Traditional Vietnamese design elements blend with modern in this restaurant and garden retreat

This article was originally published in Vietnamese by Konia Group, one of SketchUp’s distributing partners. 

Located in a small alley in the coastal city of Nha Trang, Yen Garden’s restaurant and grounds give visitors a sense of peace in the otherwise lively coastal city. Impressed with the artistic beauty of Yen Garden, Konia Group reached out to the restaurant's designer, Duy Tung, about the design process.

Yen Garden: a restaurant in a small alley in Nha Trang, Vietnam.

Tell us a little about yourself and your practice.

Duy Tung studied interior design at Van Lang University. After graduating with honors, he became a freelancer and later built his own company, B. Concept. The company is based in Ho Chi Minh City, and its designers are behind the creation of Yen Garden. 

“B. Concept always puts the customer first, and at the same time, combines the client’s objective requirements with B. Concept’s unique design style."

Duy Tung had a penchant for designing in the traditional Vietnamese style early in his career. Over time, Duy Tung gradually shifted toward a modern, open, and artistic design style while retaining traditional elements.

Diving into the details

Located in prime real estate next to the oceanfront, the Yen Garden site is spacious at 700m2. It’s a place to catch the wind coming off the water; an environmentally-friendly design evokes relaxation and openness, attracting tourists worldwide. 

Yen Garden combines traditional Vietnamese culture with contemporary features. It distills the quintessence of Vietnamese craft villages — fishing, ceramics, bamboo, and rattan knitting — but with a modern twist.

The Yen Garden took six months to complete (design: two months; construction four months)

Design call outs 

Yen Garden Bistro includes many different indoor and outdoor spaces. Although these areas have distinct aspects, the design feels unified with simple and natural materials in every room.

Locally-made fish-rattan hanging lights and lush palm trees match the atmosphere of this vibrant island.

A traditional setting with outbursts of color and linear shapes gives off a contemporary twist.

Traditional decor

If you walked into Yen Garden, you would notice straightaway the classic, Vietnamese-style objects that have been exquisitely handcrafted. There are rustic wooden tables and rattan chairs, hanging lights made by local farmers, and pillows embroidered with lotus flowers and peacocks.

Tuong (Traditional Opera) masks and pictures hang on the restaurant wall. 

Yen Garden’s walls and floors are made of flower-shaped bricks, cement tiles, and rainproof tiles. There are hanging pictures of Tuong (traditional opera) masks and blue ceramic plates, and the wooden tables have all kinds of bowls, teapots, and flower vases made of ceramic. Outside, there are lively Koi ponds between potted trees; Buddha statues sit among flowers in the garden space.

The flower-shaped rattans (made by local farmers) are the focus of the outdoor setting and are used as a design element throughout the restaurant. 

Architectural design workflow

Throughout the project —from idea through final construction — B. Concept used SketchUp. Duy Tung loves how quickly you can design with the software.

“SketchUp is great for rapidly modeling initial concepts. B. Concept leveraged SketchUp Viewer for mobile and iPad to monitor the construction process and ensure that the finished product will perform exactly like the original idea. The SketchUp Viewer increased efficiency and productivity.”

3D model of the restaurant in SketchUp

Create memories with a coffee and souvenir shop

Yen Garden has a coffee shop for tourists with souvenirs, ceramics, and other specialties. This place has a warm, family-like atmosphere; it’s a place to return to and temporarily forget all the worries of modern life. 

The coffee shop’s doors separate it from the outdoors. B. Concept originally intended to design the entire door in wood to convey the authentic taste of the past. However, the rainy season in Nha Trang can damage wood materials. Instead, the design team used two layers of glass and aluminum while retaining the door's classic design shape. 

Yen Garden stands out for its tranquil and spacious feel. It provides a unique experience for visitors, combining Western openness and subtle Asian accents.

B. Concept loves the elaborate lighting and shading features throughout Yen Garden! Duy Tung used SketchUp with V-Ray and Lumion to create beautiful renderings before construction. These renderings illustrated how the shadows would fall, giving the client and B-Décor a preview of how the space would feel. 

3D rendering of the space showing how the shadows fall 

Image of the actual space: a private area for customers to enjoy coffee and tea with a warm, family-like atmosphere

Rendering of outdoor space

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About B. Concept

Founded in 2019 by Duy Tung, B. Concept specializes in interior design, construction, and decoration. B. Concept puts customers first and contributes to many high-design projects.