From Cosmology to Landscape Practice: The Eco Symbolic Order of Hue Garden Houses in Vietnam

Abstract

Hue garden houses (nhà vườn Huế) in Vietnam represent a distinctive vernacular landscape typology that integrates timber dwellings, layered vegetation, and symbolic waterscapes. This article examines how cosmological philosophy mediated through Vietnamese feng shui (phong thủy) and Nguyen dynasty cultural syncretism materializes in the spatial arrangement and garden setting practices of Hue garden houses. Using interpretive analysis of secondary literature, the study finds that the “house as center, garden as envelope” layout functions simultaneously as (i) a microclimate and subsistence strategy and (ii) a cosmogram that encodes Confucian Taoist Buddhist notions of harmony among heaven, earth, and human beings. Key garden elements such as the entrance axis, screen wall (bình phong), dry pond/basin, and rockery (hòn non bộ) articulate a miniature “mountain water universe,” while plant assemblages emphasize ecological diversity and a deliberate naturalness. The article argues that Hue garden houses should be understood as living heritage landscapes whose eco cultural logic offers transferable insights for climate responsive and culturally grounded landscape design today.