Mr. Nguyen Hoang Manh, a Master of Architecture graduate from KU Leuven in Belgium, is the visionary founder and principal architect of MIA Design Studio. With over 28 years of experience, he brings exceptional design expertise and leadership to his practice. Renowned for his commitment to sustainable and minimalist design, Mr. Manh focuses on integrating natural elements to create harmonious spaces that foster a deep connection between people and nature. He consistently emphasizes the use of local materials and cultural influences, reflecting his respect for Vietnam’s rich architectural heritage while ensuring his projects remain environmentally responsible and contextually relevant. By blending modern architectural techniques with traditional elements, he has crafted innovative and timeless structures that fulfill both aesthetic and functional needs. Under his leadership, MIA Design Studio has gained international recognition and received numerous prestigious awards, particularly in sustainable architecture. The studio’s projects are widely praised for their minimalist elegance, use of open spaces, and strong sensitivity to their architectural context. Mr. Manh’s work, characterized by its simplicity and strong contextual sensitivity, serves as a model for contemporary sustainable design and continues to inspire the next generation of architects.

After working in heritage preservation in Vietnam (UNESCO), Egypt (Antiquities Service) and Syria (DESS Cities, Architecture and Heritage), he has devoted himself for 20 years to Sustainable & Bioclimatic Architecture, first in France, renovating and designing low-consumption buildings, then in Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar) to show that another path is possible beyond all-concrete and smoked-glass facades, and soon on the African continent... Charles believes that architects must be fully involved in designing resource-efficient buildings, following a low-carbon logic and bioclimatic principles, to ensure a desirable future for generations to come and to "do their part" in the construction sector... He also places strong emphasis on "quality of use" in all projects, out of respect for all the users of the buildings designed by his teams... His sources of inspiration are nature (organic forms), natural materials and/or materials suited to a specific use (short supply chains, situated architecture) and a certain functionalism (quality of use). Numerous architecture awards, including Winner of the AFEX Prize 2023 (The Coconut Club & Park in Phnom Penh) and Winner of the Prix de Versailles 2025 (Namia River Retreat – Vietnam).

Mr. Vo Huu Linh is the Founder and Principal Architect of Vo Huu Linh Architects, Vietnam. He graduated from the University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City and later earned a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering. With more than 17 years of experience in practice, research, and architectural education, his work covers residential, hospitality, resort, high-rise, mixed-use, healthcare, and urban projects. His design approach focuses on contemporary tropical architecture, spatial clarity, climate responsiveness, and the integration of architecture with landscape. Natural ventilation, daylight, greenery, courtyards, and transitional spaces are recurring elements in his work. Under his direction, Vo Huu Linh Architects has developed projects in Vietnam and international markets across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. The practice has received recognition from the Asia Architecture Design Awards, VMARK Design Award, A’ Design Award, Wonder Global Design Awards, ARCASIA Awards, Architecture MasterPrize, and World Architecture Community Awards. His professional philosophy is expressed through VHLArch’s statement: “Create Space – Inspire Life.”

John started his hospitality career in his native New Zealand where he owned a number of restaurants before moving to Australia and had a change of direction into hotels joining the Accor group in the early 90’s. He managed several properties around the country before transferring up to Thailand as the start of his career throughout Asia working in other countries in the region such as Indonesia, Singapore and Cambodia before moving to China where he changed his allegiance to Intercontinental Hotels. From there he was headhunted for the roll in the iconic Caravelle Hotel Saigon where he was GM then GD for 15 years. Recognising the growth potential of the hotel industry here, he decided it was time to move on to one last long term gig, so together with a colleague set up Optimum Hospitality, a full service hotel consultancy, asset management, advisory and independent management company for the region and have just opened their Indonesian office. Married to his beautiful wife Cass and with a daughter just finished her university studies in Singapore, and with so many friends in Vietnam this will be his home for many years to come.

Olivier Souquet has 30 years of experience in architecture; he is the president of DE-SO Asia studio and founding partner of DE-SO in Paris. Member of the Paris Academy of Architecture (2025). DE-SO studio was created in 2005 and DE-SO Asia in 2016 in Vietnam. The DE-SO Asia studio with 20 collaborators develops architectural and landscape urban planning projects in Southeast Asia. Currently, the DE-SO Asia agency is carrying out several projects in Vietnam and receives 2021 the grand prize for urban planning in Vietnam and several architectural prizes. The DE-SO studio based in Paris is made up of about fifteen collaborators with 3 partners, the studio produces many public and educational facilities and has received several distinctions and architectural prizes. Since 2019 DE-SO has been in charge of Louis Vuitton's leather goods workshops in France. ------------------------------- “Architecture is an art of assembly. It is about anchoring a project in a site. Finely combine geography and geometry, revealing the genius of the place. Compose windows on the landscape and the multiple horizons that exist. » The attention paid to the geographical and geographical specificity of each project is found in our architectural achievements as well as in our urban planning projects. The uses features and materials of each project are all underpinned by our mastery of design, where geometry meets geography.

With a Master in Architecture and a specialization in Landscape Architecture in E.T.S. Architecture of Madrid (Spain), Daniel’s original design background ranges from architecture and landscape architecture projects to public art installations. He has participated in more landscape projects, covering a big variety of programs, from mixed-use residential to large scale public spaces, institutional works and high-end hospitality projects throughout Asia, Europe and SouthAmerica.

David Michael is the founder of EX. Future Labs, a built-environment R&PD company developing repeatable physical systems for wellness and urban hospitality. His perspective is shaped by a decade of lived experience across the global housing and hospitality spectrum: high-end residential with Compass's Sports & Entertainment Division, distressed-asset and opportunity-zone work for private equity, new-build lease-up and property management in the New York Metro Area, immersing himself in micro-hospitality models across Europe and Asia, and creating micro-coliving concepts in Taiwan that led to founding Beacon Coliving in San Francisco. That range exposed a consistent gap between the environments cities provide and the way people actually live, move, work, and recover — the problem EX. Future Labs was founded to address. Alongside EX. Future Labs, he writes After Ownership, an ongoing research series examining the transition from ownership-based to access-based systems across workspace, defense, logistics, transportation and healthcare. David served in the U.S. Army, studied Management at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and currently studies Architecture at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. His work sits at the intersection of architecture, hospitality, urban living, and systems thinking. The broader question is simple: What happens when access becomes more important than ownership? EX. Future Labs is one way he is working toward an answer.

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