Mr Trần Ngọc An
Ambassador of Vietnam
to the United Kingdom
“I am so thankful to the organisers, especially Dr. Marta Gasparin, Ms. Claire Driscoll and their British and Vietnamese teams, for their great efforts to bring back the Vietnam Pavilion at the 2018 London Design Biennale, which was a great success, to Hanoi to showcase how creative and innovative young talented Vietnamese artists and designers are in introducing Vietnamese traditional crafts to international friends. It is also a meaningful event to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Viet Nam – UK Strategic Partnership. I hope that more Vietnam and UK culture and arts activities will be held both in Vietnam and UK to help bring the people of the two countries closer together.”
Mr Gareth Ward
British Ambassador to Vietnam
“London Design Biennale is a wonderful opportunity for young artists and designers to showcase their talent. I think these two striking installations were some of the best on show in London. I’m so glad that they can be brought back here to Vietnam for us to enjoy.”
Nguyễn Phương Hòa
Director General of the International
Cooperation Department,Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
“It is such a great pleasure to have Vietnamese creativity presented right at the heart of the most creative city in the world. The installation is a connection between tradition and modernity, a convergence between the east and the west, a call to be kind to Mother Nature. I would like to express my appreciation to all British partners and Vietnamese designers for passionately joint-efforts to tell the story of Vietnam internationally. A special thanks goes to Dr. Marta Gasparin from Leicester University, without her dedication, the project cannot be made possible. Many thanks to Work Room Four and Manzi for sharing the spirit of London Design Biennale among our home audience.”
Donna McGowan
Director
British Council Vietnam
“This innovative UK-Vietnamese collaboration showcases what’s best about the London Design Biennale and the power of design to inspire, entertain and inform. Now with Hanoi as the permanent home of the installation, many others will have the opportunity to enjoy and appreciate its contribution to creative expression, exchange and enterprise, as well as reflect on the role they themselves could play in the future.”
Professor Jim Devlin
Dean
University of Leicester,
School of Business
“The University of Leicester supports this cutting-edge interdisciplinary exhibition, which re-conceptualises what design is in an emerging country, as a sponsor and research partner. The academic team involved in the project (led by Dr Gasparin) has been researching creativity and innovation in Vietnam over the course of various exploratory studies in Vietnam funded by the British Council.”
Dominic Scriven OBE
Chairman
Dragon Capital
“Vietnam has been our focus for the last 25 years and helping to encourage the sustainable economic development of the Vietnam market is part of our long-term commitment. We deeply appreciate the great efforts of the British Council of Vietnam, the University of Leicester School of Business and the Vietnam Rural Industries Institute to promote the future of craft industries in Vietnam. The London Design Biennale is a wonderful initiative that fits well with one of our core values, which is to foster creativity. It is a great pleasure and honour for Dragon Capital to sponsor this event. We believe there is a need to preserve Vietnamese traditional crafts. They not only help to generate economic opportunities for female weavers. They also promote environmentally friendly production methods with their use of high-quality natural materials, and their recent move into and contemporary design trends, which can lead to sustainable fashion.”
Professor Ray Gordon
Vice Chancellor and President
British University Vietnam
“As a higher institution in Vietnam that delivers programmes in Contemporary Creative Practices, BUV is proud to be the sponsor for this Exhibition: “The Installation – Khải” in Hanoi, Vietnam. This is a great opportunity for everyone to view Vietnamese art and design showcased on the world stage at London Design Biennale. This installation will also be on display at BUV permanently after this exhibition, where it will be a source of inspiration for its students”
