Phu Doan Plaza, located at the Thua Thien Hue Provincial People’s Committee (also known as City Hall), is a vibrant and modern interpretation of Hue’s identity as an ancient capital. Today, the plaza serves as an inclusive outdoor hub of Hue’s cultural and social life, but this was not always the case.
Before its renovation, the plaza was an uninviting and inaccessible space, characterized by uneven terraces, hidden passageways, and neglected trees. The transformation elevated the park—both literally and symbolically—to match its prominent location at the foot of Hue City Hall.
The plaza now offers universal accessibility by leveling the entire site to meet the street, encouraging activity throughout the day. It features a spacious lawn, an interactive fountain, a café, and ample seating amid green groves of native plants such as Bombax ceiba (cây gạo), Borassus flabellifer (cây thốt nốt), Laurus nobilis (cây nguyệt quế), Cinnamomum camphora (cây long não). Built atop Hue City Center’s multi-modal transit hub, it acts as a gateway connecting all neighborhoods.
Covering 8,190 square meters, the plaza provides a welcoming, all-season destination for relaxation and public recreation.

Type
Landscape design
Year
2020
Location
Hue city, Vietnam
Team
Ho Viet Vinh
Ngo Hai Tan
Duong Thi Thanh Thanh
Nguyen Dinh Nhat Thu

“Happy Teachers will change the world.”

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh

Project:
U Minh Thuong National Forest Ecological Experience Area
Location:
U Minh Thuong district, Kien Giang province
Area:
19,819 hectares
Services:
Urban planning, Architecture, Interior
Status:
Approved the detailed planning project at scale 1/500, 2019
Approved the project investment for the construction, 2020
Under construction
Team:
HVV architect and partners – CREA

Characteristics
This is the former Provincial Party Committee Headquarter during the anti-American war, aimed at educating younger generations about revolutionary traditions and honoring the ecological and aesthetic values of U Minh Thuong National Forest in Kien Giang Province.

Design Principles

1. Respect the existing landscape characteristics while creating diverse spatial arrangements to accommodate the various functions of the overall project.
2. Inherit the cultural heritage values of Southern Vietnam through the development of a resort area that harmonizes local cultural elements with the natural landscape.
3. Ensure vibrancy throughout the overall spatial design, maintaining solemnity in the central area while providing privacy and seclusion for functional areas such as eco-experience resorts, recreational areas, and spaces for outdoor activities reflecting Southern Vietnamese lifestyles.
4. Protect the environmental landscape by preserving the existing ecological scenery, employing on-site earthworks, and utilizing local materials.

In the bustling urban rhythm of Phan Xich Long’s vibrant food street, Vinhho Art Studio, the sanctuary of self training – painter Ho Viet Vinh, nestles quietly in a small alley typical of Saigon. The surrounding air hums with the everyday sounds of urban life and the rich aromas of street food delicacies.

Inside the compact studio where the artist crafts his paintings, everything appears orderly. The space is adorned with a variety of experimental works, each reflecting his diverse artistic journey. At the center of the room stands an old, slightly tilted wooden easel, holding an unfinished painting. The bold and uninhibited strokes on the canvas mirror the essence of the artist himself.

For those fortunate enough to explore the evolution of Vinhho’s artistry from his earliest days, each painting tells a distinct story, conveying profound messages about life, humanity, and especially nature. Through his brushstrokes, Ho Viet Vinh channels the most authentic emotions, inviting viewers to share in his perspective.

While the city outside thrums with its noisy, dynamic energy, this small studio offers a serene haven – a private world where Ho Viet Vinh and his collaborators dedicate themselves to crafting works of art that contribute to celebrating the breathtaking beauty and wonder of Vietnam.

Evoking the tranquil undulations of the river a symphonic concerto of colors whispering the poetics of the natural world. The geometric shapes, with their curves and angles, juxtapose the organic with the mathematical, creating a visual sonnet that blurs the lines between the ephemeral and the eternal.

Ho Viet Vinh

The Zen garden embodies the essence of nature, situated within a coniferous forest, where it bathes in the morning sunlight and is immersed in the cool breeze of the nearby beach. Visitors move freely within its open space, unbound by fixed positions or traditional frames of reference.
Movement transcends notions of interior and exterior, high and low. Heaven and earth, plants, flowers, and humans merge into one harmonious whole, where every step resonates with the breath of the pure land.