The Mekong Delta, a region of immense ecological and cultural importance in Vietnam, faces ongoing environmental degradation rooted in historical exploitation, including French hydraulic projects and the American use of arsenic and dioxin-based herbicides during the Vietnam War. Contemporary challenges such as divided district zoning, land subsidence, saltwater intrusion, and salinization are intensified by the 1986 Đổi Mới policy aimed at establishing a socialist-oriented market economy and promoting energy-efficient development. This environmental strain threatens traditional crafts in Mang Thít, particularly the architectural identity of the region’s historic brick kilns. The project documents ongoing efforts that build upon the 2022 initiative by the Expert Consultancy Group (ECG), which successfully halted the demolition of these kilns. This initiative, known as Mang Thít: Contemporary Heritage in the Making, garnered support from the People’s Committee for an alternative development plan aimed at safeguarding this cultural heritage while promoting sustainable local development.

Hojung Kim is an assistant professor in the School of Interior Architecture at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He studies the intersections of traditional and regional crafts with contemporary frameworks, focusing on material manufacturing practices in marginalized communities. Using an interdisciplinary approach, he examines cultural, socioeconomic, and environmental issues. His current project involves collaboration with traditional weavers and pottery makers in Vietnam, investigating the ecological impacts on craft villages in the Mekong Delta. His work has been presented at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA); the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) annual conferences; and the Interior Provocations Symposium at Pratt Institute. Kim was recently recognized as a Research Development Academy Scholar and an American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Ones to Watch Scholar. In the proposed project, he serves as the principal investigator, overseeing research. He holds a BArch from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and an MArch from Yale University.

Hà Nguyễn is the cofounder of Arb Architects Vietnam, based in Hanoi. She established the practice in collaboration with Swiss architects Kurt Aellen, chairman of Architect Switzerland, and Laurent Cantalou after completing her MAS program at the Department of Architecture at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ). She teaches planning and architecture at Construction University and Phuong Dong University. Nguyen served as a member of the Graduation Project Review Council of Studio Basel at ETH in 2013 and as a member of the project review committee for the architecture master’s program at KU Leuven University, Belgium. She collaborates with craftsmen and multidisciplinary artists to explore traditional materials, producing contemporary installations in ceramics, lighting, and traditional toys. Nguyen’s contributions to architecture and design were recognized with the 2024 Moira Gemmill Award. She was also a presenter at The World Around Summit at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.