Located at the foot of Ba Den Mountain, a popular tourist destination in Tay Ninh, south-east Vietnam, the site occupies a 70,000-square-metre agricultural plot surrounded by rubber trees, peanut fields, cassava and rice paddies.
The long-term vision for the site is a hospitality complex comprising homestay accommodation, food and beverage facilities, a spa and parking, aimed at accommodating visitors seeking to experience the rural landscape at the base of the mountain.
Responding to the site’s expansive scenery and traditional farming practices, the architects conceived the masterplan as a series of “fruit-tree islands” dispersed within an “ocean” of rice fields. The café, commissioned to SILAA in March 2025, marks the first phase of the wider development.
The café is set amid expansive rice fields, facing a large lily pond at its front. Constructed primarily from reclaimed timber and concrete flooring, the project adopts an open-plan layout that allows natural light and ventilation to permeate the space.
With no rigid boundary between interior and exterior, the architecture encourages a slower pace of life, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in the surrounding tranquil landscape. From the building, uninterrupted views extend towards Ba Den Mountain – a local landmark – forming a restrained yet contemplative scene in which architecture recedes to become a backdrop for nature.
The café is organised as a linear structure that guides visitors along a continuous corridor. This circulation route offers a variety of seating options, from shared spaces with views towards the mountain and surrounding rice fields to more intimate rooms, verandas and small interstitial gaps between volumes.
A children’s play area is also integrated alongside the corridor, reinforcing the project’s emphasis on flexibility and informal use.
The entire structure is elevated above the ground level, creating spatial condition that evokes the sensation of hovering over the vast rice field landscape.
A large water-lily pond runs along the full length of the building, helping to cool the interior while introducing an additional layer to the natural landscape. From inside, the primary view glides across the water, extends over golden rice fields, and continues towards distant tree lines, mountain peaks and the sky beyond.
To access the building, visitors are guided along a wooden ramp that runs beside the rice fields before crossing a small wooden bridge over the water-lily pond. The scent of rice and the expansive natural landscape offer a sensory welcome before entering the interior.
A large sloping roof clad in terracotta tiles runs along the full length of the building, sheltering the spaces below from intense summer heat and prolonged seasonal rainfall.
Within the communal area, a portion of the roof is lifted to open up extended views towards the mountain peak and the sky, introducing a heightened spatial connection to the surrounding landscape.