Two Distinct Paths, One Creative Partnership at HSU
Some partnerships begin with a grand gesture; theirs began with a text message before a first-year health check-up. Over four years at Hoa Sen University, Ms. Do Tuong Khiet Minh and Mr. Nguyen Thuc Dat built a relationship that grew from friendship into love and a professional partnership. As Interior Design program students, they shared a passion for creativity while discovering that working well together did not mean thinking alike. Instead, their different design perspectives taught them to listen more closely, give thoughtful feedback, and bring out the best in each other’s ideas.
At the FADA Excellence Awards 2026, which honored outstanding graduation projects from HSU’s Faculty of Design and Arts, Khiet Minh’s Club – Vertigo Vinyl project secured a place among the Top 5 projects in the Interior Design category, while Thuc Dat’s ZOW House – Amphibious House received the FADA Signature Award 2026 in the same field. Khiet Minh’s success continued beyond HSU. Her project went on to win First Prize at the Loa Thanh Award 2026, adding another milestone to her journey as a young designer and highlighting the potential of ideas developed through her studies.
Differences as a Source of Creative Inspiration
Before they became partners in both life and design, Ms. Do Tuong Khiet Minh and Mr. Nguyen Thuc Dat were simply two new students finding their way at Hoa Sen University (HSU). Their story began in the welcoming group for the Faculty of Design and Arts, when he sent her a message asking about university email, class schedules, and preparations for the initial health check-up. It was a moment in the excitement and uncertainty of starting university, yet it opened the door to a connection neither would have expected. After that first conversation, they arranged to meet in person. Their friendship grew through everyday moments, from chance encounters in the classroom to sharing breakfast between classes. For him, she became the person he instinctively turned to, whether he wanted to discuss his studies or share something happening in his life. What seemed like small routines gradually became cherished moments in their university lives.
Over four years at HSU, their friendship grew into a lasting partnership, supported and embraced by both families. Good design often emerges from the dialogue between imagination and feasibility. It takes an eye for aesthetics to give a space its character, as well as technical knowledge to ensure that the concept can be realized. Khiet Minh and Thuc Dat experienced this balance firsthand through their studies in Interior Design, where their different ways of thinking became a valuable source of collaboration.
She focused on the artistic side of design, bringing together colors, materials, patterns, and stylistic details to shape the look and feel of a space. Meanwhile, he concentrated on the technical side, examining blueprint feasibility, structural performance, and how each design could be brought to life in practice. He also shared his experience with 3D software and AI applications, expanding the tools she could draw on in her creative process. Their partnership showed how exchanging expertise can strengthen both the design and the designers behind it.
Furthermore, he admired her spatial thinking and critical reasoning, explaining that her feedback often helped him reassess the logic of his floor plans, spatial organization, and design choices, allowing him to develop his projects more thoroughly. Conversely, what impressed her most was his determination to work through every technical challenge, whether it meant spending hours exploring construction methods, scrutinizing technical details, or finding ways to turn a design concept into a feasible solution.
Of course, working closely together did not mean Minh and Dat always saw eye to eye. Khiet Minh recalled how they often exchanged ideas, challenged each other’s perspectives, and sometimes found themselves in heated debates. What mattered was not winning the argument, but finding a solution that worked better. By learning to separate professional disagreements from personal feelings, they gradually turned their differences into creative fuel rather than letting them come between them.
Club – Vertigo Vinyl and ZOW House: Distinctive Designs Along a Shared Journey
Despite often studying side by side, Khiet Minh and Thuc Dat pursued their own creative interests, bringing distinct perspectives to their graduation projects. The Club – Vertigo Vinyl drew inspiration from her appreciation for vinyl record culture and the ritual of listening. From choosing and cleaning a record to setting the needle in place and waiting for the music to unfold, every step offered an experience that digital convenience could not quite replicate. Through her design, she sought to preserve this sense of connection by creating a gathering place where vinyl enthusiasts could share their collections, exchange stories, and enjoy music together.
For Club – Vertigo Vinyl, Khiet Minh chose not to confine vinyl culture to a nostalgic setting. She reinterpreted its classic appeal through a modern lens, taking a bolder approach to colors, patterns, and materials. The project also reflected her evolution as a designer over four years at HSU: From relying on minimalist styles and neutral tones to experimenting with more expressive combinations. This development culminated in a major achievement when Club – Vertigo Vinyl received First Prize at the Loa Thanh Award 2026.
Behind Club – Vertigo Vinyl was a process of discovery that extended beyond design. As she worked to bring the project to life, she sometimes questioned whether her chosen topic had enough practical value or carried the significance she had hoped for. After discussing her concerns with Ms. Duong Ngoc Quynh Lam, MA, Director of HSU’s Interior Design Program, she received guidance that helped her see her idea more clearly and grow more confident in her direction.
“In the end, my graduation project is deeply personal. It reflects not only the knowledge I have gained throughout my studies, but also my perspective, my individuality, and the kind of designer I aspire to become”, Khiet Minh noted.
While Khiet Minh explored the sensory experience of vinyl culture, Thuc Dat turned his attention to a challenge with immediate consequences for everyday life: making homes more resilient to natural disasters. His project, ZOW House – Amphibious House, was inspired in part by the major floods that affected his family in Nha Trang in late 2025. The experience led him to reflect on how thoughtful design could address the risks communities face and help people live more safely in vulnerable areas.
Building on his research, Thuc Dat proposed an amphibious house that could adjust to fluctuating water levels, drawing inspiration from the form of swiftlets through a biomimetic approach. His greatest challenge was finding the right balance between flood adaptability, economic feasibility, resilience, and the technical demands of the Interior Design project. For him, this was an exercise in thinking beyond the concept itself. He had to consider how different requirements interacted, assess what was feasible, and work toward a solution grounded in real-world needs. The process reinforced an important lesson: effective design depends as much on sound judgment and practical problem-solving as it does on creativity.
Thuc Dat commented: “Through my research, I learned that floating houses are already used in Viet Nam, especially in places with seasonal flooding. Although they may seem similar, floating houses and amphibious houses work differently. A floating house rests on buoys and moves freely with the water, whereas an amphibious house rises and falls along a fixed axis, allowing it to maintain its orientation as water levels change. I hope this project can go beyond the drawings and research to make a real difference, even in a small way, to people’s lives in Nha Trang and other communities across Viet Nam”.
Their graduation projects may have taken different paths, but both grew from personal interests that shaped how Khiet Minh and Thuc Dat approached design. As their ideas evolved, they continued to turn to each other for honest opinions and thoughtful challenges. They listened closely, questioned each other’s assumptions, and offered candid feedback, helping one another see beyond their own perspectives and strengthen their work.
Individual Paths, Shared Growth
Not all encouragement comes in the form of reassuring words. Sometimes, it is the quiet act of understanding another person’s struggles and helping them find a way forward. Khiet Minh shared that she often procrastinated and could find it difficult to begin a task. Knowing this, Thuc Dat would take the initiative to prepare a plan and show it to her. The plan itself was only a starting point. Even when his ideas differed from hers, they gave her something to question, refine, and build upon until her own vision became clearer. She fondly described this as his way of “persuading” her to get started, showing how support can mean creating the conditions for someone else to discover their own direction.
However, when he became too focused on technical details and feasibility, she encouraged him to broaden his perspective, paying closer attention to aesthetics, colors, materials, and how to tell a compelling story through his design. Their journey was not without pressure, creative blocks, or disagreements. Yet, they learned to steer their discussions back toward a shared goal: making each project better. Having witnessed the effort behind each other’s work, they could appreciate one another’s achievements on a deeper level. Every milestone felt more meaningful when celebrated with someone who understood the challenges and dedication behind it.
For her, this process of learning, questioning, and growing alongside him also reflects how her time at HSU has shaped her as a designer. Beyond providing professional knowledge, the university has helped her develop a more thoughtful approach to design, gain a deeper understanding of herself, and grow more confident in her creative direction. Furthermore, she recalled an experience from her third year at HSU, when she was unsure how to choose a computer configuration suited to her field of study. She reached out to Ms. Ha Thi Hoai Thu, MA, architect and HSU lecturer, for advice and was pleasantly surprised by the patience and dedication with which she guided Khiet Minh through the decision. For Khiet Minh, this experience showed that a lecturer’s care extends beyond the classroom, reaching into the everyday challenges students face throughout their university journey.
Over her four years at HSU, feeling heard, having her individuality respected, and being encouraged to explore her own ideas helped her grow more confident in her creative choices. She became more willing to experiment, step beyond her comfort zone, and gradually develop a design language that reflected her own perspective. For her, HSU has created something more valuable than a uniform path to success: an environment where students can explore their potential, celebrate what makes them unique, and develop their own ways of thinking and creating.
After graduation, Khiet Minh and Thuc Dat plan to continue their education through HSU’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) program while exploring job opportunities at design firms in Ho Chi Minh City to gain practical industry experience. Alongside their shared plans, both hope to keep developing individual projects, experimenting with new ideas, and shaping their own professional identities. Looking further ahead, they envision pursuing master’s degrees in design abroad within the next three to five years. By then, they hope to have gained substantial professional experience and identified the areas in which further study could help them grow as designers.
For her, the future does not have to follow a perfect plan. What matters is that they keep learning, find directions that suit them, and feel at peace with the choices they make along the way. Their story begins with a simple message between two new students at HSU and grows into a partnership shaped by different perspectives, creative challenges, and shared milestones. It shows that growing together does not mean becoming alike. Sometimes, the greatest value of having someone by our side lies in the differences they bring: new perspectives, questions that challenge familiar thinking, and the encouragement to become more confident in your own direction.
Translated: Tai Do
