9x guy and miniature Northern ancient houses evoke childhood memories

Nguyen The Tuyen (born in 1992, currently living in Xuan Truong district, Nam Dinh) started to be fascinated with making traditional house models since 2022 as a way to preserve the beauty of ancient architecture. He often makes tiny houses measuring only 40cm x 60cm, 60cm x 80cm or 1m x 1m2 but the details are all very meticulous and sophisticated.

The models are often built according to the popular house model around 1880 in regions of Vietnam, especially the Northern region.

“I have a strong love and respect for the traditional architecture of Vietnam in general and the Northern Delta in particular. The old houses have characteristics from ancient construction, unique materials and living spaces that are in harmony with nature,” The Tuyen shared.

The unique features of Northern houses are the traditional red tiled roofs, wooden structures, large gardens and many delicate handcrafted details. The buildings are designed to harmonize with the characteristics of the humid subtropical climate with four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter, with unpredictable rain, wind, storms and floods. This design creates a cool, airy living space.

Nguyen The Tuyen said he recreated these ancient architectural values ​​in miniature form not only for decoration but also to preserve and convey Vietnam's traditional culture to foreign guests.

It usually takes 1 to 2 months to complete a traditional house model, depending on the complexity of the design. Nguyen The Tuyen often starts by researching traditional house architecture through documents, images and field trips. He researches and collects various documents to gain a deep understanding of the house he intends to build.

Once he had all the information, he created detailed drawings, including the proportions and structure of the house. This helped ensure the final model was accurate and harmonious. He also chose to use concrete, steel, foamex, wood and terracotta tiles to create a durable, lightweight, easy-to-display structure.

Machining small details is one of the most important steps. This process requires meticulous cutting, trimming and assembling of small pieces. Details such as windows, roofs and gardens all require high precision.

After finishing each part, he will assemble it according to the design. Each detail is carefully put together to ensure aesthetics and durability. Finally, he checks the load-bearing capacity, to see if the overall appearance and details of the product are the same as the original drawing and model.

In addition to the difficulty of recreating small details of Northern architecture, especially tiled roofs or the lines of ancient wooden furniture, finding suitable materials to make the model both beautiful and durable is also a challenge.

The Tuyen confided: “These models are my way of connecting with the culture and history of my homeland. Each model is a story, a memory of old houses, where family memories are kept.”

His videos of the process of making model houses have amazed many people, including many young people.

"It's exactly like my grandparents' house in the past, but now they've been demolished and rebuilt, I miss it so much. I want to cry because of all the memories", "Looking at it reminds me of the old days, when I was little I also lived in a house like this, simple but warm", "Reminiscing about childhood memories, many years ago my house was just like this, just thinking about it makes me emotional, I came from somewhere and then returned to that place", "The well in front of the house, the pile of straw next to it, the ash toilet in the back are all memories, my friend"... are emotional comments from viewers.

Currently, The Tuyen's Tiktok channel is of interest to many young people, attracting nearly 100,000 followers. Many videos attract millions of views, some up to 20 million plays. Tuyen believes that from this, it can be seen that currently, many young people are interested in traditional values ​​in ancient architecture.