A collection of design insights, exhibitions, and events that inspire and shape my creative journey.
I was born and grew up in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). I spent a short period of my teenage years living abroad, and when I came back, things shifted. Even now, I often feel like a tourist in my own city. My understanding of Saigon has never felt deep enough, not enough to confidently […]
I had the chance to visit Lebadang Memory Space in Hue. I actually found it by chance while browsing Google Maps. It was my first time learning about this French-Vietnamese artist, Lê Bá Đảng, and his incredible works. My first impression of his art was how diverse, detailed, and creative it was. He often combined […]
I had the opportunity to visit the Mind & Machine art exhibition at the Vietnam Festival of Creativity and Design 2023, and one project that truly caught my attention was Sống Xa Ở Gần (Living Far Away, but Staying Nearby). This Augmented Reality (AR) map, created by Andrew Stiff and Becky Lu offers an interesting experience […]
I recently attended the online exhibition “City” by photographer Christian Berg, hosted by the Goethe-Institut HCMC. The exhibition showcased urban life across various cities in Vietnam, highlighting both their unique qualities and the connections between them. I was inspired by the techniques he used to capture the vibrancy of city life. Takeaways Multiple Exposure My […]
I’ve always loved doodling geometric patterns, and one day I decided to take that hobby digital. During the COVID lockdown, it became a small daily ritual. I spent about 30 minutes sketching, with just an Apple Magic Mouse. Most of these sketches draw inspiration from the clean lines and bold shapes of Southern Vietnam’s modernist […]
When I first thought about the term “data visualization,” the two things that immediately came to mind were charts and colorful infographics. But after listening to the podcast How Do Designers Use Data Visualization to Take the Numb Out of Numbers, hosted by In the Making, I’ve realized there’s so much more to it. It really […]
It’s been about 14 years since my last school project, which was all about ‘Mapping the Invisible’. Honestly, I don’t remember much about how I developed that project using mapping techniques. But recently, I had the opportunity to attend a really interesting talk on Circulative Mapping, hosted by Hanoi Ad Hoc and RMIT Vietnam. The […]
My last visit to Thảo Cầm Viên (Saigon Zoo & Botanical Gardens) was when I was around 10 or 11 years old. I don’t remember much from that time, just that we walked around the zoo, and my mom bought us ice-cream. This time, I’m back at the zoo on my own, doing the same […]
I visited the ‘Nát Giỏ Còn Bờ Tre’ exhibition by Trung Nghĩa, and it was touching. The title means that even if the basket is torn, the bamboo hedge still remains. To me, it was a strong reminder that even when things change or break, our roots and traditions stay with us. The bamboo in […]
republi.sh is such a cool project by Behalf Studio. The team restored and digitized typefaces from Southern Vietnam in the 20th century. These typefaces were used on hand-painted signs, colonial buildings, and old newspaper and book headlines. I love how they preserve the history of these fonts. They turn them into unique designs that feel fresh […]
I recently visited the installation art piece “Sài Gòn Phẳng” (Saigon, Flat View) hosted by Monosketch Art Space, The exhibition presented a simulation map of Saigon showcasing its rivers, canals, and districts. I really liked the concept. It offered a fresh way of seeing the city by focusing on its complex river system, with 110 […]