In Vietnam, bricks are widely used for the construction of buildings and roads. There, due to the construction of new nuclear facilities, it is required to produce local anti-radiation materials to reduce construction costs and increase safety levels. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to develop a new lightweight brick based on Vietnamese red clay mineral that has adequate shielding ability against γ-rays. The new material is a mixture between the Vietnamese red clay (90 wt %) and epoxy resin (10 wt %). The mixture was compacted under different pressure levels varying between 7.61 MPa and 114.22 MPa. The density of the fabricated bricks was enhanced by 13% by increasing the pressure rates. Additionally, the experimental measurements for the linear attenuation coefficient show an enhancement by 31.8%, 23.7%, 29.5%, and 36.4% at γ-ray energies of 0.662 MeV, 1.173 MeV, 1.252 MeV, and 1.332 MeV, respectively, with enhancing the pressure levels between 7.61 MPa and 114.22 MPa. The improvement in the linear attenuation coefficient decreases the required half-value thickness, lead's equivalent thickness, and transmission factor while it is associated with an increase in the radiation protection efficiency of the fabricated bricks. A thickness of 20 cm of the fabricated bricks under a pressure rate of 114.22 MPa has a radiation protection efficiency of 78.5% at γ-ray energy of 1.252 MeV. The high RPE values for the thicker thicknesses of Vietnamese fabricated bricks make it suitable to be used in the construction of buildings in radioactive zones. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd.