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Tran Viet Anh (born 1993, Hanoi) is known as the founder of the Spiderum writing platform, and he is also the owner of the Viet Retreat residential complex. His story began when his parents decided to "leave the city and return to the countryside," escaping the cramped life in downtown Hanoi. The whole family desired a green living space with a strong sense of the traditional Northern Vietnamese countryside.
"With the desire for my parents to live in a spacious environment where they can tend to the garden every day, and to live more in harmony with nature instead of the hustle and bustle of the city, I embarked on the project of building and renovating the land," Viet Anh said.
The view of the rice fields at Viet Retreat
Located in Xóm Cời, Tân Vinh, Lương Sơn, Hòa Bình, nearly 50 km from Hanoi, Viet Retreat, spanning 10,000 m2, is designed by its owner to embody a rustic, simple beauty, offering a peaceful and tranquil setting for relaxation. The overall complex resembles a miniature village, with rice fields in front and many trees surrounding it.
According to Viet Anh, the name Viet Retreat has many meanings. "Viet" here refers to Vietnam because the objects in the house are decorated with the colors of the Northern Delta, reflecting Vietnamese culture. The houses are mainly single-story houses, using yin-yang tile roofs from Ha Giang, and modernized stilt houses purchased from rural areas in the North… all recreating things that are very Vietnamese.
Modernized stilt house area
The Sấu and Mơ houses are built in a stylized stilt house style. The upper floor serves as sleeping quarters, while the lower floor is for communal living. Of the six small houses, Ngọc Lan is the largest, combining traditional beauty with modern amenities for comfortable living.
Viet Retreat has six houses, named after the surrounding trees: the Apricot House, the Sour Plum House, the Mango House, the Jackfruit House, the Pomelo House, and the Magnolia House. Each house has its own unique color scheme and decoration. The houses at Viet Retreat are built in harmony with nature, utilizing the original features of the terrain to create a harmonious architectural whole. The construction minimizes tree felling in the garden and reuses and recycles handcrafted, eco-friendly materials.
Interior of a house at Viet Retreat
Viet Anh's mother is an antique collector, so she spends a lot of time searching for and buying items to display.
The house is decorated with many antique items, reflecting rich traditional culture. All the objects were collected and arranged skillfully by Viet Anh's mother, who "breathed life" into the Viet Retreat.
Viet Anh said: “My mother used to be a middle school technology teacher. Therefore, she takes care of everything, from cooking and flower arranging to decorating the house and buying used items to decorate the property… When visiting Viet Retreat, guests often see beautifully arranged bouquets or water jars with flowers floating in them, which look very charming… All of this is done with my mother’s meticulous hands.”
The flower arranging and meticulous home decoration were done by Viet Anh's mother with skillful hands.
Compared to some other accommodations, Viet Retreat is different. The property makes extensive use of recycled materials and repurposes old items. For example, they bought old stilt houses and renovated them, used old yin-yang roof tiles from Ha Giang, recycled stone mortars for planting, and repurposed water jars…
“These items are like a collection from my mother – a nostalgic person who likes to preserve the old values of Vietnam. Collectible items like the wooden sugarcane press, flour mill, rice mill… are all associated with rural Vietnam in the old days. Many of the items in our house were bought and recycled from old houses in the Northern countryside when people demolished them to build new ones, saving costs while preserving unique characteristics,” Tran Viet Anh shared.
A spacious swimming pool for the whole family to relax, unwind, and have fun together.
The most commonly used type of wood in the house is the wood of pepper plants, which has been used for many years, and over time and due to termites, only the core remains. This wood is used to make everything from lampposts, fences, wooden bridges to interior furniture...
Viet Retreat is located in Hoa Binh, just over an hour from Hanoi, so it feels like a suburban home. To provide a high-quality, happy, and comfortable life, Viet Anh wanted to make this property more accessible to everyone, a tranquil space for relaxation and rest.
Viet Anh further shared: “Viet Retreat is considered a milestone for my family. It's a place that connects everyone together. It reflects my style, a place that speaks volumes about who I am. A place where I can escape the hustle and bustle, return to a simple, comfortable lifestyle, and live in harmony with nature.”
