Ngo Viet Thu

Who was Ngo Viet Thu?

Ngô Viết Thụ was a Vietnamese architect.

Ngô Viết Thụ was born on 17 September 1927 in Thừa Thiên, French Indochina. He married Võ Thị Cơ and had eight children, one of whom, Dr. Ngô Viết Nam Sơn, is also an architect and planner, working both in the United States and in Vietnam.

He studied architecture at the École supérieure d'architecture in Đà Lạt, before transferring to study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He graduated and won the First Grand Prize of Rome in 1955, the highest recognition of Beaux-Arts schools for an architect in France. From 1955 to 1958, he became resident at the Villa Medicis, sponsored by the Academy of France, to conduct research of architecture and urban planning. During that time, his research works were exhibited annually, together with the works of other Grand Prix de Rome's residents, with the presence of the President of France and President of Italy on opening days. After working on several projects in Paris and in London, he was invited by President Ngô Đình Diệm to get back to Vietnam to work on national projects since 1960.

In 1962, he was the first Asian architect to become an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. He designed the Independence Palace in Hồ Chí Minh City, Huế University's campus, Atomic Research Center at Đà Lạt, Thủ Đức University Campus, Hương Giang 1 Hotel in Huế, Phủ Cam Cathedral, the Air Vietnam Headquarters, the Agriculture University in Thủ Đức, Sông Bé Hospital, Century Hotel in Huế. He had associated with international architects in the design of University of Medicine of Saigon, International Art Center in Paris. Aside from being an architect, he was an innovative painter. Two of his most famous paintings were "National Landscape" and "Speed".