Study on the Acculturation in Traditional Vernacular Houses between Vietnamese and the Chams in the Middle Region of Vietnam (16th- 18th Centuries)

Abstract

This thesis examines the vernacular houses of Vietnam’s Middle Region—specifically Types B, C, and D—as enduring outcomes of sustained intercultural encounters between Vietnamese settlers and the indigenous Cham communities from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. These houses are interpreted not merely as architectural forms, but as cultural artifacts that embody negotiation, adaptation, and continuity across centuries of shared habitation.

The research reconstructs a tripartite process of acculturation. First, during the stage of Exchange and Symbiosis, early coexistence facilitated the selective incorporation of Cham construction techniques into Vietnamese frameworks, enabling both groups to respond to common environmental challenges. Second, the Early hybrid stage generated transitional types such as Type D and early Type C houses, which combined Vietnamese floor plans with Cham-inspired truss systems and double-roofing methods. Finally, in the Later mature stage, late Type C houses consolidated a distinctly Vietnamese identity while strategically retaining Cham-derived elements that enhanced structural performance and climatic adaptability. This developmental sequence underscores how architectural innovation emerged through cultural dialogue rather than unilateral assimilation, balancing symbolic expression with technical resilience and environmental responsiveness.

The thesis further documents endangered indigenous knowledge systems, including traditional clay roofing methods, the use of Keo diagonal beams, and specialized carpentry tools, situating them within broader processes of technical adaptation. Artisan guilds are shown to have functioned as crucial mediators in standardizing and transmitting hybrid forms, extending their influence beyond domestic spaces into civic and ceremonial architecture, such as dinh halls and selected imperial structures. By tracing these networks, the research highlights how vernacular practices informed state-level architectural expression, linking local building traditions with imperial aspirations.

Methodologically, the thesis integrates typological classification, spatial and structural analysis, and contextual interpretation, thereby generating a framework that connects empirical documentation with theoretical reflection. Placing the Vietnamese–Cham exchange within the wider Southeast Asian patterns of cultural interaction, migration, and innovation, the research contributes to comparative scholarship on hybridity, identity formation, and resilience in vernacular traditions.

Beyond its historical insights, the thesis bears contemporary relevance. Its findings provide evidence-based strategies for conservation, restoration, and adaptive reuse, offering ways to reconcile cultural preservation with sustainability imperatives in the face of climate change and modernization pressures. Academically, the study enriches architectural and heritage curricula, supports professional training programs, and empowers community-based initiatives. More broadly, it advances a transferable methodological model for analyzing climate-responsive, culturally embedded architectures across regions, positioning Vietnam’s Middle Region as a valuable case study in the global discourse on architectural hybridity and heritage conservation./.

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