THỦY VŨ – A Seafood Restaurant by Truc Bach Lake

The site is located on the poetic Tran Vu Street, facing the tranquil waters of Truc Bach Lake – a place steeped in history and the thousand-year-old cultural heritage of Thang Long – Hanoi. Its prime location, nestled near a vibrant culinary street and surrounded by office buildings and a large expat community, calls for a dining space that is both distinctive and inclusive.

Inspired by the gentle, fluid movements of water, I developed the concept for "Thủy Vũ", which translates to “The Dance of Water.” The architecture of the restaurant is shaped directly from the site’s form, with sculpted masses, varied heights, and graceful curves that echo flowing waves. The entire façade facing the lake is fully glazed, maximizing the panoramic view and seamlessly blending the indoors with the natural landscape outside.

Inside, the dining spaces unfold through layers of elevation, where solid walls and open voids intertwine. Courtyards, greenery, and reflective water elements are thoughtfully integrated to enhance natural ventilation, daylight, and the sense of calm and openness. Each dining area becomes a small “stage” within the larger choreography – offering a range of spatial experiences, from cozy intimacy to dynamic gatherings.

“Thủy Vũ” is more than a seafood restaurant – it is a cultural rendezvous where architecture, nature, and people move together in harmony, like a flowing dance of water.

Spatial Organization – Architectural & Interior Design Solution
Thủy Vũ Restaurant is organized into multiple functional layers, with clear zoning and coherent circulation. Technical areas such as the main kitchen, storage, prep zones, and service functions are compactly grouped at the rear of the site — a solution that frees up the entire lakeside frontage for customer experience, while optimizing operational efficiency.

The central circulation core functions as the spatial spine of the restaurant — also acting as a natural divider between guest areas and back-of-house functions. A large skylight is positioned at this core, bringing natural daylight deep into the building, enhancing ventilation, and serving as an aesthetic “green lung” that visually connects inner dining areas with landscape and natural light.

Design Inspiration & Spatial Spirit
The contemporary spirit is expressed through clean architectural forms, expansive glass openings maximizing the lake view, soft flowing curves throughout the spatial sequence, and a flexible, modern layout. In contrast, traditional Vietnamese elements are subtly woven into the design through:
Natural materials: unfinished wood, bamboo and rattan weaving, handcrafted ceramic tiles.
Local-inspired palette: deep indigo, sandy beige, ivory white, and touches of brick red — a reinterpretation of Vietnam’s serene natural tones.
Decorative details: floating fabric canopies reminiscent of conical hats, woven pendant lamps inspired by fishing baskets, and abstract wall art depicting water ripples.
This fusion creates a space that feels both fresh and contemporary, yet warm and rooted in cultural memory.

First Floor – Main Kitchen & Rustic Garden Café
The first floor houses all core service functions — kitchen, storage, and technical areas — at the rear. The front is reserved for an outdoor breakfast café zone, inspired by the image of a traditional Vietnamese veranda. The space features light wooden furniture, pastel fabric cushions, bamboo partitions, and low greenery. The use of humble, raw materials is balanced by clean, minimal forms — a translation of tradition through the lens of contemporary aesthetics.

Second Floor – Flexible Dining Space with Layered Experiences
As the central floor of guest activity, the second floor contains a large open dining hall and several intimate private rooms, designed to accommodate a diverse clientele through flexible spatial arrangements:
Dark blue cushioned seats for solo diners or couples are placed near full-height glazing to embrace the lake view.
Long family-style tables are accompanied by warm lighting and semi-transparent bamboo partitions to create a cozy and social atmosphere.
Private alcove rooms are set back for discretion, with light interiors, ceramic tile walls, and soft ceiling-hung fabrics for a delicate ambiance.
A standout feature is the floating pastel pink canopy, gently suspended across the ceiling — evoking imagery of traditional village markets or wind-blown scarves. It serves as both an emotional visual highlight and a functional lighting diffuser.

Third Floor – VIP Rooms & Dining “Over the Water”
The third floor embodies the East-meets-West design approach most vividly:
VIP dining rooms are fully enclosed, with rich dark wood finishes, abstract artworks inspired by river landscapes, and hand-blown glass lighting softened by warm golden tones.
The open-air lakeside deck offers a unique experience of dining directly “on the water” — featuring lightweight wooden furniture, ripple-textured flooring, and fully open views of the surrounding nature.
Simple layouts and modernized traditional materials elevate the emotional quality of the space without losing cultural authenticity.

Rooftop Floor – Skyline Café & Bar
The rooftop is envisioned as a tranquil open-air escape — with low Japanese-style seating, natural timber flooring, soft string lighting, and terra-cotta planters filled with greenery. Here, the contemporary style becomes most apparent: a minimal, open layout, subdued color scheme, and unobstructed views over Trúc Bạch Lake and the city skyline. This final stop completes the journey through Thủy Vũ — offering a serene, atmospheric space for conversation, contemplation, or simply enjoying the view in quiet harmony with both nature and urban life.

The building is constructed using a reinforced concrete structure.
In terms of architecture, the primary materials used are concrete, wood, glass, and brick.
For the interior, the main flooring materials include wood planks, terrazzo tiles, granite tiles, and herringbone-patterned tiles. Wall finishes feature ceramic tiles and glass bricks.
Furniture and decorative elements primarily utilize brass, bamboo, rattan, silk, and velvet rugs.