Contemporary Vietnamese modernist architecture continues the principles of modernism developed in the golden age 1945-1975

Contemporary apartment house in Ho Chi Minh City

Our forthcoming book on Vietnamese Modernist Architecture focuses on the three decades of the golden age of Vietnamese modernism between 1945 and 1975. The principles and techniques of Vietnamese modernist architecture were developed in that period and made Vietnam an unrecognized center of architectural innovation in the world. Most importantly, the southern Vietnamese as a culture embraced modernism, and it is the vernacular architecture of the culture, especially for dwellings. This new house in the Tan Phu district of Ho Chi Minh City shows that the principles of the golden age continue today — a lightness of scale that breaks down the mass of the building, along with shading elements that respect the climate.