Le Tuan Kiet, born in 1996 and originally from Ho Chi Minh City, fell in love with a forested lakeside site in Bao Lam district, Lam Dong, during a trip ten years ago. He imagined a small house that would sit quietly among the trees.

Kiet recounted: "On April 26, 2019, my wife, relatives, and friends began laying the house foundation." The building team was made up of his wife, family members and close friends, not professional contractors.

The couple chose materials that are both cheap and natural. Kiet explained, "The house is constructed primarily from old wood and clay – inexpensive, easily accessible materials that are environmentally friendly." He also said, "I applied the technique of plastering straw‑mixed clay onto bamboo frames," refining the mix and the structural design to suit modern living.

Creating the structural framework took about one year. After that, Kiet, his wife, and their helpers spent three more years hand‑crafting interior furnishings, from tables to shelves, using the same reclaimed wood and clay.

The finished residence looks like two traditional three‑compartment houses stacked one on another. It includes a kitchen, bar‑style counter and living room on the lower level, and bedrooms, a movie room, a workspace, a reading nook and a balcony that opens toward the lake on the upper level. Every piece of furniture inside was made by hand.

Initially the couple planned the house for short‑term tourism rentals. When their first child was born, they added play areas and safer railings. After a second child arrived, they stopped renting and reorganised every space to serve their family’s needs.

Kiet says the home now holds deep personal meaning because each wall and beam bears the marks of the many hands that helped build it, turning a simple eco‑friendly project into a shared family sanctuary.