Seminar “Developing the economy on the foundation of cultural industry”: Potential for applying traditional materials in Vietnamese Interior Design

On June 20, 2025, the seminar “Developing the economy on the foundation of cultural industry” took place at the Hanoi Creative City Coordination Center (Hanoi Museum), with the participation of experts, architects, and designers. The ideas shared and discussed at the seminar suggested the potential for applying traditional materials from craft villages in modern interior design. On this occasion, the Viet Furniture Product Exhibition Space attracted the attention of delegates who came to visit.

The seminar brought together delegates from many fields related to design, architecture, interior design, product development, and brand development: Architect Hoang Thuc Hao – Founder of 1+1>2 Architecture Office, co-founder of the Viet Furniture brand; Ms. Le Canh Chi – Former CEO of the Hanoia brand; Mr. Nguyen Dinh Nguyen – Director of Tohe Joint Stock Company; Mr. Luong Ngoc Khanh – Former Development Director of Accor Vietnam; Designer Luu Viet Thang – Co-founder of the Viet Furniture brand; along with a large number of architects and young designers.

The Seminar gathered many figures with positive contributions to Vietnam’s cultural industry in general and Hanoi in particular

At the seminar, experts shared their interest in the design strategy of Viet Furniture—a brand that chooses Vietnamese cultural identity as its compass for interior creation. The brand’s journey of applying traditional materials from craft villages to contemporary products was assessed as a potentially rich direction, opening up opportunities for Vietnamese furniture to assert its unique value in the global market.

Last March, at the Hanoi Museum, Viet Furniture launched the Viet Furniture Exhibition Space. Here, four collections were displayed by Viet Furniture, including: “Ganh Ganh Gong Gong” (Carrying Pole) – Inspired by the familiar image of the carrying pole in Vietnamese daily life; “Sum Vay” (Gathering) – Honoring family spaces and close-knit emotional bonds; “O An Quan” (Mandarin Capturing Game) – Incorporating the traditional folk game into interior design; and “Sen” (Lotus) – The noble and pure symbol of Vietnamese culture. The exhibition space was highly praised by professionals for its successful connection of traditional craft quintessence with contemporary design thinking.

Architect Hoang Thuc Hao shares views on sustainable creative development

However, for this direction to develop sustainably, the experts emphasized that besides a design mindset with a local spirit, brands need to establish a systematic business strategy, from product development to building an effective supply chain. Synchronous connection between young designers and traditional craft villages, forming a symbiotic relationship in production and creation—is the key to creating products that possess both economic value and cultural depth, while ensuring sustainability in the development orientation.

Regarding the design aspect, architects and designers also shared their perspective: Vietnamese interior design cannot stop merely at manipulating forms or “borrowing” lines from tradition. Instead, it needs to originate from the very Vietnamese spirit, from the way of thinking, feeling, and dialoguing with indigenous culture. Only then can the designed products truly bear a unique imprint, and Vietnamese brands have the ability to go far and stand firm in the context of globalization.

The seminar concluded in an atmosphere of open dialogue, with many major topics continuing to be raised, promising to be valuable suggestions for the development orientation of Viet Furniture as well as the community of architects and designers interested in Vietnamese interior design.

The discussion took place enthusiastically with many open topics remaining

In addition, a message was jointly agreed upon and shared by the experts: “Developing the Economy on the Foundation of Cultural Industry” is not just an academic topic but also a call to action: Together, let us preserve, inherit, and develop Vietnamese values, so that every product and every design can become a bridge to take Vietnamese brands and Vietnamese identity out into the world!