On the Streets of Ho Chi Minh City, This Designer Finds His Materials Where Others See Scrap
Through his Ho Chi Minh City creative space and travelling workshops, designer Dương Gia Hiếu draws on the everyday ingenuity found in the streets across Asia to rethink the possibilities of DIY design
Growing up amid the bustle of a Vietnamese open-air marketplace, Dương Gia Hiếu absorbed almost by osmosis the ad hoc design culture that defines similar spaces across Asia: found objects spliced, altered and pressed back into service as functional forms. ‘With my working-class background, I look at these things very respectfully,’ he says. ‘Everybody is a designer. They’re just not academically trained, but their work is everyday intelligence and my source of inspiration.’ Dương set his own making in motion during the Covid years, refashioning discarded objects at home. As restrictions eased, an open house event sparked the desire to create a space where he could share his approach.
In 2023, Dương opened Ném, a creative hangout in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 3 where he works, meets people for exhibitions, events or coffee, and shows objects created by him and other makers. One such object is the Phẳng PF lamp, made with sheets of reclaimed polarised film. ‘This is one of the layers inside a TV,’ he explains. ‘You’d be surprised how much of it you can find.’ Another is the Fan lamp, formed from a steel fan guard, with its base made from a plastic megaphone. Dương sources his materials from salvage centres, though he notes he’s selective: ‘I’m not a hoarder,’ he quips, adding, ‘I don't want my designs to look upcycled, but appealing and useful — just like any product.’ At Ném, through the workshops he leads, Dương realised that it’s not only the hands-on process that fosters a deeper connection with the objects but also the social dimension of the space. ‘People learn from each other, and that moment of connection gives the piece its story,’ he says.
That same year, he took part in a residency programme in Kobe offered by Nishimura-Gumi, a group of architects dedicated to reviving Japan’s abandoned houses. He reinterpreted objects found in these empty homes as chairs and lamps and, in keeping with Ném’s DNA, brought in a social element. ‘I wanted people to use the objects, so I organised movie screenings and a workshop. I also invited a local DJ who’s a carpenter to play and gather people. More than just creating furniture, it was about bringing life back into a space that was empty.’
Dương’s biggest workshop to date, New Comfort, took place in Shanghai as part of the Rockbund Art Museum’s 2025 architecture festival. Through an open call, he brought together designers from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam to present chair concepts shaped by personal stories and the particularities of sitting culture across Asia. The host city’s vernacular creativity proved equally influential. ‘Shanghai is amazing — especially for chairs. It’s very hip and polished, yet there are still so many makeshift designs, even in the city centre,’ he says. Dương is quite fond of the research photography he produced during his time there; he's developing a publication around it, all while imagining new editions of New Comfort in other cities. ‘Observation is a way of learning; just walking down the street and noticing things,’ he says. ‘And it reminds us we can make, rather than buy.’
Text by Tomás Pinheiro
Images courtesy of Nem
