Bamboo houses keep old skills alive

Bamboo, clay and straw were traditionally used as building materials in rural Viet Nam, when cement, brick and steel were not available. As cities expand, homes made of bamboo have gradually disappeared, but one house in central Viet Nam has been preserved.

Painter Nguyen Thuong Hy had his house built from bamboo and clay near My Son Sanctuary in 2011. The structure follows a traditional house built in the 17th century.

The bamboo-structure frame, clay walls and thatched roof help keep the interior cool in summer and warm in winter. It is also strong enough to survive the frequent heavy rain and flooding in the central region.

Hy, 65, said the design of the house was typical among prosperous families from north of Quang Tri Province to south central Phu Yen province, and some similar houses are still standing despite the proliferation of concrete buildings and high-rises.

“I found the design of the house from an old document written by French cultural researcher Pierre Gourou saying that the cottage was popular in areas from Quang Binh (south of the Giang River) to Phu Yen,” Hy explained.

“Houses were built using locally-available materials by skilled craftsmen. The bamboo had to be soaked in water for years to prevent termites and woodworm,” he said.

Lovely hotel: A bamboo house with clay walls and a thatched roof in My Son Sanctuary. It is used as a home-stay for tourists visiting the destination in Quang Nam Province.— Photo courtesy of Nguyen Thuong Hy

Hy said builders created two layers for the roof – an outer thick layer of thatch and lower inner one of clay and straw. The clay layer helps to prevent fires spreading and aids ventilation.

“The dried thatch roof can catch fire, and the lower one stops fire spreading to other parts of the house. Wealthy homeowners believed the inside clay layer would protect their belongings,” he explained.

“The walls are made of bamboo rods that are similar to a modern steel structure, while the mortar is made of clay from the paddy field, straw and water.

“The mortar is plastered on vertical bamboo walls, while interior walls are reinforced with bamboo columns, beams and girders.”

Old techniques

Nguyen Trang, 83, from Dien Nam Dong Commune in Quang Nam Province is a rare master craftsman who knows how to make bamboo houses.

“We are all too old. It’s not our main job, but we still have skills to build from local materials including clay, straw from the rice fields and bamboo,” Trang recalled.

Standing strong: A bamboo bridge spans the Thu Bon River. Bamboo is still used in rural villages. — VNS Photo Vu Cong Dien

“Bamboo houses have disappeared from rural life, but there are some at tourism sites used for homestay.

“A small bamboo house takes a lot of labour and bamboo. This is difficult because skilled builders are rare and bamboo forests are disappearing,” he said.

Pham Nhat Anh, 68, a craftsman from Dien Nam Commune said he could make bamboo houses, but his main job is in the paddy field.

“The new generation doesn’t have the skills to make a bamboo house. We learned the techniques when we were young and we can still earn money from them,” Anh said.

According to Hy, three species of bamboo are used to build the traditional houses including woody bamboo (Bambuseae), lo o (Bambusa procera) and thorny bamboo (Bambusa blumeana). 

As the strongest, thorny bamboo is used to build the main structure (columns, beams and girders), while softer bamboo is reserved for walls or furniture, Hy said.

He added that that resin of Litsea glutinosa (a rainforest tree in the laurel family) was mixed with clay and straw to improve the adhesivity of mortar and make walls more waterproof.

Nguyen Dang Hoang Hai, 24, an architect from the Hue-based College of Social Science and Humanities, said he and a team of young architects had designed a bamboo house project in Cam Thanh Commune of Hoi An.

“We gained experience from local craftsmen when building the bamboo house in Hoi An,” Hai recalled.

“I think environmentally-friendly materials like bamboo, straw, clay and resin can be used in modern house design.”