'Hanging gardens' add lush appeal to Vietnamese homes

By Minh Trang August 19, 2020 | 05:34 pm PT

The green lungs of many abode, balcony gardens mitigate the toxicity of urban living.

A 35-square-meter house in Hanois Dong Da District uses a steel girder tree system, acting as a sun-proof barrier and a rain-proof structure.

A 35-square-meter house in Hanoi's Dong Da District employs a steel girder tree system to act as both sun- and a rain-proof barrier. Photo by Farming Architects.

The steel girder system also prevents burglars from entering the house and gives homeowners more privacy.

The steel girder system also prevents burglars from entering the house and affords homeowners greater privacy. Photo by Farming Architects.

The old four-storey house on the area of 49 square meters in Hanoi faces a riverbank and straight west - southwest that receives a huge amount of heat from noon to late afternoon. Concrete tanks of trees are placed on each floor with protruding and indenting positions, blocking dust and reduce heat from sunlight.

This old four-storey tube house, covering an area of 49-square-meters in Hanoi, faces straight west-southwest and attracts a considerable amount of heat from noon to late afternoon. Protruding ‘near brutalist’ balconies are filled with trees to block dust rising from the street and reduce sunlight. Photo by Hoang Le.

A closer look at the "hanging garden." Photo by Hoang Le.

Located on a 500-meter-square plot in Ha Long Town, the northern province of Quang Ninh, the house has layers of interior and semi-exterior spaces filled with forest-like greenery.

Located on a 500-meter-square plot in Ha Long Town, northern Quang Ninh Province, this house includes layers of interior and semi-exterior spaces filled with forest-like greenery. Photo by Hiroyuki Oki.

Trees are plants at voids on the outer layer of the house. They change leaves based on seasons, creating a distinctive look.

Each tree is deciduous, changing leaves based on season. Photo by Hiroyuki Oki.

Sky House, located in the middles of numerous skyscrapers in Ho Chi Minh City, has a uniques face thanks to ten hanging gardens on its facade. These green spaces also create a link between nature and homeowners amid the urban rat race.

Sky House, located on a 240-square-meter plot amid numerous skyscrapers in Ho Chi Minh City, features a ten "hanging gardens", creating a link between nature and inhabitants caught in the urban rat crawl. Photo by Hiroyuki Oki.

The white house is surrounded with greenery.

Minimalist and modern, the house blends well with its natural protrusions. Photo by Hiroyuki Oki.

Located on a 37-square-meter plot, the house is closely surrounded by many others in an area that has little urban greenery. The homeowners hope to have a vertical garden as a shield against the sun and urban pollution.

Located on a 37-square-meter plot in Ho Chi Minh City, homeowners of this house designed a vertical garden to limit the effects of urban pollution and block excessive sunlight. Photo by Hiroyuki Oki.