Wood Talk Show “Hands or Soul of the Craftsman”: “Work with Wood Like an Artisan, Understand Wood Like a Scientist”
On the morning of June 25, 2025, at the Hanoi Old Quarter Cultural Exchange Center – 50 Đào Duy Từ, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hanoi, the wood talk show “Hands or Soul of the Craftsman” was held, jointly organized by Wood Hub Hanoi, the Management Board of Hoàn Kiếm Lake and Hanoi Old Quarter, the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, and Architecture Magazine – Vietnam Association of Architects. With the participation of Architect Suntan Viengsima, an architect and carpenter from Thailand, the talk created a space for exchange and in-depth development among domestic and international experts.
The talk is the first event in a series of activities aimed at promoting cooperation in training in the field of wooden architecture; inspiring wood design and the preservation of wooden architectural heritage; and also the first event welcoming the Hanoi Creative Festival 2026. Attendees included leaders from the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, the Vietnam Association of Architects, the Wood Association, the Hanoi Association of Architects, representatives from Hoàn Kiếm District, representatives from universities, architectural research institutes, heritage conservation institutes, social science institutes, young architects, researchers, architecture students, and media agencies.
Dr. Architect Phạm Tuấn Long, Chairman of Hoàn Kiếm District
Opening the talk, Dr. Architect Phạm Tuấn Long, Chairman of Hoàn Kiếm District, expressed: “Wood has accompanied the flow of human development, from architectural works to everyday objects. And not far away, in ancient quarters in Asia, wooden structures are indispensable. Vietnam is also a country with many ancient works using wood materials. Wood has become a culture in architecture and the life of Vietnamese people. Wood material, until now, with the creativity of artisans and architects, is increasingly popular, with unique and suitable solutions. Hopefully, the talk, with experiences from experts, will bring much useful knowledge to the work of construction and preservation in Vietnam.”
Architect Đoàn Kỳ Thanh
Architect Đoàn Kỳ Thanh, one of those who contributed greatly to this event, also shared: “When studying wooden architecture, I see there is a lot of useful knowledge, but alongside that, there are many things I do not yet understand about this material. That has urged me to research and seek deeper professional experiences. I have approached schools and wood training experts in Thailand. Currently, Vietnam does not have many training programs on wooden architecture, so I hope the talk will bring systematic knowledge about wood.”
Sharing at the talk, Architect Suntan Viengsima shared admirable wisdom in the practice of wooden architecture and the role of the carpenter, from philosophies, working principles with wood, to scientific knowledge and experiences when working with wood in his professional journey, training architects, and preserving heritage. He said: “Through interpretation, we will find understanding – Through understanding, we will achieve recognition of value – Through recognition, we can care for and preserve the woodworking craft and wooden architecture.”
Architect Suntan Viengsima
Attending the talk, Architect Suntan and guests discussed very lively, especially young architects in training and architects working in heritage preservation in Vietnam.
Architect Suntan Viengsima: “Turn ideas into reality, realize ideas aesthetically, do it correctly, create useful products, create more sustainable products.”
Architect Phó Đức Tùng: “I am very impressed with the presentation; it has changed my thinking a lot. I think it should be made into a handbook. The presentation also helped me realize that we can use it minimally but achieve the most effectiveness, use just enough for each detail. At the same time, it also opened up for me a better understanding of wooden objects. The value of a wooden object is in the internal details, not just the external carvings. I also see that indigenous wisdom should start from the simplest details and have the most optimal solutions; that will easily integrate into functions and Vietnamese works.”
Architect Nguyễn Hà: “According to the history of human evolution, according to the development of architecture, the use of wood in works cannot be lacking. And today, when bringing wood into life, I think it is just another spiral of architecture.”
Architect Trần Đức Hiển shared additional information about fire prevention and fighting for wooden works: “Wooden works often encounter fire prevention and fighting issues, but soon, the Ministry of Construction will draft standards for fire prevention and fighting in wooden works. Hopefully, in the near future, there will be many wooden works in Vietnam.”
Speaking about fire prevention and fighting, Architect Vũ Hoàng Sơn also shared experiences working with wood in Switzerland; accordingly, wood is more durable than steel when exposed to fire. That is also one of the developments in wood technology. According to the architect, we need to expand our vision on wood technology. “I think architects should not only understand wood but also understand all wood materials so that the created products will be just enough.”
Architect Suntan Viengsima also added: “When wood burns to charcoal, the temperature will be relatively stable, so athe ncients often used large wooden panels because these panels will have longer fire resistance. That is also the fire resistance ability of wood that the ancients saw long ago. That is what we need to learn and develop accordingly.”
With many shared opinions, it is hoped that this talk will become a solid foundation for more in-depth programs, promoting training and research cooperation between schools, institutes, and professional communities, toward the goal of building a unique, sustainable “Vietnamese wood design language” with international influence in the coming time.
Architect Suntan Viengsima, an architect and carpenter, was born in 1968 in Northeast Thailand. He has been familiar with carpentry and indigenous architecture since childhood because of his grandfather, a rural carpenter, with whom he grew up. It is said that carpenters inherit carpentry genes passed down from generation to generation.
As a professional expert in architectural carpentry for the Faculty of Architecture, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, Thailand, Architect Suntan stands between the professional and academic worlds, bridging the gap between practical experience, practice, and theoretical knowledge. His specialized research fields include architecture, construction management, forest resources and environmental management, mural conservation, sustainable heritage management, green building design and construction, etc., helping to strengthen his knowledge and skills as well as expand his vision.
2007 was a turning point in his career when he joined the famous architecture company HABITA ARCHITECTS. Suntan, as a site architect, gained experience in designing and building wooden architecture domestically and internationally for 10 years during his time there, then took another step in his architectural conservation career. After resigning, he joined UNESCO Bangkok as a professional trainer and advisor for professional carpenter training programs with skills to preserve wooden architecture, and is the author of two books on wooden architectural conservation published by UNESCO Bangkok. Suntan is also the author and has published an additional 5 books on wooden architecture, specifically the Untraditional Woodworking series, unusual woodworker. (Non-traditional woodworking and unconventional woodworker)
With 15 years of experience, especially in the field of wooden architectural conservation, Suntan has successfully implemented several projects building historical wooden structures across the country. He has received many awards, for example, the RAJAMANGALA SUNSERN Honor Award (Architecture) from Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, Thailand, the WIROJ SRISURO Indigenous Architecture Award for the Khon Kaen University Architecture Alumni Association, the outstanding high-level design award for indigenous integration from Silpakorn University, and the architectural conservation award from the Association of Siamese Architects under Royal Patronage. In recent years, Suntan has focused his attention on training a new generation of skilled carpenters and wooden architects/designers. His vision is to preserve historical architectural heritage; first, we must preserve wisdom and craftsmanship. Without wisdom and craftsmanship, historical architectural heritage will not be properly preserved to meet integrity and authenticity.