Success comes from love of homeland

Tran Thi Chi, 23 years old, a former student of Architecture, Van Lang University, impressed with her university graduation project "Central Sea Culture Museum, Binh Thuan".

Chi's work, which is dedicated to her homeland, also surpassed more than 400 entries from 141 universities around the world to win the International Graduation Project Award (IGPA) at the end of December 2023.

Previously, Chi was also awarded second prize at Loa Thanh 2023 - a competition for excellent graduation projects of construction and architecture students nationwide.

With the title of IGPA champion, Tran Thi Chi was awarded a full 2-year master's scholarship at Polytechnic Milan - the largest technical university in Italy.

Sharing with Dan Tri reporter, Chi said that she was born and raised in the coastal area of ​​Lagi, Binh Thuan. Therefore, the sun, wind and sea were closely associated with Chi's childhood. When starting to work on her graduation project, the female student immediately thought of her hometown. The idea of ​​"Central Sea Culture Museum, Binh Thuan" was born in September 2022. And the theme "Museum of Sea Culture" is the package of her dream since childhood.

"The graduation project is "something quite sacred" for architecture students. Because the project is not simply a report on the learning process of 5 years in the classroom but also an opportunity to express personal feelings for what you love. I was very passionate about my project," Tran Thi Chi expressed.

According to Chi, the country does not have any marine culture museum. This can be a place to preserve and display objects related to the traditions, history and culture of the sea and islands, and at the same time organize cultural and religious events and activities. The museum can also be a tourism product, attracting visitors.

In the idea of ​​the girl from Binh Thuan, the museum has 3 main spaces: a place to preserve and display valuable items; an auditorium for experiences and performances; and an outdoor space.

The exhibition space is shaped based on the soft curves of waves, sand dunes... The curved and sloping roof is designed to create the massiveness of the roof block.

The experience and performance space was inspired by the fishing net drying frame of coastal people. She chose the saddle roof option, stylizing the image of the net drying to cover the experience activities below, creating intimacy.

The most special part of this area is the performance hall, shaped according to the method of building wooden boats on the frame of fishermen. Coastal people do not use the mortise and tenon joints commonly seen in traditional wooden house construction, but only build the boat support frame according to the structure of the slats.

With outdoor space, according to Chi, it is possible to organize ceremonies such as the procession of Ông from the beach to Ông Palace, boat racing festival. Therefore, the roof is designed to be large, creating shade.

Chi said the biggest challenge was choosing the problem to solve in the project. Because there are many different stories in reality, choosing which aspect to solve is very important, influencing the direction and working method.

During this period, Chi printed and pasted pictures of seafaring, fishermen, and fishing villages all over the walls of her room. These pictures "lived" with her throughout the 8 months of working on the project.

The Department Director sent a letter of commendation and created job opportunities.

Upon learning that Chi received an international award and having access to images of her graduation project, Director of the Department of Construction of Binh Thuan province Phan Duong Cuong sent a letter of commendation.

In the letter, Mr. Cuong assessed that Chi's project had many ideas that were interpreted in a new, unique, creative and feasible way.

"The project is closely linked to the childhood, memories, life, and dreams of an ambitious son of his homeland, so it should thoroughly research the current situation and living context of coastal people, and address the challenges of urbanization and invasive industrial development, which put cultural heritage at risk of being lost," Mr. Cuong's letter quoted.

He said the Department will support, provide materials and information so that Chi's project can soon be applied in life; at the same time, it is ready to accept Chi after graduation.

The department's leaders also expressed their desire for Chi's cooperation and contribution of many ideas for the province's development.

According to Van Lang University, Chi's project "Central Coastal Culture Museum, Binh Thuan" was evaluated by the judges as an inspiring project with deep concern for the impact of the project on local people.

What is particularly noteworthy is that the project does not disturb the beauty of the landscape and still preserves the inherent simplicity of coastal residents' lives. The project has used the form and space of the museum as a tool to combat the urbanization process that is gradually destroying the spaces, cultural identities and heritage in the area.

Master, architect Nguyen Bao Tuan, Faculty of Architecture, Van Lang University, assessed that the graduation project demonstrated Chi's efforts and hard work in studying and researching.

"The design has a harmonious connection between contemporary architecture and the culture and traditions of the local community in the coastal area of ​​Lagi, Binh Thuan," said Mr. Tuan.

A graduation project is not simply a report on the learning process of 5 years in the lecture hall, but also an opportunity to express personal feelings for what you love... Creativity with the soul of a child will take you very far, to wherever you want.

Tran Thi Chi said: "I am very happy and proud of this achievement. The opportunities are so great, beyond my imagination."

For Chi, the results of her graduation project are a testament to the motto she has been pursuing for a long time. That is, being creative with the soul of a child will take you very far, to wherever you want to go.

Chi recalls that 5 years ago, 2 months before her high school graduation exam, she still had not chosen a major at university.

"Architecture came to me by chance, because in my hometown - Lagi, Binh Thuan - the concept of "architecture" was very vague. Then, with the advice of my homeroom teacher, I was curious to learn and registered for all the architectural competitions," Chi recalls.

The girl started studying architecture with much surprise, because it was so different from her imagination. During her first years of university, Chi sometimes had to think about changing majors.

It was only after year 3, when my academic results were better, that I became more confident and knew that I was on the right track.

Graduated with a bachelor's degree in Architecture at the end of 2023, Chi is working at a company to gain practical experience.

She temporarily put aside the opportunity to return to Binh Thuan, choosing to go to Polytechnic University of Milan next fall.

"I will continue to improve my knowledge to design better. Hopefully one day I can turn my graduation project into a beautiful real-life work," Tran Thi Chi shared.