Architect Vo Trong Nghia receives Japanese award for 'green' innovations

Thanks to his innovative proposals on ecological architecture models, architect Vo Trong Nghia will be awarded the Cultural Arts Prize, part of the 35th Fukuoka Asian Cultural Awards.

The awards ceremony is scheduled to be held on September 16 in Fukuoka City, Japan.

According to information from the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam, the Fukuoka Asian Cultural Prize is an award to honor individuals with outstanding achievements in the fields of academic research, arts and culture in Asia.

This year, the Grand Prize was awarded to Mr. Takara Kurayoshi (Japan), the Academic Research Prize was awarded to Mr. Baik Youngseo (Korea) and the Cultural Arts Prize went to architect Vo Trong Nghia.

The jury of the award considered Vo Trong Nghia to be an architect who is well-known in the Southeast Asian architectural community for his series of designs that consider the local environment, vegetation and structures that use bamboo and wood as building materials. He is also an architect who is highly regarded for conveying many new ideas through his works on green architecture, combining Southeast Asian traditions with modern design methods and construction techniques.

An architectural work made of bamboo by architect Vo Trong Nghia. (Photo: VTN)

Pursuing an architectural approach to address urban issues in the context of rapidly developing Vietnam, introducing environmentally friendly architecture.

Information from the Embassy of Japan stated: “Vo Trong Nghia has always been steadfast in green and ecological architecture. He explores the role of architecture in solving the urban challenges that Vietnam, a rapidly developing country, is facing, through the integration of greenery into open-plan buildings commonly found in the tropics, and innovative methods of ventilation and insulation. For his pioneering efforts as a representative young architect in Southeast Asia, he is fully deserving of the Cultural Arts Prize of the Fukuoka Asian Cultural Prize.”

Mr. Vo Trong Nghia was born in 1976 in Quang Binh province, Vietnam. After receiving a scholarship from the Japanese Government in 1996, he went to Japan and graduated from Nagoya University of Industry. He then obtained a Master's degree in Architecture from the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Tokyo.

His Master's thesis at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Tokyo won the prestigious Furuichi Prize for Outstanding Thesis and he also received the University of Tokyo President's Award for Outstanding Student. In 2006, he founded Vo Trong Nghia Architects, also known as VTN Architects, where he serves as General Director. During that time, he also received his PhD in Architecture from Waseda University in Tokyo in 2022.

He was appointed Norman R. Foster Visiting Professor of Architectural Design at Yale University in 2024 and Visiting Professor at the University of Pennsylvania from 2025.

His notable architectural works include his debut work Café Gió và Nước (Ho Chi Minh City, 2006) and Grand World Phu Quoc Welcome House (Phu Quoc, 2021), both of which are part of a series of architectural works that extensively use bamboo in both structure and decoration. Other notable works include Thắng House (Da Nang, 2021) – an urban house combined with greenery; Bát Tràng House (Hanoi, 2020) – a house with highly efficient heating, insulation and ventilation systems thanks to ventilation holes in the ceramic brick walls; Buddhist and Ancestral Worship House (Ben Tre, 2021) – a wooden structure that recreates traditional architecture in a modern way; Urban Farming Office (Ho Chi Minh City, 2022) – an open structure with a green design to minimize energy consumption. In addition, he also designed the Vietnam Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

His architectural works have received many awards, including the 2012 National Architecture Award (Vietnam, 2013), the Prince Claus Award (Netherlands, 2016) and 6 gold medals from ARCASIA (Asian Council of Architects). In 2014, the World Economic Forum honored him as one of the Young Global Leaders. As of April 2025, he has won 160 international awards for architecture and design./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/kien-truc-su-vo-trong-nghia-nhan-giai-thuong-nhat-ban-nho-cac-sang-tao-xanh-post1039999.vnp