Antidote to Burnout

Modernist Houses are Vernacular Houses in Southern Viet Nam

I am just finishing a MOOC course (Massive Open Online Course) through the University of Hong Kong, using the edX platform. Following is the final paper I wrote for the course: Through this course, “The Search for Vernacular Architecture of... Read more →

Modernist Vernacular Architecture for Houses in southern Viet Nam

Even in 1972, when I took this photograph, the majority of the vernacular houses were modernist This older street in Ho Chi Minh City is predominately modernist This newer street in Ho Chi Minh City shows recent modernist vernacular houses... Read more →

A Vietnamese Modernist Masterpiece is recognized by the New York Times

As I have said before in this blog, Vietnam has some of the finest modernist residential architecture found anywhere in the world. Vietnamese architects have refined rich versions of modernism over six decades, and the density of high quality modernist... Read more →

HCMC House 13

The modernist house shown below is very simple in form and execution. It is definitely not minimalist, though. The yellow accent color contrasted with the black facade at the lower floor provide plenty of interest in this composition. Since the... Read more →

Questions about modernist architecture

avo provided some very thought-provoking questions about modernist architecture for houses in Vietnam on my posting of HCMC House 12. Rather than provide a response back in the comments to the posting, I want to publish it here for greater... Read more →

HCMC House 12

Back to a series focusing on individual modernist houses in Ho Chi Minh City. This house is an interesting experiment in warping the usual rectilinear frame of Vietnamese modernist houses. Vietnamese architects spend time reviewing site lines to make sure... Read more →

An anthropomorphic modernist house in Vietnam

I am not sure the designer intended to form an anthropomorphic image in the design of the house below. But it certainly comes off that way, especially when driving by and not necessarily looking at the architecture. The ground floor... Read more →

New modernist houses in San Francisco

I have said before that Vietnamese architects are far ahead of architects in the remainder of the world in evolving modern architecture for houses. They have been at it for decades. While there are thousands of excellent modernist houses in... Read more →

Too much modernism?

As much as I love modernist architecture in Vietnam, sometimes I come across an example that has been taken a little too far. This house is quiet quite different for Viet Nam: It looks like a small office building, but... Read more →

The uniquely Vietnamese evolution of modernist architecture

When I first lived in Saigon for a year in 1971-72, I was struck by the numerous excellent modernist houses I saw while walking the streets of Saigon. I wondered at the time why there would be so much of... Read more →

Historical tradition of modernist architecture in Vietnam

It may seem strange to call modernist architecture historical and traditional. In southern Vietnam, however, this makes sense because modernist architecture has been practiced as the norm for over fifty years. A walk through any Ho Chi Minh City neighborhood... Read more →

Color in Vietnamese modernist houses

Viet commented yesterday on my posting of 23 October 2007 entitled "Neighborhood new houses...": I realize VNeses like to use to the secondary colors to paint thier buildings (perhaps it's due to the heat, probably it's toomuch to the eyes... Read more →

Neighborhoood new houses...

There is construction work going on everywhere in all of the neighborhoods of Ho Chi Minh City. While there are a fair number of high-rise buildings, bridges, highways, and housing subdivisions under construction, the bulk of work being done here... Read more →

Retail stores come and go...

You may recognize where my banner photo above comes from -- the photo of this restaurant building off Phan Xích Long Street in the Phú Nhuận District of Hồ Chí Minh City was taken a year ago when the building... Read more →

Modernist design ideas in Việt Nam

I have often expressed my respect for the modernist tradition practiced by Vietnamese architects in urban houses. I believe that Vietnamese architects have explored a long history of modernist design ideas, and produce very interesting, well-designed houses. They constantly try... Read more →

Design Touches 7

While I am thrilled about the modernist and experimental directions of Vietnamese house architecture, I am aware that Việt Nam has a long history of modernist architecture that has a distinctive Vietnamese flavor. Việt Nam's explorations in modernist art and... Read more →

HCMC House 10

"Super graphics" had a strong impact in the 60s and 70s. This style of graphics featured out-sized letters and numbers on posters or signs. This is the first "super graphics" house I have seen, and it is in the Gò... Read more →

Design Touches 6

Vietnamese designers are often very inventive and innovative. They use materials in previously unused ways, and create very interesting features in places usually not treated. This small office building on Đường (Street) Phan Xích Long in TP. Hồ Chí Minh... Read more →

HCMC House 9

There seems to be a current tendency in house architecture in Ho Chi Minh City to mix modernist and historicist styles. This house in District 7 of HCMC exhibits this pull from a strong modernist statement towards the addition of... Read more →

HCMC House 8

Most modernist houses in Ho Chi Minh City are not as experimental as those pictured in HCMC House 6 and House 7. This house is much more typical in its modernist restraint. This house exemplifies the normal modernist approach to... Read more →

HCMC House 7

This house in the Phu Nhuan District of TP. Hồ Chí Minh is akin to House 6 in its experimentation. Unlike House 6, it is fairly well resolved -- the diagonals are a consistent part of the composition, and relate... Read more →

HCMC House 6

Vietnamese residential architects like to experiment with new materials, colors, textures, details, shapes, and elements. Most of this experimentation occurs within a modernist design approach. Similar exploration in historicist houses are generally a copying of elements from historical precedents and... Read more →

HCMC House 5

Not all new houses in Ho Chi Minh City are modernist. Like anywhere else in the world, people have different tastes and desires. I enjoy walking through most of the HCMC neighborhoods because there is such a wide variation in... Read more →

House of the day 4

This house on a hẻm (lane) off Phạm Ngũ Lão and Cống Quỳnh Streets in Quận (District) One of TP. Hồ Chí Minh is an example of pure formal modernism, particularly in its minimalism -- all white. There is very... Read more →

House of the day 3

Vietnamese residential architects are very inventive and like to experiment. There is a great deal of originality presented in the typical new Vietnamese house in southern Việt Nam. This house, however, is a solid example of elegant modernism. It is... Read more →

House of the day 2

This is the second in a series on houses that exhibit great design choices with regard to materials, configuration, and decorative elements. The first house, my favorite, was posted on 10 March 2006. My own tastes run to modernism and... Read more →