On the morning of March 27, a book launch and seminar: “Houses and People” (Đoàn Thanh Hà: Nhà cửa & Con người) was held in L’Espace - Institut Français de Hanoï (24 Trang Tien, Hanoi).

Besides the talk show and book presentation, there were exhibitions of 25 projects and designs by H&P Architects. Photo: Zoey Nguyen.

More than 100 guests representing international organizations, professional associations, and prestigious experts in architecture and fine arts attended the event.

Photo: Zoey Nguyen

Prof. Guillois Oliver, Jean-Emmanuel - Science Attaché - Embassy of the French Republic (left) and Architect Nguyen Tri Thanh at the event. The event was held in Vietnamese, English and France with translation. Photo: Zoey Nguyen

Delivering the opening speech, Prof. Guillois Oliver, Jean-Emmanuel - Science Attaché - Embassy of the French Republic specializing in charge of Science and Technology Cooperation welcomed artists and architecture enthusiasts to this special event and hopes this will be lead the even more cooperations between L’esape and the architecture community in Vietnam.

In response, Editor in Chief Nguyen Tri Thanh thanked the French Attaché and presented him with a copy of Houses and People. He also spoke about the impressive mind of Doan Thanh Ha and stressed his gratitude towards both Vietnamese and foreign guests and experts attending the event.

Giving an emotional speech, author Doan Thanh Ha thanked mentor Hoang Dao Kinh, Sarah Ichioka, Tran Ngoc Phuong, Nguyen Tri Thanh and many other contributors to his success. Regarding his architecture vision, he wishes to push sustainable and forward-thinking design further by harnessing a more social-responsible architect community.

A decade of shaping community-oriented architecture (Architect for People)

Photo: Zoey Nguyen

The book Doan Thanh Ha: HOUSES & PEOPLE (Đoàn Thanh Hà: Nhà cửa & Con người) collects 25 projects and the community-oriented architecture that H&P Architects conducted from 2008 to 2020.

Architect Doan Thanh Ha is the winner of many prestigious national and international architectural awards. The book is to spread the idea of ​​“Architecture for People’s Lives”, to promote the sense of social responsibility of the people and to bring awareness about the issue of smart, functional and attractive architecture being sustainable and accessible for the local community. The editor in chief of the book is Dr Nguyen Tri Thanh (Hanoi University of Architecture), also Doan Thanh Ha's teacher.

The book describes the process of 25 works of architecture Doan Thanh Ha in great detail, along with articles in specialized journals and mass media.

Another highlight of the book is opinions and evaluations of reputable experts in the architecture field such as Prof. Hoang Dao Kinh, Architect Nguyen Luan, Architect Nguyen Van Tat, Dr Pho Duc Tung, and Assoc. Prof. Khuat Tan Hung,

Honorable guests and experts in the seminar. Photo; Zoey Nguyen

Maria Benimeo, Cultural Attache’, Embassy of Italy in Vietnam. Photo: Zoey Nguyen

Maria Benimeo, Cultural Attache’, Embassy of Italy in Vietnam, said she enjoyed the book and the event, as it provided exciting and insightful knowledge and experience about sustainability, solution-driven planning, and Vietnamese characteristics in architecture:

“Creativity projects are inspiring to me. Especially the first projects: social housing, community centers. It is a universal issue. I really appreciated the effort to build houses and common spaces for children in remote areas, especially toilets. This book by Doan Thanh Ha and the work he designs shows no unique solution for this issue. But instead, there are different solutions for different communities, cultures, and people,” she said.

About the authors Editor in Chief Dr Nguyen Tri Thanh. Editor in Chief Dr Nguyen Tri Thanh was born in 1966 in Hanoi, Vietnam, and graduated from the Moscow University of Architecture (USSR) in 1989; from 1990 to the present, he has been a professor at Hanoi University of Architecture. He completed his doctoral thesis in Architecture in 2004. Also, he is the teacher of many architect generations and some of his students are well-known as outstanding architects of Vietnam's contemporary architecture. Architect Doan Thanh Ha. Photo: Zoey Nguyen Architect Doan Thanh Ha made a speech in the event. Award-winning Architect Doan Thanh Ha was born in 1980 in Bac Ninh, Vietnam. In 2002, he graduated from Hanoi University of Architecture. He earned his Master’s degree in Architecture in 2007. In 2009, together with Architect Tran Ngoc Phuong, he founded H&P Architects. "Architect Doan Thanh Ha, just like many colleagues of his age, is rarely assigned or, sometimes, undertakes mini projects. So small that very few people care about it, because of a small design fee and because it is expensive to travel, but it requires an investment of time and effort in such a project. Perhaps it is not necessary to say so much about Doan Thanh Ha's point of view as quoted in " Architect for People", because we will know it from what he has shared with us and through the projects in which he has been involved. His point of view should be respected because he has been persistently pursuing and fostering it for 12 years - let's say a full zodiac circle, overcoming many difficulties and challenges, in order to become visible and more consistent. It is not advised to talk about a particular architectural style of Doan Thanh Ha, because he does not practice architecture for himself, thus he does not keep a familiar style to create a brand name. Instead, he tries to diversify his main concept in accordance with specific situations and particular people." (Cited from book "Doan Thanh Ha: Houses and People"

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