Vo Trong Nghia is an architect widely known in the Southeast Asian architectural community for his series of designs that consider the regional environment and vegetation and structural designs utilizing bamboo and wood as building materials. He is also a highly regarded architect who advocates numerous innovative ideas through his works on how environmental architecture should be by integrating Southeast Asian traditions with modern design methods and construction techniques.

Vo Trong Nghia was born in Quang Binh Province in Vietnam in 1976. After receiving a Japanese government scholarship in 1996, he came to Japan and graduated from the Nagoya Institute of Technology. Nghia then obtained a master's degree from Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo. His master's thesis in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Tokyo was awarded the prestigious Furuichi Award for the outstanding thesis, and he also received the University of Tokyo President's Award for Students. In 2006, he founded Vo Trong Nghia Architects, known as VTN Architects, where he serves as a principal. In the meantime, he obtained a PhD in architecture from Waseda University in Tokyo in 2022. He was appointed as a Norman R. Foster Visiting Professor of Architectural Design at Yale University in 2024. Nghia has also served as a Visiting Professor at the University of Pennsylvania since 2025.

Nghia's major architectural works include his debut work, Wind and Water Café (Ho Chi Minh City, 2006) and Grand World Phu Quoc Welcome Center (Phu Quoc, 2021), both of which are part of an architectural series that extensively utilize bamboo as both structural and decorative material. His representative works also comprise Thang House (Da Nang City, 2021), which showcases urban housing integrated with greenery; Bat Trang House (Hanoi City, 2020), a house with highly efficient heating, insulation, and ventilation which was made possible by the ventilation holes in ceramic brick walls; Urban Farming Office (Ho Chi Minh City, 2022), an open structure that incorporates green design to minimize energy consumption, among others. Meanwhile, Nghia designed the Vietnam Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010.

His architectural works have received numerous awards, including the National Architecture Awards 2012 (Vietnam, 2013), the Prince Claus Award (the Netherlands, 2016) and six gold medals from the ARCASIA (The Architects Regional Council Asia). Furthermore, in 2014, the World Economic Forum recognized him as one of the Young Global Leaders.

Vo Trong Nghia convincingly advocates for environmentally and ecologically friendly architecture as he explores the role of architecture in addressing urban challenges facing Vietnam, which has been going through rapid growth, by adopting greenery into open buildings, which are commonly found in tropical regions, and innovating ventilation and heat insulation. For his efforts as a leading young architect in Southeast Asia, he is truly worthy of the Arts and Culture Prize of the Fukuoka Prize.

I am deeply honored to receive the Fukuoka Prize.
This recognition is not only a great encouragement for me personally, but also for my colleagues and fellow architects who share the belief that architecture can bring harmony between people and nature. I am truly grateful to the City of Fukuoka and the Fukuoka Prize Committee for recognizing the spirit of Asian culture and sustainability in our work.

I believe that architecture must go beyond serving human needs — it should also protect nature, support biodiversity, and reduce harm to the Earth. Through my work, I strive to create buildings that breathe with the environment — spaces that welcome trees, wind, light, and water back into our lives. In doing so, I hope to reconnect people with nature, helping us remember that we are part of this planet, not apart from it.

This award strengthens my commitment to creating architecture that serves both humanity and the environment.

With heartfelt thanks.