Hue traditional garden houses came into existence rather early. Nevertheless, it became visibly popular from the time when Nguyen Lord’s Residency was first built in Kim Long in 1663. Later on, this type of house blossomed, particularly during the Nguyen dynasty.

Literally meaning, garden houses can be simply understood as a complex of architectural structures amidst a garden, which can be easily found everywhere. In fact, Hue traditional garden houses have undergone various subjective and objective impacts, of which the role of Hue as a feudal capital of Vietnam has made Hue garden houses a special highlight in local architecture.

So far, there have been numerous studies, articles, reports, presentations on the mass media, scientific conferences or seminars on Hue garden houses at different perspectives and levels. However, the soul and appearance of the Hue garden houses as well as the actual state of its formation and existence is still a matter of great concern. Actually, there has been no official definition for Hue garden houses, but generally from its own history, it can be briefly defined as follows: Hue traditional garden houses consist of a typical folkhouse, which is traditionally known as “ruong” house with main structures being wooden  beams and pillars, a spacious garden, which is the landscape surrounding the house, filled with multiple ornamental plants, flowers and fruit trees, vegetables or other fragrant plants directly serving the daily life ofthe family. Other subsidiary structures include gateway, front masonry screen, rockworksor the attached mural inscriptions (of vertical parallel sentences or horizontal board). All of them somewhat dictate the taste, inspiration, and personality of the owner as well as feng shui elementsin a consistent ambience.”

Hue garden houses include royal residences, private worshippinghouses, ancestral temples, and shrines dedicated to meritorious mandarins or traditional garden houses.

Over time with many vicissitudes, the impact of harsh weather conditions, population pressure, the increased demand for housing, varied perceptions, preferences and construction conditions, Hue garden houses havefaced with various changes and challenges. Rocketing land and house values have worsen the situation due to rapidly growing urbanization in a developing society of Vietnam. Accordingly, they are subject to the rule of market economy. Degraded folkhousesrequire restoration, but the owners cannot afford, so many had to sell off the wooden structures to build a new house. Some modified the degraded folkhouses with new exteriors. It is stated by researchers that the drain on Hue’s folkhouses to other regions is alarmingowing to its gorgeousness and reputation. In addition, due to the devastation of time, natural calamities and termites, many houses have been degraded or collapsed and no longer retained the original appearance. That is not to mention the problem of shared-out gardens for sale or for housing to younger generations in the family. Hence, many gardens have been split up and made the whole settings of Hue garden housedeteriorated.

Generally speaking, over 100 years of its existence, Hue garden houses have undergone numerous negative impacts of harsh weather conditions, natural disasters, wars, and undue maintenance. Those result in shrinking numberof garden houses as well as deterioration of artistic elements and structures. Accordingly, the risk of losing one of the unique cultural valuesmarking a historical stage of Thua Thien Hue in particular and the nation in general becomes likely apparent. In that context, the protection and promotion of garden house legacy will definitely contribute to the active preservation of the cultural identity of  Hue and the country as well. At the same time, it is expected to enhance the provincial profile, promote its socio-economic development, and improvethe livelihood of local people.

On April 25, 2015, the Provincial People's Council issued the Resolution No. 02/2015 / NQ-HDND approving the scheme “Incentives to protect and promote the value of Hue's typical garden houses”. Then, the People's Committee of Thua Thien Hue province promulgated the Decision No. 36/2015 / QD-UBND dated August 27, 2015 on Regulations in management, protection and promotion of Hue’s garden houses. Since then, eight garden houses out of 14 ones in the priority list of the project phase 1 were approved by the provincial People's Committee at the Decision No. 200 / QĐ-UBND dated January 29, 2016 and provided with financial assistance for restoration and renovation. This policy helps to support people to preserve the traditional cultural identity, uphold the value of Hue Ancient Capital, and makes it a prerequisite to raise the awareness of local inhabitants in the conservation of Hue’s unique cultural featuresin parallel with the improvement of local living standardand socio-economic status of the province.