Saed News: The crowded city, high housing costs, and expensive daily expenses have pushed the people of Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, toward small and narrow homes. Yet, even in these tough conditions, some creatively build world-class houses—like this five-story Vietnamese home designed for a family of four.
According to the analytical news site Saed News, quoting Bitooteh, what comes to mind when you think of a small or narrow house? A group of architects designed a narrow house just 4 meters wide that provides enough space for a family of four.
This house, featuring a full-height glass wall, is nestled within the typical urban fabric of Hanoi, Vietnam’s densely populated capital. Its tall, large windows allow ample natural light inside. Known as the “Manzel” (meaning “home”), the house is about 6 meters deep and, given its physical constraints, it grows more vertically than horizontally.
house has five floors, offering private spaces for all four family members — including two young children. The main entrance from the street leads directly to the kitchen and dining area on the first floor. The living room is located on the third floor, situated between the master bedroom on the second floor and the children’s room on the fourth. There is also a dedicated prayer and meditation room on the top floor.
Narrow houses have become a common feature of Vietnam’s urban landscape due to high population density combined with expensive land prices. Over the years, people have reduced the width of their homes to take up less street frontage, instead building inward and upward. Ceiling heights vary between floors, creating an illusion of larger space and improving ventilation.
The biggest challenge in building Manzel was transporting and using materials and supplies, as delivering items to such a narrow site was very complicated; tuk-tuks and similar transport vehicles were helpful during this phase. Unlike the common scene in Tehran’s alleys, which are often blocked by construction sites, closing off alleyways is not permitted in Hanoi.
Interestingly, despite the small size of the house, the designers did not overlook incorporating various plants suited to different lighting conditions throughout the house, all connected to an automatic irrigation system. Furniture and storage spaces were also innovatively designed to maximize the use of the tight interior space.
The Manzel project was completed in just six months. The architect said: “Seeing this transformation was very exciting. During construction, everything was raw and the house very small, but when we finished, natural light completely changed the quality of the space. We are now working on similar projects.”
