recreate the house as a miniature model to preserve those memories. His first teacher was his maternal grandfather, a talented construction architect. From him, Tuyen learned about proportions, spatial design and structural concepts. At the same time, he studied model-making techniques through online tutorials.

“I also learned by carefully observing every small detail of real houses and incorporating them into the models,” he said.

“The first house I made came with many challenges. The proportions were wrong, some details were damaged and I had to redo parts several times. But when it was finally completed and the familiar house appeared in miniature form, a flood of childhood memories returned. I felt both joyful and deeply moved,” Tuyen recalled.

Breathing life into each house

After finishing several more miniature houses, Tuyen took photos of them and shared the images on social media. The models quickly attracted praise from viewers.

Some people sent him messages describing their childhood homes and asked him to recreate them as miniature models to preserve as keepsakes. From then on, this unusual craft of “preserving memories” became his full-time pursuit.

To complete a single house model, Tuyen must go through multiple stages. These include collecting information from photos, stories told by the homeowners or direct observation, drafting scaled designs, selecting materials such as wood, plastic, metal or simulated concrete, crafting each tiny detail, assembling the components and completing the final structure.

Through the skilled hands of the young craftsman, old houses appear almost lifelike in miniature form. Details such as walls, roofs, gates and courtyards are recreated carefully, reflecting the distinctive charm of traditional northern Vietnamese houses.

For Tuyen, the greatest challenge is recreating the “soul” of a house. Some homes were demolished long ago and no photographs remain. In such cases, he must rely entirely on the memories and descriptions of the homeowners.

He works meticulously on every detail so that when people see the finished model, they can recognize it immediately and say, “Yes, that was my old house.”

Each model takes anywhere from two weeks to more than a month to complete, depending on the complexity and level of detail required.

“Even now, I am still learning every day so I can create house models that truly have a soul,” Tuyen said.

Over the years, he has encountered many deeply emotional stories connected to these houses. Some customers ask him to recreate homes after their parents have passed away and the original houses have already been demolished. They often share their childhood memories while holding back tears.

Others invite him to visit their homes in person, pointing to each corner while explaining its meaning.

“They tell me: ‘This is where my mother used to sit and pick vegetables,’ or ‘My father once hung his old radio here.’ Their stories are simple, but filled with longing and nostalgia,” he said.

Some people place the miniature houses on family altars to honor their parents. Others bring them abroad so that whenever homesickness strikes, they have something tangible to look at.

“When they receive the model, some people say nothing at all. Some quietly gaze at the house for a long time before tears fall. Others gently touch the model with trembling hands, as if afraid of breaking their memories,” Tuyen shared.

“In moments like that, I understand even more clearly the meaning of the work I am doing.”

For the young man from Ninh Binh, every house is more than just a model. It represents a life story and the memories of an entire family and generation. That understanding has made him cherish his craft even more.

Thanh Minh