Leaving To Return: The Dream School For Children In The Rural Areas Of The Mekong Delta

They are the young, ambitious, and capable people of Bac Lieu, always driven to turn dreams of boundless horizons into reality. After becoming global citizens, they return to contribute to the nation’s development and prosperity. Leaving to return, these young people from Bac Lieu have spoken and acted with all their hearts …

Appointed as the official representative of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in Vietnam since July 2021, it is not only Khiem Nguyen’s personal achievement and pride but also an honor for those in the field of architecture nationwide. His accomplishments today are the result of relentless efforts by this architect from Bac Lieu.

Khiem Nguyen was born in Ward 7 (Bac Lieu City), attended Bac Lieu High School for the Gifted, and was the only candidate from Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, and Soc Trang provinces to enter University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City in 2001. His university journey was fraught with challenges; he had to work part-time to cover his educational expenses throughout his student life. Despite this, his academic achievements always earned admiration from his peers. As a third-year student, participating in a British Council study abroad seminar and an English competition, his solid knowledge, confidence, and enthusiasm led him to win a summer study scholarship at Liverpool John Moores University in the UK. However, the condition for this scholarship was to cover the round-trip airfare, while his family faced financial difficulties. It seemed that studying in the UK might not become a reality, but Khiem’s mother encouraged and arranged everything for him to embark on the journey.

After completing his studies in the UK, Khiem returned to continue his education. In 2006, overcoming numerous challenges, he graduated with honors with a thesis on “City Art Museum” and was selected to participate in the Loa Thanh competition for outstanding graduation projects nationwide. That same year, he and his classmates participated in a design competition for an earthquake-resistant house in Taiwan organized by APEC and the British Council, winning an international award for his university.

After graduation, he was recruited by an architectural consulting group for a UK-based company. With 10 years of experience, Khiem Nguyen became associated with projects related to preserving and restoring historical hotel architecture in Cheltenham Spa and new development projects like The Cube high-rise complex in Birmingham, UK. Notably, he gifted the Traditional House of Vo Thi Sau Secondary School (Bac Lieu City) to his former teacher and his hometown – Bac Lieu.

With practical experience and his own capabilities, Khiem established his own architectural office. In addition to working at the office, he also teaches and judges design and graduation project competitions at University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City.

Reflecting on his hometown, Khiem expresses: “Seeing my hometown still facing many difficulties and the younger generation not having access to good educational environments, I wish to establish a school for teaching arts and architecture using my own creative methods.” This aspiration has also motivated him to pursue a Fulbright scholarship for a master’s program in public policy, specializing in leadership and management at the Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management (Fulbright University Vietnam).

As spring approaches and we look back on the relentless efforts of our people striving for success, we have the right to be proud and use it as motivation to continue our journey into the future.

HOANG LAM

(Excerpt from Bac Lieu Spring 2021)

 

 

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