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On the top of a residence in Hanoi, a 100-year-old house

A family in Hanoi has relocated their 100-year-old home to the roof of their villa, cited from VnExpress' Vietnamese version.

The old house was relocated to the fourth floor of the newly constructed villa. The owner contributed the photo. Quynh Lien did not want to quit the 100-year-old house where many generations of the family used to dwell in Lien Mac ward, Bac Tu Liem district, to build a new villa. "This historic house is almost a century old and serves as a repository for numerous family memories from the lives of grandparents, parents, children, and grandkids. As a result, my husband and I wish to retain traditional values while also changing them to meet our family's needs better. "Quynh Lien talked about her family's old house, which had three wings and three compartments. Lien is unsure of the exact year the old house was erected. The old house is roughly 100 square meters in size and sits on a plot of land that is around 500 square meters in size. For many years, this was the residence of Lien's family.

The total process of moving, restoring, and erecting the old house took about 8 months at the cost of one billion VND.


In 2020, due to the increased demand for living space of six members, the couple decided to build a five-story villa and bring the old house up on the rooftop.

Lien's family first asked a team of skilled woodworkers to study and memorize the details and components carefully to relocate the old house. After that, they dismantled all tiles, trusses, and walls and brought them back to Quoc Oai craft village to check and find a replacement for broken pieces.

After having enough materials, the house was erected exactly like the prototype and added details to complete.

When the owner was satisfied with the result, the house was disassembled, brought back to the construction site, hoisted to the fourth floor, and erected.

"The most difficult thing is not to break or chip the wood patterns and restore it as close to the original," Lien shared.

The total process of moving, restoring, and erecting the old house took about 8 months at the cost of VND 1 billion (USD 43.450).

A property that harmonizes Eastern and Western homestyle.


Villa with the old house is seen from the side.

In the process of relocating the old house, the owner also encountered objections.

The interior of the old house.



The owner plants many fruit trees in the yard, such as jackfruit, guava, apple, star fruit, and a feng shui pond.

Currently, the old house has a place where close relatives meet whenever the family gathers on holiday or Tet (Lunar New Year) festival. It is also used as a display of religious sculptures and living space for Lien’s parents-in-law so that they can enjoy modern facilities while still being close to their children and grandchildren. They planted many fruit trees such as jackfruit, guava, apple, star fruit and placed a feng shui pond in the yard.

“Every day, we come to the rooftop to exercise, tend the trees and flowers to relax,” Lien shared. “The old house is also our pride when combining traditional and modern.”

The other floors of the villa are also well designed. The first floor is a sculpture gallery, with an area displaying art creations such as painting, statue making, and an aquarium and garden. The mezzanine floor displays paintings of Lien’s father-in-law, painter Nguyen Van Chu.

The second floor is the office block of a sculpture company owned by Lien and her husband. The third floor is a common living space with three bedrooms, while the fifth floor has a gymnasium and technical room. The terrace is designed like a miniature park.

Hannah Nguyen

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