Abstract
Our surveys have revealed that 1,224 churches are located in three dioceses in the northern region of Vietnam and that 298 churches of them are timber-framed churches. These timber-framed churches are constructed with Vietnamese traditional methods. In this paper, based on the information obtained from our surveys, we divided the structures of the timber-framed churches into frameworks composed of columns/beams and roof trusses, and then classified each of them individually. By paying attention to the beam laid on the central columns, the framework was divided largely into two categories and further classified into six smaller categories according to the beams laid on the outer columns. The roof truss was divided into five categories based on the shape and composition of members used. From the correlation between the two factors, in the end we categorized them into five structural types, and summarized the characteristics and transition of the structures of the timber-framed churches.
