Italian Design Day (IDD) is an annual international initiative that promotes Italian design and creativity worldwide. The 2026 edition is promoted and organized by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Italian Ministry of Culture – Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity.
The event is held each year in cities around the world, gathering architects, designers, academic institutions and creative professionals to explore the cultural and social role of design. The 2026 edition marks the initiative’s 10th anniversary.
In Ho Chi Minh City, the event was organized by the Consulate General of Italy in Ho Chi Minh City in collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency, with support from partners including AA Corporation, CARA Lighting Solution, RuNam, Elle Decoration Vietnam and Vudafieri-Saverino Partners.
Italian Design Day 2026 in Ho Chi Minh City attracted the interest of architects, designers, and creative professionals in the fields of architecture and construction. Photo courtesy of IDD
The theme “Re-Design: Regenerating Spaces, Objects, Ideas and Relations” focuses on how design evolves through reinterpretation and adaptation rather than entirely new creation. The 10th edition highlighted projects that demonstrate how contemporary design can reinterpret heritage, respond to local identities and create new cultural connections.
Delivering the opening remarks, Alessandra Tognonato, Consul General of Italy in Ho Chi Minh City, said: “Italy can be seen as a vibrant laboratory of urban regeneration, where historical values and architectural heritage are preserved while being reinterpreted to respond to the needs of contemporary society”.
Alessandra Tognonato, Consul General of Italy in Ho Chi Minh City, delivered the opening remarks on behalf of the organizers at the event. Photo courtesy of IDD
Tognonato also referred to Salone del Mobile Milano as an important international platform for dialogue between design, creativity and industry.
At Italian Design Day 2026, Architect Tiziano Vudafieri, Italian Design Ambassador to Vietnam for the 2026 edition, shared insights into the role of architecture and design in processes of urban regeneration, with a focus on innovation, sustainability, and the enhancement of existing heritage.
Renowned architect Tiziano Vudafieri, who has many years of professional experience, serves as the Italian Design Ambassador to Vietnam for Italian Design Day 2026.
“For me personally, curiosity is the most important element in design”, Vudafieri remarked, emphasizing that curiosity opens the door to new perspectives and creative approaches.
Ilaria Piccinni – Trade Commissioner to Vietnam, Director of Italian Trade Agency (ITA), attentively followed the event. Photo courtesy of IDD
From an urban planning perspective, Architect Ngo Viet Nam Son, a renowned Vietnamese architect and urban planner, said urban regeneration projects must balance several factors to support sustainable development. He outlined seven key considerations in planning and design: history, space, infrastructure, management, people, activities and the environment.
A panel discussion moderated by Nguyen Phan Thuy Duong, managing editor of Elle Decoration Vietnam, explored how architectural practices in different cultural contexts address contemporary challenges while maintaining connections to history and local identity.
The discussion also touched on Vietnam’s architectural landscape, which reflects multiple historical layers—from French colonial architecture to mid-20th-century modernist and Brutalist buildings, as well as the tube-house typology common in Vietnamese cities.
The event was held at RuNam d’Or, a historic building in central Ho Chi Minh City. The structure was once the residence of Marie-Alfred Foulhoux and features a steel roof designed by the engineering company founded by Gustave Eiffel. Today, it serves as an example of how historic architecture can be preserved and adapted for contemporary use.
Organizers said initiatives such as Italian Design Day aim to strengthen professional exchanges between architects, designers, academic institutions and companies from Italy and Vietnam, while encouraging collaboration in architecture and design.
