The ongoing Interior Design Student Festival, gathering 10 universities from Vietnam and abroad with over 100 students and 20 lecturers, is to honor the Vietnamese cultural flow, promoting the traditional culture in each work contributed by undergraduates of the field nationwide.

The festival, the first of its kind, was held in Hanoi from October 21 to October 29 by the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts, the Hanoi Association of Handicraft and Craft Villages, and the Vietnam Interior Design Association.   

Supported by Kenli, Alis Lighting, Blum, and LG Electronics, the festival's majority of participants come from the Vietnam Interior Design Student Forum – the nation's biggest young designer community.

The event also marks the participation of 10 traditional craft villages, namely Bat Trang Ceramics Village, Thuy Ung Village, Dinh Cong Silver, Thuong Tin Embroidery, Phu Vinh Rattan and Bamboo Weaving, Thiet Ung Carpentry, Hang Trong Painting, Van Phuc Silk, Nhan Hien Sculpture, and Chuon Ngo Pearl Mosaic Village.  

According to Luu Viet Thang, Founder of the Vietnam Interior Design Student Forum, it's the forum for Vietnam's interior design students to show their creativity, passion, and determination to preserve traditional cultural values in each modern design work.

It helps young designers learn traditional materials in craft villages to create stories that inspire Vietnam's quintessence and core values kept from the past.

"The forum aims to create a link between groups, companies, and people to advance shared development objectives. As a result, the inaugural Vietnam Furniture Student Festival will pave the way for subsequent events that will bring together additional young designers and inspire the public to support projects that will foster a vibrant and distinct Vietnamese furniture sector," Thang said.  

Do Dinh Hong, Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the event is part of the Hanoi Creativity program in response to the municipal government's initiatives to contribute to the UNESCO Creative Network by 2025. In this regard, the Vietnam Interior Design Student Festival brings together practical ideas that honor the city's long-lasting values. 

The festival includes seminars on Vietnam's interior design industry, ID.Talk focusing on job opportunities and careers; ID.Edulink connecting lecturers and interior design associations; ID.tour, a tour to explore the interior design of the Hanoi Opera House; and visits to Ha Thai Lacquer Village, Bat Trang Ceramics Village, Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature).  

The week-long festival will include the Gala Festival for Vietnam's Interior Design Students with an award ceremony for winning the design of Hanoi's traditional craft villages contest. 

The 1st Vietnam Interior Design Student Festival gathers Vietnamese and foreign students and lecturers. Photos: Diendansinhviennoithat

The event highlights Vietnamese traditional culture.

A work displayed at the week-long festival.

Vietnamese silk used in a work showcased at the festival.

Small and sophisticated pieces at the event.

The event gathers more than 100 domestic and foreign students and lecturers from 10 universities.