Running for over 1km along the Saigon River, totaling around 8 hectares, over 30 families, mainly artists, have created a “village of artisans” in mid-Saigon. These houses are made by rare wood, with architectural styles of many regions in Vietnam, for example the house of Muong people in the north, the house of Hue people, charnel-house of the Central Highlands, etc.

Pointing to a house in Hue style, painter Hoai Huong said seven years ago, he and a group of artists traveled around Saigon to seek a peaceful place to build artistic houses. They chose the current place, which was a vast rice field at that time.

Huong said at his painting exhibition, a girl looked at his landscape paintings and said that this was the house of Muong people, that was the house of the Central Highlands, etc. but they were only in paintings.

Hearing the girl’s opinion, Huong thought of building a village of artistic houses. He discussed the idea with his friends and implemented the project to build wood houses.

He bought rare wood such as ironwood, ebony, etc. from the mountainous region to build the first house in three years. So far, six houses have been completed and some are under construction.

“The architecture and decoration of each house is different and they imitate the ancient architecture styles of Vietnam. There are houses on stilts, wood houses, brick houses, etc.” Huong said.

Each house shows the taste and personality of its owner. Hoai Huong’s house is in Hue-style, with a big room in the middle, which is surrounded by four smaller rooms to make a square. These rooms are linked by corridors, running along a fish pond. Along the pond are willow trees, rock-gardens and bamboo trees. In front of the gate is a gate house for passers-by.

If Hoai Huong’s house is a square block in the style of Hue’s wood houses, painter Bach Truong Son’s house dubs the style of Muong people’s house on stilts. The house has big stilts, low roof and a space in the middle for common activities.

There are houses with southwestern architecture. These houses are made of wood but the floor is as not high as northern houses. The kitchens are the most important places in these houses.

“Many people visit this area to learn how to build wood houses in ancient styles. In the future, I and other artists living in this area will open training courses for children and those who like painting and architecture,” Huong said.