As part of the 2017 Viet Nam Architecture Festival which was held in Da Nang from 19 - 23 April, the 2016 National Architecture Awards ceremony took place at the Novotel Danang Premier last Friday.

At the awards ceremony (Photo: danang.gov.vn)

Entitled ‘Architecture for the Benefit of Everyone’, the contest had been jointly organised by the Viet Nam Architecture Association and the ministries of Construction and Culture, Sports and Tourism.  The intention was to honour outstanding architects and architectural works throughout the country.

The contest’s organising board had received 120 entries in total, 30 of which won prizes - 4 gold, 13 silver, and 13 bronze medals.

Amongst the gold medal winners was the Children's Cultural Palace in Da Nang which was jointly designed by Kim Do Yeon and Ji Hun Lee from South Korea’s JiNa Architects Co Ltd, and architects Nguyen Ba Hue and Tran Hao from the Da Nang Planning and Construction Institute.

The Children's Cultural Palace in Da Nang

Another went to the ‘Lang Dat’ (Village of Clay) in Ha Giang Province’s Quan Ba District.  It was designed by a group of architects from the Ha Noi-based 1+1>2 Architecture Office.  They were Hoang Thuc Hao, Nguyen Duy Thanh, Le Dinh Hung, Vu Xuan Son, and Tran Hong Nam.

One more was awarded to a detailed plan to build a humanitarian tourism site in Ha Nam Province to commemorate writer and martyr Nam Cao.  It was created by architects Nguyen Thu Hanh, Nguyen Van Tuyen, Nguyen Van Dong and Nguyen Thanh Binh from Ha Noi’s Scientific Union for Sustainable Tourism Development.

The last of the 4 was presented to a plan for a subdivision along the Nai Lagoon in Ninh Thuan Province’s Ninh Hai District.  It was created by architects Pho Duc Tung, Pham Thi Hue Linh, Le Thi Thu Thương, Truong Thi Thuy Linh, Le Cam Van, Tran Xuan Quynh, Pham Trung Hai, Chu Thi Hoang Yen, Nguyen The Hanh, and some researchers from the Viet Nam Institute for Urban and Rural Planning Ministry of Construction.

The prize for receiving the highest number of public votes went to the design of a house for workers in Lao Cai Province.  It was created by architects Hoang Thuc Hao, Nguyen Xuan Ngoc, Vu Xuan Son, Le Dinh Hung, and student Nguyen An Ngoc from the 1+1>2 Architecture Office.

David McCormick (middle) at the awards ceremony

Of local interest, the Da Nang-based M-system architecture company, headed by David McCormick, won silver and bronze awards in the category of best foreign-designed buildings in Viet Nam for their Ba Na Hills golf clubhouse and Novotel Danang Premier Han River designs.