3. Achieving Energy Efficiency in Urban Residential Buildings in Vietnam: High-tech or Low-tech?

Vietnam started to go for green rather late, officially in 2005 or 2006, shortly before Vietnam Green Building Council was established and the first legal documents paving the way for green building development to take root were drafted and then adopted. As the green building is a holistic concept and encompasses a wide range of specialisation, it seems that at the beginning, Vietnam chose energy—the most important component—to focus on before dealing with other measures in a comprehensive package of solutions. In terms of energy, most green, and energy-efficient buildings that Vietnam has constructed and been certified so far come from public and industrial building sector, such as schools, supermarkets, offices, showrooms and factories, while in housing which makes up the largest part of the country’s urban building market, this concept has not been properly developed, not only in quality but also in quantity. In order to provide more energy-efficient housing for the public and meet their very high demand, there are two options for architects—high-tech design and low-tech design—to propose in the local context. Furthermore, another possibility—combining the two tendencies—should be considered and discussed, because of its potential and flexibility in practice, as well as appropriateness in Vietnamese conditions.