1. VIETNAM and LAOS
ARCHITECTURE
History of Architecture 3
Prepared by:
Archt. Clarissa L. Avendaño
1ST sem AY 2012-2013

2. http://www.amazone-travel.com/vietnam-e.html
• Socialist Republic of Vietnam
• Boundaries:
China - north
Laos - northwest,
Cambodia – southwest
South China Sea - east
• Became independent from
Imperial China in 938 AD.
• Colonized by the French in the
mid-19th c
• Divided by a Communist north
and a capitalist south during the
Cold War.
• HANOI - capital city since the
reunification of North and South
Vietnam in 1976.

3. Two main cities of
Vietnam are both located
next to large rivers.
1. Hanoi (north) - Red
River.
2. Ho Chi Minh
City/Saigon (south) -
delta of the Mekong
River.
http://catalog.flatworldknowledge.com/bookhub/reader/2657?e=berglee_1.0-ch11_s02

4. • Vietnamese culture is an amalgamation of many ethnic groups
such as the Cham, Khmer, Muong, Hmong and Chinese.
• Vietnam's history goes back to the civilization of the Hung
kings, about 400 years ago.
http://rol.vn/resourcedetail/1/1125/water-puppetry/
Water Puppet
http://www.friendsofvso.org/sitepages/culture.html

5. • Vietnam has no state religion.
• Main religion is Buddhism, introduced during the Chinese
occupation with classic monasteries and pagodas.
• Hinduism is the first religion of the Champa kingdom brought
from India. The Cham people erected Hindu temples (Bimong)
throughout Central Vietnam.
One Pillar Pagoda, Hanoi
http://www.hanoitraveltours.com/unique-architecture-one-pillar-pagoda.html
Old Hindu Temple
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7971389@N03/495618057/lightbox/

6. VIETNAM ‘s UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization) inscribed on World Heritage Lists:
Cultural
1. Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi (2010)
2. Citadel of the Ho Dynasty (2011)
3. Complex of Hue Monuments (1993)
4. Hoi An Ancient Town (1999)
5. My Son Sanctuary (1999)
Natural
1. Ha Long Bay (1994)
2. Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park (2003)
Thang Long
http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/thanglong.html
Citadel of the Ho Dynasty
http://unescopostcard.blogspot.com/2011/12/vn1358-citadel-of-ho-dynasty-available.html

7. HA LONG BAY
• Located in the Gulf of
Tonkin, within Quang
Ninh
Province, northeast of
Vietnam
• Covers an area 43,400
ha. with over 1600
islands and islets.
• Seascape of limestone
pillars/ mature Karst
landforms
http://www.vietnamdiscoverytravel.com/bhaya-cruise.html
http://hasslefreevietnam.com/halong-bay-one-day.html

8. HOI AN ANCIENT TOWN
• South-East Asian trading port
in Quang Nam Province,
which dates back from the
15th - 19th c.
• Buildings and street plan
reflect the influences, both
indigenous (traditional
Vietnamese) and foreign
(Chinese, Japanese, etc.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PhoCoHoiAn.jpg
Chinese Temple
http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/Vietnam/South_Central_Coast/Da_Nang/Hoi_An/photo20
1812.htm
French-era building
http://www.concierge.com/travelguide/centralvietnam/hotels/42501

9. HOI AN
ANCIENT TOWN
• Buildings are aligned along
narrow lanes which include
religious buildings, such as
pagodas, temples, meeting
houses; markets, houses and
other which relate to the
development of a port
community.
• Architecture almost entirely of
wood.
• Typical house conforms to a
corridor plan, the following
elements occurring in
sequence: house, yard and
house.
http://www.aprotravel.com/centre-heritage/hoi-an-charming-tours/676-hoi-an-daily-trip-and-around.html
http://www.vietnamonline.com/destination/hoi-an.html

10. HUE
COMPLEX OF MONUMENTS

11. • Walled city, north side of
the Perfume River.
• Served as administrative capital
of southern Vietnam in the 17th c.
and again in the 18th c.
• Planned according to ancient
oriental philosophy and
Vietnamese tradition :
– Respect for the physical conditions
of the site:
– Perfume River as the main axis.
– Ngu Binh mountain (Royal
Screen).
– Relationship between:
– 5 cardinal points (centre, west,
east, north, south)
– 5 natural elements (earth, metal,
wood, water, fire)
– 5 basic colors (yellow, white, blue,
black, red)
http://www.vietnam-aloha.com/about-hue-vietnam-what-to-see-eat-and-do.html
http://www.vietnamwiki.net/Hue-See-Hue_Imperial_city-P78
HUE
COMPLEX OF MONUMENTS

12. • National capital of united Vietnam
in 1802 – 1945
• Four citadels or defended
enclosures made up the city
1. Kinh Thanh (Capital City) -
official administrative buildings
2. Hoang Thanh (Imperial City) -
royal palaces and shrines
http://www.vietnamculturaltravel.com/destinations/world-heritage-sites/the-citadel-of-hue-city/
HUE
COMPLEX OF MONUMENTS

13. 3. Tu Cam Thanh (Forbidden Purple City or Inner
City) - royal residences, similar to China where only
the emperors, concubines, and those close enough
to them were granted access.
3. Tran Binh Dai - additional defensive
work in the northeast corner of the
Capital City, designed to control
movement on the river.
– Tran Hai Thanh (Coastal Bastion) – 5th
fortress constructed a little later to protect
the capital against assault from the sea.
HUE
COMPLEX OF
MONUMENTS
http://www.vietnamwiki.net/Hue-See-Hue_Imperial_city-P78
• Political, cultural and
religious center under
the Nguyen dynasty.

14. Monuments along the Perfume River:
1. Tombs of several emperors, including Minh Mạng, Khai Dịnh, and Tu Duc.
2. Thien Mụ Pagoda - largest pagoda in Hue and official symbol of the city.
French-style buildings along the south bank of the Perfume River:
1. Quoc Học High School - the oldest high school in Vietnam
2. Hai Ba Trung High School
Tu Duc TombThien Mu Pagoda
Khai Dinh Tomb
http://vietnamheritagetravel.com/blog/3-royal-tombs
Hai Ba Trung High School
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40295335@N00/7989950481/
Quoc Học High School
http://flickriver.com/photos/nguyenloc_sg/3749015616/

15. • Dates from the 4th -14th c.,
located in Duy Phú, Quảng
Nam province in Central
Vietnam, a valley surrounded
by two mountain ranges.
• Indian influenced Hindu
temple complex, and political
capital of the Cham dynasty.
MY SON SANCTUARY
http://mysonsanctuary.com/107/how-to-get-my-son-sanctuary/
http://www.vietnamtravelblog.info/destinations/my-son-sanctuary/

16. • Complex of temples and tombs
• Tower temples were designed
and built to symbolize Mt.
Meru, the mythical sacred
mountain of the Hindu gods at
the center of the universe,
symbolically reproduced on
earth in the mountainous
homeland of the Cham people.
• Used of fired brick with stone
pillars and decorated with
sandstone bas-reliefs depicting
scenes from Hindu mythology.
MY SON SANCTUARY
http://www.mediastorehouse.com/low.php?xp=media&xm=3764363
http://www.vir.com.vn/news/travel/my-son-sanctuary

17. HANOI FRENCH QUARTER
• Wide tree-line boulevards and
imposing colonial buildings which
began in 1983.
Hanoi Opera House
History Museum blends Asian and European styles
http://www.1stophanoi.com/articles/french_quarter http://www.flickr.com/photos/21264033@N00/6349746934/in/photostream/

18. • Centers on the Mekong
River basin and rugged
mountain terrain.
• Boundaries:
 Vietnam - east
 Cambodia - south
• Lao Kingdom in 1500s
was part of the Kingdom
of Siam.
• Under French Colony
• Received independence
from France in 1949.
LAOS
http://catalog.flatworldknowledge.com/bookhub/reader/2657?e=berglee_1.0-ch11_s02

19. National Museum, Vat Ho Pha Bang
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/National-Museum-Vat-Ho-Pha-Bang-Luang-Prabang-UNESCO-
World-Heritage-Site-Laos-Indochina-Posters_i8739295_.htm
Vat Xieng Thong
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Vat-Xieng-Thong-Luang-Prabang-UNESCO-World-Heritage-
Site-Laos-Indochina-Southeast-Asia-Asia-Posters_i8738077_.htm
• Royal capital in the
mountainous region along
the Mekong river.
• Complex with Buddhist
temples, monasteries and
the village.
• Fusion of traditional
architecture and Lao urban
structures with those built
by the European colonial
authorities in the 19th and
20th c.
Buddhist Temple at Haw Kham (Royal Palace)
complex
HISTORIC TOWN OF
LUANG PRABANG

20. That Pathum (Lotus
Stupa), LUANG PRABANG
• Known as That Makmo
(watermelon stupa)
• Reconstructed large squat
stupa, Sri Lankan style.
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/352969/photo9.html
THAT – Lao Stupa
Wat Phat Luang (Golden lotus bud),
Vientiane
• Site of a previous stupa of Khmer
origin.
• Mandala - Terraced Stupa.
• Combination of Khmer, Lao and
Ceylonese influences.

21. UNESCO World Heritage Sites:
1. The Historic Town of Luang Prabang
2. Wat Phou (Vat Phu) - ancient Hindu temple complex
http://www.paksecruise.com/vat-phou-boat/the-visits/vat-phou-ruins/
http://www.smh.com.au/travel/activity/great-outdoors/remains-of-the-
day-20111012-1lkhp.html
WAT or VAT – Temple Mountain

22. REFERENCES:
De la Croix, Horst and Richard Tansey. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages.
Ancient, Medieval and Non-European Art. 7th ed. Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, Inc. USA. 1976.
Goepper, Roger. Landmarks of the World’s Art. The Oriental World. Mc.
Graw-Hill Book Company, New Yorkl – Toronto. 1967.
Harris, Cyril M. Historic Architecture Sourcebook. Mac Graw Hil, Inc.
USA.1977.
Palmes, J.C. Sir Banister Fletcher’s A History of Architecture. 18th ed. The
Athlone Press, University of London. London
Other Sources:
Pictures and data from Internet Sources