Urban identities of the Vietnamese Northwest Mountain Region

Abstract

The Northwest mountainous region of Vietnam is bordered to the north by China and to the west by Laos, including six provinces of Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Hoa Binh, and Son La. This is a land of forests, mountains, hills, valleys rivers and streams. A land of cultural diversity, with a population of more than twenty ethnic minorities with their own customs and lifestyles, and many unique values that determine the landscape architecture of the villages and the urban areas. In the process of socio-economic development, however, these values are gradually losing their inherent identity and being replaced by new hybrid landscape architectures, which do not fit the natural, cultural, characteristics and socio-economic conditions of the region. Therefore, the purpose and content of the article is: 1. Surveying and analyzing the current situation of landscape architecture in six representative urban areas, namely Dien Bien, Lai Chau, SonLa, Hoa Binh, Lao Cai and Yen Bai, in the general context of natural, cultural characteristics and socio-economic conditions of the whole Northwest Mountainous region.2. Developing a system of criteria for landscape identification and assessment. 3. Identifying the landscape architecture. 4. Proposing solutions with regard to landscape architecture in order to preserve and develop the identity of Northern mountainous urban areas.