ARCHITECTURAL INFLUENCES

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A.) NGUYEN DYNASTY
● The development of Bac Ha region at the beginning of the 19th century was slowed
down, after the capital was moved to Hue by the Nguyen Dynasty. At the same time,
development in Thang Long increased and citadels, cultural structures, temples, and
new residential areas were built.
● The Temple of Literature or (Văn Miếu):
Located in Hanoi, North Vietnam. It was constructed during the Lý Dynasty and
dedicated to Confucius and his disciples. It is a fine example of the elegance of Lý
Dynasty architecture, although much if it is in need of repair. The Temple of
Literature is a series of courtyards, buildings and pavilions, the center of which
houses the famed stone steles. These steles are placed on top of stone turtles, and
are inscribed with the names of doctorate candidates successful at the Imperial
examination.
● Imperial City, Huế:
During the reign of the Nguyễn Dynasty, a new imperial citadel in Huế was built,
largely based on the Chinese Forbidden City in Beijing, and also called the Purple
forbidden city. However, it still employed many obviously Vietnamese characteristics
in its design. Other imperial structures built much later, such as the outlying tomb of
Khải Định, used French architectural elements as well. The tomb of Minh Mạng is
often considered one of the most beautiful structures in the Huế area, situated near
a vast lotus pond, its construction was not completed until after Minh Mạng's death.
● Perfume Pagoda and the surrounding area:
The Perfume pagoda is an ancient structure in Ha Tay province, located specifically
in Perfume mountain, and is the site for a yearly festival attended by hundreds of
thousands of Vietnamese. Most people reach the pagoda by taking an hour boat ride
across the scenic river (passing the countryside scattered with smaller pagodas)
before reaching the Perfume Pagoda itself. Inside are a series of temples and
structures, and a grotto with stairs leading to two paths: "Heaven's gate" and "Hell's
gate". Descending deep into the grotto one finds the Inner temple.
● One Pillar Pagoda:
The one pillar pagoda is one of the most ancient structures of Hanoi, its design
credited to Emperor Lý Thái Tổ. The story goes that the emperor had longed for a
son, and one day dreamed that the Goddess of Mercy was sitting on a lotus flower
offering him a son. In grattitude and reverence of his dream he ordered construction
of a small pagoda in the form of a lotus, overlooking a pond. The pagoda has been
rebuilt countlessly due to it being destroyed and burnt in wars by opponents.
The inside yard, or interior garden, played an important role in the traditional
architectural style and reflected the concept of oriental space. The contemporary
architecture of royal palaces was designed with upper floors and systems of
consecutive corridors in an open-air space, which was very convenient for living in a
warm climate. In spite of the crowded development, the majority of construction
materials were still bamboo and wood.
Even though the Ho Dynasty lasted for only 7 years, it left an outstanding
architectural heritage such as the Tay Do Citadel in Thanh Hoa Province. The
splendid doors of the citadel still remain.
4.) TRAN DYNASTY
● Under the Tran Dynasty, the dominant architecture models were the royal palace,
pagoda, house, temple, and citadel. These styles were deeply and significantly
illustrated in the Binh Son Tower in Vinh Phu Province, the Pho Minh Pagoda in Nam
Dinh Province, and the Thai Lac Pagoda in Hung Yen Province.
The complexity and structure of Pho Minh Pagoda is an outstanding example of the
architectural style of the Tran Dynasty period and of the following centuries. The
structure was designed in 3 main sections: the lobby, main hall, and sanctuary.
B.) LY DYNASTY
● During the 11th century while a united-feudal state was developing, the Ly Dynasty
initiated a new phase in architectural development.
Generally, the architecture of Ly Dynasty, 11th and 12th centuries, had five orthodox
styles: citadels, palaces, castles, pagodas, and houses.
Thang Long Citadel had a complex of palaces, many of which were 3-4 floor temples.
At that time, the Thang Long culture deeply reflected the cultural characteristic of
the tower-pagoda. The architectural characteristics of the Ly Dynasty were
residential complexes, more ornamental roofs, doors, door-steps, banisters, and
rounded statues, all in a suitable design for the climate and traditional customs of
Viet Nam. Streets, markets, ground and stilt houses in popular architectural design
developed simultaneously as royal palaces.
3.) LE DYNASTY
● In the turn of the 15th century, under Le Dynasty, orthodox architecture had two
dominant styles: the imperial palace and the royal tomb. From the 16th to 17th
century, religious architecture gained a lot of popularity in architectural
development.
But Thap Pagoda in Bac Ninh Province is famous for its structure and for the
techniques used to build the tower and carve and paint the statues. When feudalism
lost popularity, folk-art continued to be reflected in carvings and paintings describing
active scenes of rowing, hunting, sloughing, wrestling, and cutting.
The pagoda and temple construction techniques achieved progress during the 18th
century.
● Most arts and architecture in Vietnam have strong ties with the Buddhist religion.
● 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; one in
the shape of a boat and the other in a shape similar to a turtle shell.
● Due to dense lakes, swamps, rivers, and highly humid tropical climate, the most
appropriate building material is bamboo and wood to set up houses on low stilts.

VIETNAM'S RELIGION

 Buddhism covers almost 60% of Vietnam's population.

 The earliest forms of Vietnamese religious practice were animistic and
totemic in nature. The decorations on Dong Son bronze drums, generally
agreed to have ceremonial and possibly religious value, depict the figures of
birds, leading historians to believe birds were objects of worship for the early
Vietnamese.

ANCIENT VIETNAM AND ITS HISTORY

GEOGRAPHY OF VIETNAM
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ARCEO, GOZUN, ONG

ARCHITECTURAL INFLUENCES
VIETNAM'S MOST NOTABLE ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURES:
● It is believed that in prehistoric times, Vietnamese people lived in stilt-houses, as
depicted on the bronze Dong Son drums. Similar kinds of houses can still be found in
Vietnam today.
● When Chinese influence permeated Vietnam, Chinese architecture had a large
influence on the basic structure of many types of Vietnamese buildings, mostly
pagodas and temples, communal houses, houses of scholar-bureaucrats, aristocracy,
and imperial palaces and quarters.

 Officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV)

 Capital: Hanoi
 occupies about 331,211.6 square kilometers, of which about 25% was under
cultivation in 1987.
 Vietnam is a country of tropical lowlands, hills, and densely forested
highlands, with level land covering no more than 20% of the area.

VIETNAMESE ARCHITECTURE
 Vietnam was part of Imperial China for over a millennium, from 111 BC to AD
939.
 Indochina Peninsula was colonized by the French in the mid-19th century.
 ●About 2,000 years ago people in North Vietnam began growing rice in the Red
River Valley. To irrigate their crops they built dykes and dug canals. They
were forced to work together and so an organized kingdom emerged called
Van Lang.
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