Nestled against a hillside and overlooking the rice fields of Quang Tri, Vietnam, BỤI TRE is the renovation of a family home built during the early years of Vietnam's Đổi Mới (economic reform) period. Once among the first two-story brick-and-concrete houses in the area, the building carries the memories of a family of six while reflecting a time when rural construction relied largely on the practical knowledge and experience of local craftsmen.
After several decades, the house could no longer accommodate the needs of a growing family. Piecemeal additions, an outdated kitchen, and spaces previously used for preparing and selling bánh ướt (steamed rice sheets) had left the layout fragmented and poorly connected. Rather than demolishing the entire building and starting anew, we chose to retain the elements that could still serve the family, extending the building's lifespan while working within a reasonable budget.
The renovation began with a careful assessment and adaptation of the existing structure, for which no comprehensive architectural or structural drawings were available. A double bedroom on the ground floor, a small room on the upper floor, the terrace, and the original balcony's decorative features were retained. The former master bedroom, kitchen, and roofed area used for preparing bánh ướt were demolished, allowing the spaces to be reorganized and integrated with the existing house. Several columns were extended in height to accommodate the new roof structure.
The original staircase was also removed, freeing up space for a prayer room arranged in accordance with Vietnamese family worship traditions. The former prayer room was transformed into a self-contained bedroom connected to the terrace, while a new staircase was relocated to the central indoor garden. Here, circulation, daylight, greenery, and everyday activities come together, transforming what might otherwise have been a simple passageway into a shared living space.
The living, dining, and kitchen areas were opened up and connected to accommodate gatherings across generations. Four sleeping areas provide privacy for family members returning home, while the surrounding garden offers space for the grandchildren to play.
The house's new architectural form emerges from a composition of overlapping pitched roofs. Viewed from the hillside behind the property, the layered roofscape recalls the image of a castle, echoing how one of the daughters imagined her childhood home when looking down from the hill. The milky-white exterior and large circular openings subtly reference bánh ướt, the family's former livelihood that supported the upbringing and education of their four children.
Beside the house, the bamboo grove planted by the father when the family first settled here remains. Once a source of materials for roofing, walls, and farming tools, as well as food for everyday meals, the grove has endured countless storms alongside the house.
BỤI TRE does not attempt to recreate the past in its original form. Through selective retention, the removal of obsolete additions, and the reorganization of domestic spaces, the project explores how an existing rural house can continue to serve its inhabitants rather than be replaced entirely.
Originally built for a family of six, the house now welcomes the generations that follow. Its form has changed, but its essential role remains the same: a place to return to, to gather, and to continue growing together.
