Från trä till betong: Förhandlingen mellan att bevara och förändra bostäder i norra Vietnam. En kvalitativ fallstudie om förändringen av Dao-stylthus i Ban Luoc

Abstract

The rapid transformation of vernacular rural housing, shaped by new aspirations and modern ideals, has the potential to overlook cultural heritage and local needs. Through interviews carried out in the municipality of Ban Luoc, Vietnam, this qualitative study examines how residents in Ban Luoc navigate the changes occurring in relation to their traditional Dao-stilt house, with the central aim of understanding their negotiation between cultural heritage and practical needs in relation to the changing housing environment in Ban Luoc. Drawing on a conceptual framework of glocalization with a multi-scalar approach, this study argues that it's a glocal negotiation, where global tendencies are influencing change in relation to development norms. However there also exists particularizing tendencies that show how residents and the local government negotiate and adapt some changes while dismissing others, showing that vernacular dwellings should be understood as continuously evolving constructs adapting to residents' new needs in relation to its own cultural and environmental context. The results indicate that there is a notable shift towards using modern materials influenced by various factors, however, most respondents seek to keep aspects of the traditional Dao-stilt house because of its practical necessity and cultural value that leads to hybrid house forms. The findings reflect a process of cultural hybridisation, where development aspects from the state and practical needs are adapted and blended with local traditions to create a hybridized Dao-stilt house that residents argue are both functional for contemporary life and reflective of their heritage. This paper concludes, highlighting the need for contextual approaches to understand social sustainable housing development based on residents' needs in rural areas, recognising their vernacular dwelling as an adaptation occurring on the ground between external pressures and local realities.