Joshua Zukas

Wallpaper* • 15th July 2021

Green List

On a sizzling April afternoon, a rainstorm pummels Ho Chi Minh City. Despite the deafening downpour, temperatures stay miserably high in the megacity’s concrete and glass-laden central districts. Urbanites remain sheltered in offices and cafés, which are sealed and air-conditioned. After the outburst, which lasts for an hour or so, the clouds crack and the sun resumes its offensive, turning the city’s soggy centre into a steam bath.

FRAME • 18th March 2021

Are Mashrabiya Facades Making a Comeback in Hanoi?

Looking at Hanoi’s aspirations for the future is like examining the mistakes of its counterparts in the present. Rather than forge a new cityscape and avoid the mishaps of Bangkok and Manila, Hanoi seems set to emulate these traffic-clogged, glass-obsessed and heat-choked dystopias.

Wired UK • 22nd March 2021

Bamboo Buildings Are the Future

Flexible, quick to grow, and cheap, the charismatic plant has sprouted a whole new style. Around 130km southwest of Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital, sits Cuc Phuong National Park.

Interior Design Magazine • 5th May 2021

Creative Voices: Vo Trong Nghia

2020 saw Vo Trong Nghia’s green architecture propagate throughout Vietnam. He boosted his “House for Trees” collection – residential projects that are home to both plants and people – including the award-winning Bat Trang House in Hanoi. He embarked on Dong Na Villas, a residential masterplan replete with roads and restaurants outside of Hoi An. But perhaps most arresting are Vo’s three ambitious new bamboo structures: The Huong An Vien Visiting Center in Hue, the Vedana Restaurant in Ninh Binh and an events hall in Phu Quoc.

ICON • 3rd June 2021

Verdant Vietnam

Across the world, biophilic architecture is in full bloom as firms theatrically intertwine buildings with nature. But in Vietnam, architects are harnessing biophilia more quietly.

Fodors Travel Guide • 4th October 2021

Is This Hotel Misleading Guests About Its Colonial Heritage?

In Vietnam, an abandoned university-turned-beachfront hotel seems to be a shining example of the country’s colonial past⁠—except that its history is entirely made up. Gracing the southern tip of Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island is Bai Khem, one of the tropical haven’s most alluring beaches. Here, a thicket of palm trees bows to a cerulean sea as it tenderly laps a crescent of dimpled sand. Hills canvased in the jungle rise behind cordial palms, leading to the island’s craggy interior. At the bay’s so

Wallpaper* • 15th October 2020

Urban Jungle

A few kilometres from Ho Chi Minh City's heaving centre, a building is being grown. Unlike its lifeless neighbours, the concrete structure is encased by

Chao Hanoi • 18th September 2020

Heritage Repurposed

A blast of thunder detonates over the Hanoi Old Quarter, declaring the imminent arrival of an autumn shower. Specks of water fall like pin pricks as I squeeze through Trung Yen Alley, a narrow ribbon of road linking Hang Be Market with Dinh Liet Street.

The Independent • 21st May 2021

How Architects Are Greening Vietnam’s Hotel Scene

On a diamond-shaped island in southern Vietnam sits a collection of small lagoons enveloped by leafy vines. Adding to the hanging greenery are flourishing frangipani trees blooming with butter yellow champa flowers and bunches of bamboo stalks supporting a lime green canopy. Verdant though it is, this forest isn’t wild. And despite the botanic setting, the lagoons are actually secluded swimming pools.

The Red Bulletin (Red Bull) • 10th November 2020

Bloom Town

As Vietnam’s booming commercial hub, Ho Chi Minh City is a whirlwind of chaos. But in the eye of the storm sits a cluster of houses where humans, trees and birds coexist peacefully. People occupy the lower levels, but the roofs are giant plant pots, each with a tree sprouting from a thick layer of soil. Chirping birds nest in their branches, quelling the noisy invasion of traffic and construction.

The Diplomat • 18th June 2020

Hanoi Cafes: The City's Most Important Cultural Spaces

Hanoi, the enigmatic 1000-year-old capital of Vietnam, is a city steeped in legend and layered with intrigue. At the city’s geographical and spiritual heart is the semi-mythical Lake of the Returned Sword, which divides central Hanoi into the chaotic tangle of lanes and alleyways that constitute the Old Quarter to the north, and the grand, tree-lined boulevards that form the French Quarter to the south.

Wallpaper* • 7th April 2020

Vietnam’s New Biophilic Architecture Is Going Wild

Picture architecture in Vietnam and you might imagine ancient temples buried down countryside lanes or faded colonial buildings lining the city streets. But spurred by unprecedented economic growth, this Southeast Asian country of almost 100 million is revamping its traditional image – and architecture is part of the overhaul. After decades spent trying to keep Vietnam’s unrelenting jungles out of the cities, visionary architects now harness th

Vietnam Tourism Board • 3rd February 2019

Unearthing Hanoi's Architecture through Cafes

Hanoi’s architecture mirrors the city’s – and the country’s – checkered history. Chinese influence, French inspiration, subsidy phase austerity and modern practicalities have resulted in a compelling jumble of mismatched dwellings. One compelling way to absorb the capital’s architecture is through its lovingly converted cafes. Here are five you simply can’t miss.

Wallpaper* • 2nd November 2020

Vietnamese Shophouse with an Artisanal Twist

Vo Trong Nghia’s Bat Trang House breaks the traditional shophouse mould with two floors dedicated to commerce, several elevated gardens and a ceramic casing inspired by the owners’ artisanal heritage.

BBC News • 3rd February 2019

Hanoi's Art Space Cafes (Vietnamese)

Ở trung tâm thủ đô, cả về địa lý và tâm hồn là hồ Hoàn Kiếm, chia trái tim thành phố thành những làn đường và ngõ ngách lộn xộn dẫn tới khu phố cổ ở phía Bắc, và những con phố lớn xanh cây nối tới khu phố Pháp ở phía Nam.

Wallpaper* • 28th January 2021

Wallpaper* 2021 Design Awards: Bat Trang House

This contemporary take on the traditional Vietnamese shophouse, combining commercial and residential spaces, was created for an affluent artisanal family that produces high-quality ceramic products in Bat Trang