Cambodia,

Vietnam, Laos,
& Thailand
Architecture
PRESENTED BY CHUA, DEE, JAMORA
CAMBODIA
GEOGRAPHY

Capital: Phnom Penh

90% Khmers
Location: Bordering the Gulf of
Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam,
and Laos
Area: consists of rolling plains

CAMBODIA
NATURAL
RESOURCES

Brick 
Stucco
Wood
Sandstone
Laterite

CAMBODIA
TECHNOLOGY

Bronze tools (Samrong Sen)

Used in making tools, rituals objects,
weapons, ornaments
Used of bronze casting influenced by
China and India 
Reclining Buddha = bronze

CAMBODIA
SOCIO-CULTURAL

homogenous country: 95% speaks

Khmer
Matriarchal 
Head: contains soul = most sacred

CAMBODIA
 ARCHITECTURE

Materials

bricks
sandstone
laterite
wood

ARCHITECTURE OF CAMBODIA
 STRUCTURES

Central sanctuary 
home to the temple’s primary deity to
whom the site was dedicated
Typically shiva or vishnu = hindu
Buddha or bodhisattva = Buddhism

Prang
tall finger like spire
Common to religious khmer architecture

STRUCTURES
 Enclosure
temples were typically enclosed by a
concentric series of walls
Central sanctuary in the middle
Represents mountain ranges
surrounding Mount Meru = mythical
home of the Gods

Gallery
passageway running along the wall of an
enclosure or along the axis of the temple
Often open to one or both sides

STRUCTURES
 Gopura
entrance building
Surrounding a temple
Usually crossed shaped and elongated
along the axis of the enclosure wall

Hall of Dancers
late 12th century = King Jayavarman Vit
Rectangular building elongated along
the temple’s east axis
Divided into four courtyards by galleries
(Ta Prohm Siem Reap)

ARCHITECTURE OF CAMBODIA
 House of Fire
Dharmasaia
Found only in temples contruscted
during the reign of 12th century monarch
Jayavarnan Vit: Preah Khan, Ta Prohm
and Benteay Chhmar
Tick walls
West end and south facing windows

Library
common feature of Khamer temples
True purpose remains unknown
Suspected to be used as religious shrines

ARCHITECTURE OF CAMBODIA
 Srah and Baray
Reservoir Made through excavation and
embankment
Not known if use is for religious,
agricultural, or combination of the two

Temple Mountain
Architectural representation of Mount
Meru, the home of gods in hindu
mythology

STRUCTURES
ELEMENTS

Bas-reliefs
figures cut into stone walls as sculpted
images projecting from a background 

Blind door and windows

opened in one direction, typically to
the east
The others featured fake or blind that
were built for symmetry
ELEMENTS
Colonette
narrow decorative columns that serves
as support for the beams and lintels
above doorways or windows
Either round, rectangular, octagonal
shape, depending on time period

Lintel
horizontal beam connecting to vertical
columns between which runs a door
or passageway

ELEMENTS
Pediment
roughly triangular structures above
lintel

Tympanum
decorated surface of a pediment

ELEMENTS
VIETNAM
GEOGRAPHY

capital: Hanoi
Two main cities: Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh

VIETNAM
SOCIO-CULTURAL

amalgamation of many ethnic groups

such as Cham, Khmer, Muong, hmong
and Chinese
Main religion is Buddhism = introduced
during Chinese occupation 
Hinduism = first religion of the Champa
kingdom

VIETNAM
NATURAL
RESOURCES

Green marbles Stone

Laterite Brick
Mortar Tile
Bamboo Terracotta
Wood Lime
Thatch

VIETNAM
 ARCHITECTURE

Characteristics

symmetrical
Ornamented
Influenced by religion 
Influenced by the Chinese
Integrated into natural setting

ARCHITECTURE OF VIETNAM
 Palace

typical architecture of feudal dynasties

of Vietnam
Mobilizing and gathering the materials
and labor forces of the whole country
or region
Biggest scale architecture among
feudal era

ARCHITECTURE OF VIETNAM
 Religious

pagodas
towers
temples
tombs
Based on agriculture and social
institution is based on the villages

ARCHITECTURE OF VIETNAM
STRUCTURES

Military architecture
Citadel
Nearly square in shape
Walls made of box-brick
Ex: Hue Imperial City

STRUCTURES OF VIETNAM
Complex Monuments
Political, cultural, and religious center under the
Nguyen dynasty 
Kinh Thanh
Official administrative buildings
Hoanh Thanh
Royal palaces and shrines
Tu Cam Thanh
Royal residences = only emperors,
concubines, and those close enough to
them were granted access
Tran Binh Dai
Additional defensive work in the northeast
corner of the Capital City
Designed to control movement on the river

STRUCTURES OF VIETNAM
Religious

Thien Mu Pagoda
largest pagoda
official symbol of the city
Kim Lien Pagoda
Three entrance gate 
Three pavilions
Roof bank is decorated with dragon pattern
Quan Thanh Temple
Taoist Temple
Dedicated to Xuan Wu, one of the principal
deities in Taoism
Also training venue for several martial arts

STRUCTURES OF VIETNAM
Religious

Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam

Temple of literature = most abundant and
diversified complex of relics
Consists of
Main entrance
Three roofed archway (symbolizing Past,
present and future)
Pavilion

STRUCTURES OF VIETNAM
Communal house

It is a place to worship the founder of the village

Functions: religious, administration, cultural arts

Dinh Bang
communal house
One of the largest and finest village
communal houses in Vietnam
Village meeting hall and the seat of the local
government office
Wooden frame structure
Construction system = mortise and tenon

STRUCTURES OF VIETNAM
Imperial city

Inside the citadel which is rectanguin shape

Ngo Mon = Gate of Noon
Is the main gate to the imperial city
lau Ngu Phung = Five Phoenix Pavilion

STRUCTURES OF VIETNAM
LAOS
GEOGRAPHY

capital: Vientiane

LAOS
SOCIO-POLITICAL

Under French Colony

Tai ethnic group native
Religion: Theravada Buddhism

LAOS
 ARCHITECTURE

Vientiane style

Large veranda with heavy columns 

Ornamented with overhanging roof
Porticos and shade made from carved
wood
Often with half bid, half human kinnari
against a background of styled foliage

ARCHITECTURE OF LAOS
 Luang Prabang Style

Roof is very pointed and steep at the top

and gradually flares and almost
horizontal at the bottom
Often roof almost touches the ground
Roofs resemble the wings of a hen
protecting their chicks
Many have gold-leaf-covered doors and
outer walls
Wat Xieng Thong Temple

ARCHITECTURE OF LAOS
 Xieng Khuang Style

Multiple level platforms

Roof that sweeps low and wide
Whitewashed stucco walls, small
windows
Two or three-ired roofs
Curved pediments and naga lingels over
the door steps
Thai Lu stupas are typically glided and
octagonal in shape 
Covered in Thai Lu fabrics

ARCHITECTURE OF LAOS
 Religious Architecture 

luang Probang
Huge pointed toofs made from flat
tiles 
Xieng Khouang
Roofs come nearly all the way down to
the ground
Vientiane 
Tapering style

ARCHITECTURE OF LAOS
THAILAND
GEOGRAPHY

means the land of the free

located northern two thirds of the
Malay Peninsula in the Southeast Asia
and Western half of the Indo-chinese
peninsula
capital: Bangkok

THAILAND
RELIGIONS

Buddhism
appeared during the 300 B.C.
characterized by tall golden stupas

Islam
appeared during the 13th century
brought by the arab traders

RELIGIONS OF THAILAND
Christianity
appeared during the 16th century
brought by European missionaries
introduced first printing press,
medical practices and first thai-
english dictionary

Sikhism
appeared during the 19th century
operates free school for children
and other charitable associations

RELIGIONS OF THAILAND
 MATERIALS

Sandstone
Brick
Stucco
Wood
Porcelain
Glass mosaic pieces
Lacquer, gilt, inlaid mother of pearl, gold
leaf

ARCHITECTURE OF THAILAND
 BANGKOK STYLE

tradition form overbid with

ornamentation of chinese character
surfaces were finished with porcelain
tiles
walls were white stuccoed bricks
brightly colored glazed tiles of multi-
leveled overlapping roofs of timber
gables and bargeboards are decorated
with Angkor
door and window shutters of carved
wood lacquered in black and gold or
pointed inlaid with mother of pearl

ARCHITECTURE OF THAILAND
TRADITIONAL
HOUSES

on stilts built alongside rivers and

canals which are prone to flooding
during the rainy season
made of wood, bamboo, and prefab
panels
built as a cluster of seperate rooms
arranged around a large central
terrace
TRADITIONAL HOUSES OF THAILAND
ARCHITECTURAL
STRUCTURES

Central Plain Houses

Floating Houses
Royal Houses
Sala Thai
Northern Houses
Northern Rice barns

TRADITIONAL HOUSES OF THAILAND

RELIGIOUS

Wat
Buddhist temple
buddhist site with resident monks
place of worship
traditionally a school, hospital,
community center and an
entertainment venue

TRADITIONAL HOUSES OF THAILAND

THAI WAT

Phutta-wat
Ubosot or Bot (Ordination hall)
Phra rabieng
Viharn (teaching hall)
Chedi or Stupa (Reliquary tower)
Crematorium
Sala kan prian
Ho rakang

PARTS OF THE THAI WAT

THAI WAT

Sangha-wat Thai Buddhist Temple

Kuti
Ho rakang
Sala kan prian

PARTS OF THE THAI WAT