Townhouse and tube-house feng shui: stairs, light well, kitchen, back door

Feng shui is a traditional belief many people consult; this article gives common beliefs and checks them against architectural experience, without claiming results. Updated 23/10/2026.

Townhouses and tube houses usually have only one or two faces open to the outside, while the depth is large. So the middle of the house easily becomes dark and stuffy. Interestingly, much feng shui advice ("a light well to let qi through", "a back door so qi circulates") coincides with the ventilation and lighting principles architects use anyway. Below are 4 positions, each with the belief and the practical angle.

Quick comparison table

Position	Common belief	Practical angle
Stairs	Not facing the main door directly; curved stairs and stairs with landings are preferred	Privacy, safety, steps not too steep, enough light
Light well	Lets qi through and welcomes life energy; should have one	Must have convection; size adequate for the house height
Kitchen	Not facing the main door, not next to the toilet or facing a water tank	Smell extraction, smoke release, fire safety, dryness
Back door	Do not let the back door face the main door directly (the belief that "wealth escapes")	Cross-ventilation through the house, a second escape route

1. Stairs

By belief, stairs should not sit right in front of the main door because "qi goes straight up to the floors", and should not be in the middle of the house because it "splits the house in two". Some people also count the steps in the cycle "birth – ageing – sickness – death"; this counting is a folk custom with no verified source, and many architects do not apply it.

Practical angle: stairs facing the main door directly expose private space and are hard to screen. Stairs in a tube house should have enough natural light, even steps, sturdy handrails and enough width. The stairs should go together with a light well to pull light down. The Ho Chi Minh City Law Newspaper (31/07/2017) advises placing the light well beside the stairs rather than directly above, because the steps block light for the floor below.

2. Light well

Feng shui favours a light well because it helps "let qi through" and brings in light. Some people dislike a light well right in the middle of the house (believing it "lets qi escape"), and place it towards the back or beside the stairs.

Practical angle: according to an expert cited by the Ho Chi Minh City Law Newspaper (architect Pham Thanh Truyen, 31/07/2017), a small light well in a four-storey house, with a closed glass roof and no vent openings, becomes a "closed box" that makes the house hotter. The advice:

• The taller the light well, the bigger the vent should be; the ideal given is a vent diagonal of about 2/3 of the house height.
• Put the air inlet on the windward side and the air outlet on the opposite side; if the roof is fixed, a designed vent opening is needed so rain does not blow in.
• Do not use single tempered glass; use double glazing with a PVB layer in between, or clear solid polycarbonate.
• Plant trees at the air inlet, and avoid letting the dark corner of the light well become a storage spot.

When viewing a ready-made home, stand under the light well at noon and in the afternoon to feel the heat; check the waterproofing and drainage at the well's roof.

3. Kitchen

Feng shui usually advises that the kitchen should not face the main door, should not sit next to or directly facing the toilet, and should not be placed where "water and fire clash", such as next to a water tank or with the sink facing the stove. The kitchen position is usually worked out by the direction that suits the owner's age (see Choosing house orientation by age); the article Kitchen feng shui covers this part separately.

Practical angle: the kitchen should have a window or vent to the outside to extract smell and smoke; should not sit right by the main passage; and should be away from the toilet because of hygiene and food smells. Wiring and the gas cylinder need to be fixed in place, near a ventilated spot. In a tube house, the kitchen is usually at the back, near the light well or back door to release smell.

4. Back door

The belief: a back door in line with the main door makes "qi enter and then leave, so wealth is hard to keep". So many people place the back door off-centre or screen it with a partition or cabinet.

Practical angle: a back door lets wind pass through the house, reduces stuffiness and is a second escape route in an emergency; this is a clear architectural benefit. If the back door lines up with the main door, you can still keep ventilation with a sliding door, louvres or an open screen instead of blocking it. Mind the lock and the back door's security.

5. When viewing a ready-made townhouse, what to check?

1. Legal status: the pink book, planning, boundaries, and the actual condition matching the book (what to check when viewing a ready-made home).
2. Sun and wind: which way the frontage faces, whether the afternoon sun shines straight into the bedroom or living room. A house on VnExpress (07/06/2023) faces South, reduces the surface exposed to East and West and uses wide eaves to stay cooler.
3. Light well, open floors: is there convection, any water seepage.
4. Stairs, corridor: enough light, steps not steep.
5. Kitchen, bathroom: is there a window, is drainage good.
6. Back door: airy or closed, is it secure.

What if the home you like doesn't fit the beliefs?

A tube house rarely lets you arrange everything by theory. You can handle it with furnishings (partitions, shoe cabinets, plants), light changes (moving the kitchen, adding a vent) or consider another home. For a price premium because it is "feng shui compliant", compare with area prices before paying more.

Note: feng shui is for reference only and does not guarantee luck, wealth or profit. Put clear legal status, build quality, light and ventilation, safety and a price that fits your finances first. Changing a house's structure needs an architect and must follow building rules.

• Ho Chi Minh City Law Newspaper (plo.vn) — An Yen, Why do townhouses with 2 light wells still feel stuffy? (opinion of architect Pham Thanh Truyen: convection, vent diagonal of 2/3 of the house height, roof materials), 31 July 2017.
• VnExpress — A house "warm in winter, cool in summer" (south-facing frontage, eaves, ventilation), 7 June 2023.
• Beliefs about stairs, the kitchen, the back door and the number of steps: common folk customs / beliefs, with no verified source attached.