Vietnamese objects: The material culture of resilience in the face of (de)colonisation

Cà phê (coffee), atisô (artichoke), xi nê ma (cinema), căng tin (canteen) or xi-măng (cement): in the Vietnamese language, many words bear the imprint of a French origin. And what if the same were true of everyday objects? Somewhere between cultural anthropology, the epistemology of Vietnamese design and the sociology of objects, this research project analyses the production of objects in Vietnam in the light of French colonisation and decolonisation.

Through reportage, interviews and research carried out in various archive collections, this book sets out to reveal the mechanisms by which objects, foods, materials and know-how have been integrated into Vietnam until today they can boast authentically Vietnamese characteristics. Like an archive of the present day, through the prism of design and the applied arts, the authors take a decolonial and critical look at the creativity and adaptability of a country that has succeeded in appropriating the techniques of a dominant power.

Main applicant: Quang Vinh Nguyen
Émilie Laystary
Research team: Quang Vinh Nguyen
Émilie Laystary
Cynthia Mai Amman
Chi-Long Trieu
Contributions: Eric Panthou
Kai Nguyễn
Lưu Chữ (Quoc Huy Le, Đức Cao)
Mắt Bét
Nhat Thanh Le
Tien Dat Vu
Thai Ha Vu
Trong Đặt Nguyễn
Quoc Huy Le
Vincent Yuen Ruiz
Xuân-Hạ Vu
Period: July 2022 – April 2024
Supported by: ECAL/University of art and design Lausanne
Réserve stratégique de la HES-SO (RCDAV)

Production of “bia hơi” glass, design by Lê Huy Văn in 1976, Vĩnh Phúc, 2023. Photo by Cynthia Mai Ammann © ECAL/Cynthia Mai Ammann

Motorised cycle rickshaw, Haïphong, 2023. Photo by Cynthia Mai Ammann © ECAL/Cynthia Mai Ammann

04_PalancheArrosoir_Hué.jpg — Yoke-watering can, Hué, 2023. Photo by Cynthia Mai Ammann © ECAL/Cynthia Mai Ammann