House in northern Vietnam made from disposal materials

The house was built on the land of Le Hong Kien’s parents in Tan Son Village, northern Hoa Binh Province.
The 10,000-square-meter property is called NaLa, which includes 10 individual houses that can accommodate 40-60 people.

All of the houses on this property were built by Kien using recycled materials, including thrown-away timbers, old house pillars, as well as used tiles, bricks and doors.
“Used wood has very high durability, it is economical, and it gives the houses an old look,” the 47-year-old explained.

Of the 10 houses, Phu The was first completed by Kien after nearly half a year of construction. This is a brick-walled house with wooden columns, trusses, and doors.
In front of Phu The house, there is a large yard, hidden under the shade of trees. The house has five compartments, a semicircle pond and stone bathtub.

Kien made benches out of old and discarded railway sleepers, a type of wood, for the house.

He decorated his bedroom with lacquer and ceramic paintings, along with wooden items.
The bed is made from wood salvaged from a wrecked ship.
Kien collects many decorative antiques and displays them in different parts of his properties.

He also constructed a small guest house that can accommodate three people. This house connects with Phu The through a vegetable garden, a familiar image to many people born in the northern countryside.
The sidewalk is paved with the same bricks commonly used to pave the floor of communal houses in the northern region. Kien bought these bricks when the old communal houses were dismantled for repair and renovation.

Beside boasting many bedrooms, every house on his property has stone bathtubs, spacious toilets, meditation corners, tea corners, etc.

Because the house is home to three generations, each family member lives in their own house.
His property has a swimming pool and vast garden that give his two children much room to play outside.

Ngoa Long Am is the house Kien built for his son. The house is made of pinewood and features a floor-to-ceiling glass system that erases the boundaries between home and habitat.
This house is surrounded by a grapefruit garden and bamboo grove.
In the house, the father also arranges relaxing corners facing the fish pond so that his son can read books amid lush green nature.

The Lau Co Co house was built for his youngest daughter. This house is a traditional stilt house of the Muong people.
Kien converted the first floor, where the Muong raised buffalo and cows, into a cooking area and playground. The second floor of the house includes a bedroom and a common living area.
Another unique feature of Lau Co Co is that it does not use concrete columns but remains sturdy.
According to the owner, the house’s structure employs traditional methods, allowing it to stand without the need for a foundation. As a result, the wooden column frame system is linked together by handcrafted tenons, which helps the house stand firm.

The swimming pool uses natural water. The wall of the pool was paved with recycled laterite.
Kien said 90 percent of the project are handmade. It took him a year and a half to finish building the whole NaLa property. He refuses to disclose the cost.