50 CHAIRS | A Complex Landscape of Contemporary Vietnamese Design and Architecture Through the Form of the Chair

Museum of Design (MoD) presents 50 CHAIRS, an exhibition where 50 Vietnamese architectural firms express their worldview through a single object: the chair. This is neither an exercise in typologies nor a showcase of materials and technology. The exhibition operates as an open laboratory, positioning the chair where it rightfully belongs: a tool for measuring the depth of design thinking, for reading culture through a different lens, and for observing the subtle tensions between functionality, craftsmanship, and symbolism. In a context where Vietnamese design is entering a phase of self-definition, with continuous interweaving of local vs. global, handcrafted vs. industrial, and traditional vs. new solutions, 50 CHAIRS serves as a compressed map of these undercurrents.

The Laboratory of "Sitting"

The exhibition is divided into four main rooms situated within a multi-story villa, a space originally intended for displaying paintings rather than design. This very fact, however, opens up the potential for MoD to practice critical thinking and adaptability to context, which is the very essence of a decentralized museum like MoD. The existing space is "re-read" and given a sensitive and restrained "new layer" to "negotiate" with the "existing layer." The rooms, with their varying proportions, narrow corridors, unexpected open corners, and indirect light stairwells, all become a structure guiding the visitor's rhythm and emotion.

Passing through Room No. 1, which is also the main entrance on the ground floor, visitors will immediately have their attention drawn to the reading corner for the 50 CHAIRS book, which displays the documentary publication about the chair designs and the historical-cultural narratives of this object. However, those sitting and reading are individuals at the end of the viewing process. In the context of an exhibition that is typically highly visual, starting with reading is a rather bold decision: it serves to stimulate active observation from newly entering visitors.

On the second floor, the rhythm is further segmented by the documentary film space. This is one of the most informative and authentic moments of the entire exhibition: the architects, through concise sharings, take viewers on a journey of conceptualization, contextual survey, materials, and fabrication methods. Stories of trial-and-error, technological limitations, and repeated reworkings appear alongside reflections on memory, culture, and the environment. This space acts as a transit compartment, balancing the energy between the four exhibition rooms.

What might appear to be a weakness of the building space, the locations near the stair landings, actually provides interesting "moments of silence" between the exhibition rooms. MoD utilizes them as units to regulate the "heart rate" of the exhibition journey: not too empty as to become disorienting, nor too intrusive as to lose the architectural spontaneity of the residential building.

Material Language: Wood – Fabric as a Foundation of Warmth

Instead of choosing strong industrial materials, MoD decided to use wood and fabric throughout the exhibition: two materials that are both familiar and warm, and do not impose an aesthetic on the artworks. Wood provides physical depth and stability; fabric regulates sound, light, and atmosphere. This choice mitigates the competition between the villa's architecture and the form of the chairs; simultaneously, it adds the approachability that MoD desires for engaging with students and the general public.

The wood – fabric modules are designed to "hide themselves": they do not try to showcase craftsmanship but merely support the artwork. Yet, this very restraint opens up a necessary visual void for each chair to present its own story; in other words, these modules can be seen as the "chairs" for the exhibited chairs.

An Exhibition with a Multi-Layered Structure: Guided by Material and Rhythm

One of the strengths of the 50 CHAIRS space lies in how the artwork is "illuminated" by material and spatial rhythm. The experience is elevated in successive waves, like a rising tide: expansion – compression – pause – then expansion once again. The villa's multi-layered structure becomes the skeleton for this experiential journey, while MoD's interventions serve as the frame regulating emotion.

Viewers can distinctly perceive the change in light temperature, sound density, texture, and void as they move from one room to another. The entire journey is a narrative of material, light, and form.

The Chair as a Mental Map

The chair is a very special object in design because of its "dialogical" presence. The chair has dimensions close to the body, directly correlating with the spine, center of gravity, breathing rhythm, and evokes a large quantity of memories about sitting, waiting, conversing, working, and contemplating.

In 50 CHAIRS, the chairs are not rigidly categorized or themed. MoD rejects the linear interpretation to preserve the inherent chaos, the very nature of contemporary design thinking. Viewers can encounter: Experiments with curved structures, simulating physical movement; Research into new materials, from light foam to handcrafted laminated wood; Minimalist, sharp-lined forms as the result of a rigorous refinement process; Chairs that prioritize cultural narrative: shapes recalling traditional architecture, living habits, and the informal structures of Vietnamese streets; Or hybrid models between furniture, sculpture, and micro-architecture.

The common thread is seriousness. No product feels "rushed" or purely for self-promotion. This diversity not only demonstrates the capability of each architectural office and designer but also sketches the clusters of thought currently operating within Vietnamese design.

Setup – Operation Methods and the Logistics Imprint

Unlike many design exhibitions that focus solely on the final product, MoD utilizes leftover materials to fabricate chairs and reading tables, model display shelves, rest benches, stools, and small armchairs... supporting the exhibition's operational tasks. It can be observed that thanks to these very objects, spaces like the welcome courtyard were rearranged for the opening night, or large Room No. 4 was temporarily set up for the book launch, transforming in an interesting way as if exclusively dedicated to these events. This creates a unified flow between assembly – display – operation – experience, while simultaneously reducing material waste. This approach reflects a clear attitude: design is not just the final object but the entire process leading up to it. MoD seriously raises questions about the material lifecycle, the local production ecosystem, and the sustainability of exhibition practice and operation.

Design is for Everyone

MoD consistently asserts that design must have the capacity to spread beyond the realm of professional practice. 50 CHAIRS is constructed as an organic educational platform: easily accessible, easy to observe, yet without simplifying the content. For students, the chair is the most intimate object for understanding the concept of design and object-making thinking. For the design community, this is an opportunity to recognize their professional context through 50 parallel voices.
The exhibition space, therefore, entirely avoids "showmanship," instead MoD opts for a neutral attitude: clear, slow-paced, allowing visitors to interpret the artworks at their own pace.

50 Chairs as 50 Fragments of the Memory – Present – Future of Contemporary Vietnamese Design

When placed side-by-side, the exhibition inadvertently creates a story that is cumulative and greater than each individual artwork. It is the story of a generation of Vietnamese designers and architects searching for their own voice. There is reservation, there is boldness; there is contemplation, there is experimentation; there is nostalgia and there are efforts to break away from tradition.

MoD does not try to force anything to become the "representative image." The exhibition does not aim to provide a final answer but rather opens up a system of questions: What forms the identity of contemporary Vietnamese architecture – design? How are Vietnamese designers and architects engaging in dialogue with the world? To what extent can the chair, a small object, project the dimensions of cultural, social, and technological thought?

50 CHAIRS views the chair as a "fundamental unit of research" carrying compressed information about humans, context, and profession. An object that can contain the entire 5,000-year history of dialogue between form and body, between function and symbol.

The exhibition runs smoothly thanks to the combination of the curatorial thinking of the Design Committee (DC), the spatial flexibility of the villa, and the consistent viewpoint of MoD: design is for everyone. 50 CHAIRS does not seek to display brilliance but chooses a clearer path: to let each chair speak for itself, and to let each viewer read for themselves.

In a context where Vietnamese design is silently moving in many different directions, 50 CHAIRS is a moment to pause, look inward, and see both the diversity and the invisible connections that are forming the foundation of contemporary Vietnamese design.