Participating in the “6th Cultural Development and Elegant and Civilized Hanoian Building Press Awards 2023,” the authors Tran Hong Van, Hoang Le Quyen, Doan Anh Tuan, and Nguyen Huu Tiep from Hanoi News excelled and clinched the A Prize with their work “Rural Architecture: What Lies Ahead in the Future?” for five consecutive periods. The Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports’ Electronic Information Portal is delighted to introduce this work to our extensive readership!
As a nation rooted in rice cultivation, with approximately 80% of the land being agricultural and over 55% of the population residing in rural areas, the countryside, and its inhabitants are the foundation for prosperity and the custodians of Vietnam’s most precious cultural values.
The new rural development program has been generating significant transformations: Rural landscapes are becoming more splendid, modern, and socially equipped, raising the living standards of the local residents.
However, many returning after an extended absence may find the countryside strangely familiar yet oddly unfamiliar. Some villages resemble urban areas, with houses and alleys constructed without adherence to planning, resulting in disorderly, crowded, and disruptive scenes that disrupt the traditional rural tranquility.
A closer look at the situation reveals a larger picture: Rural architecture has not received adequate attention. Rural development presents significant and formidable challenges, comparable to urban areas.
Recognizing the urgency for specific and clear orientations and criteria in the planning of rural architecture in Vietnam, on February 7, 2023, the Prime Minister issued Directive No. 4/CT-TTG on guiding the development direction of rural architectural planning in Vietnam, aiming to establish identity and preserve traditional architecture.
Resolution No. 15-NQ/TW dated May 5, 2022, by the Party Central Committee on the direction and tasks for the development of Hanoi until 2030, with a vision to 2045; the Hanoi Capital City Planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050; and the latest draft of amended Capital City Law 2023, in its final stages of completion for submission to the National Assembly, all emphasize the construction of a modern rural environment, cultured rural inhabitants, and the preservation and promotion of the cultural values of rural life and the wet rice civilization of the Red River Delta region.
Solving the puzzle of preserving and developing the architecture for the countryside, wearing a new façade while retaining its “old soul” and truly being a valuable asset for wealth and a robust economy, is undeniably challenging. We have traveled through various rural regions, engaging in conversations with numerous residents, government officials, and experts, in the hope of finding realistic solutions.
Tran Hong Van, Hoang Le Quyen, Doan Anh Tuan, and Nguyen Huu Tiep
Kiến trúc nông thôn: Mai này rồi sẽ ra sao? (hanoimoi.vn)