undergraduate

In many universities worldwide, Interior Architecture is considered an elite major, whilst in Vietnam this discipline is seen as secondary, for students who are unable to study Construction Architecture.

In Vietnam recently there has been an increasing demand for living and working in beautiful and elegant surroundings, with style and personality, and Interior Designers are becoming indispensable. Breaking with the traditional approach of Interior Design, DTU followed the lead of several well-known foreign universities, such as Auburn University in the US and the University of New South Wales in Australia, to establish an Interior Architecture course which teaches professionals the concepts of functionality and form, instead of just decorating existing homes.

 

DTU Interior Architecture students learn about the design and construction in the interior of buildings, interior decoration, selecting and composing objects to create spaces with cultural characteristics, and so on. The types of structures DTU students study and train on diverse, from villas and apartments, to hotels and restaurants, cafes, spas, showrooms and shops, as taught is well-developed, high-quality courses around the world.

 

DTU’s has collaborated over the years with American universities, among them the California State University in Fullerton, the largest school in the California State University system, and with Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo (CSU - Cal State), one of the five leading universities in Architecture in the US, to develop the first advanced programs in Architecture and Construction in Central Vietnam, beginning in 2010.

DTU has allocated special space for Interior Architecture students to practice in a system of studios, fine arts labs, sculpture workshops, materials libraries, 3D modeling workshops and iMac computer rooms. Interior Design projects are always supervised by lecturers and students from partner universities in the US and Singapore.

Studying with foreign lecturers, Interior Architecture students will develop their skills in spatial composition, interior decoration, building structure, construction and design techniques and technology, and the use of colors, materials, and lighting techniques. Graduates will receive a degree in Architecture, not merely an industrial fine arts Bachelor’s degree in Interior Design, like other Vietnamese universities. DTU’s Interior Architects will be able to work for design consultants to supervise building architecture, interior construction, or teach and research at institutions specializing in this discipline, or start up their own design and building businesses, or deal in materials and equipment for interior decoration.

DTU takes pride in its many students who have obtained outstanding prizes at national and international contests. Dang Xuan Nam won the only first prize in the 2010 Loa Thanh competition and at the IDEERS Asia-Pacific Champions’ Cup in “Designing Earthquake Resistant Buildings”, held in Taiwan in 2014. DTU also finished third in the IDEERS contests in 2013 and 2015.  In 2014, at the National Architecture Festival, DTU students won 14 prizes: three firsts, one second, six thirds, and four consolation prizes. In 2016, also 14 prizes: one first, six seconds, six thirds, and one Lucky prize, winning the most prizes of any university offering Architecture courses in Danang or Hue.

Dr. Vu Duy Thang, Dean of the DTU Faculty of Architecture, said: “Although it has only been open since 2012, DTU’s major in Interior Design has attracted many students. This is due to the acumen of both parents and students in Vietnam who recognize the demand for living in beautiful and interesting surroundings is steadily increasing. Only a small number of universities in the country offer Interior Architecture rather than Interior Design courses, and graduates in this major certainly have many advantages when seeking a secure career in the future.”