Design in Vietnam Amid Changing Client Expectations
"Budget becomes less of a limitation and more of a design driver that pushes clarity, creativity, and discipline."
In the context of Vietnam’s increasingly integrated real estate and urban development market, the expectations placed on design are no longer limited to being “locally appropriate.” From the perspective of Freek Jansen, Southeast Asia Regional Director at Dewan Architects, 2026 marks a period in which clients, budgets, and project timelines are pushing architects to find a delicate balance between international ambition and local realities, as well as between design quality and effective implementation.
Clients are becoming more ambitious, but also more pragmatic
Compared with 3–5 years ago, Freek Jansen has observed significant changes among clients in Vietnam, both in terms of aesthetic expectations and the value they seek from a design project. An increasing number of developers are no longer satisfied with projects that are simply “good within the domestic market.” Instead, they actively compare their projects with international destinations, mixed-use developments, hotels, and notable buildings they have experienced abroad.
This shift has significantly raised aesthetic expectations, but more importantly, the conversation around design has moved from style toward identity. Clients are looking for projects with a clear personality, strong memorability, and a distinct point of view, rather than reproducing familiar global imagery.
At the same time, however, this ambition is accompanied by a growing sense of pragmatism. Many developers have realized that imposing an “international look” without a strong local foundation can feel forced and quickly become outdated. What they are looking for is balance: international quality combined with cultural relevance, ambition without losing sight of practical implementation.
According to Freek Jansen, this balance is where international design practices with a genuine local presence can make a meaningful difference.
Budget becomes a driver that shapes design
In the current context, Freek Jansen considers budget to be the factor with the strongest influence on design decisions. However, budget is no longer simply a figure on a spreadsheet. Inflation, rising material costs, and constantly changing construction schedules have fundamentally altered the “rules of the game.”
Many projects were financially planned one or two years earlier, when costs were at a different level. By the time implementation begins, the gap between the original vision and actual feasibility becomes increasingly apparent. For architects, the challenge is not to abandon ambition, but to find ways to preserve the project’s spirit and core values under real-world cost constraints.
At Dewan Architects, this has encouraged the design team to think more strategically about materials, construction details, and the elements that truly matter to the spatial experience. Local materials, when carefully researched and thoughtfully applied, can deliver a sense of quality, durability, and strong aesthetics without pushing costs beyond control.
Interestingly, as budgets become tighter, user experience becomes more important than ever. According to Freek Jansen, good spaces are not defined by expensive finishes, but by proportion, natural light, ventilation, and the way people move through and use the space. When these fundamental elements are resolved properly, a project can still feel generous and carefully considered, despite financial limitations.
Featured Projects by:
Freek Jansen + Dewan Architects
The underestimated value of international design rooted in local context
One of the major opportunities that remains underappreciated in the Vietnamese market, according to Freek Jansen, is the strategic value of working with international design practices that are deeply integrated with local teams.
International design is often perceived as expensive, but its true value lies not only in aesthetics, but also in its ability to reduce risk, improve efficiency, and enhance the project’s long-term operational performance. Global experience allows design teams to anticipate issues related to planning, project phasing, construction coordination, trade-offs between sustainability and cost, as well as patterns of spatial use over time.
At Dewan, international experience is not applied as a rigid template, but as a knowledge base for making better decisions. When combined with the local team’s deep understanding of Vietnam’s climate, regulations, materials, contractors, and processes, design solutions often become more effective rather than more complicated or expensive.
Another factor that is often underestimated is the role of design leadership during the early stages of a project. According to Freek Jansen, a clear concept and well-defined project positioning from the outset can help prevent costly changes later on. Focusing only on the initial design fee while overlooking the value of reducing risks, avoiding delays, and preserving final quality is ultimately a short-term approach.
Speed, technology, and new approaches to professional practice
Looking back on his professional journey, Freek Jansen considers the biggest shift in his thinking to be accepting speed and complexity as the new default rather than the exception. Projects are now delivered faster, budgets are tighter, and decision-making timelines are significantly shorter than before.
Rather than resisting this reality, Dewan Architects has adapted its tools, processes, and collaboration models accordingly. One important step has been the development of its internal AI platform, Quible, which enables the team to work faster and more accurately during later stages of projects, particularly in technical coordination, clash detection, and solution optimization.
Technology helps identify problems earlier, test options more effectively, and improve designs without slowing down the process. However, according to Freek Jansen, technology only delivers its full value when combined with close collaboration between international and local teams. Today’s design challenges can no longer be solved in isolation; they must always be considered through the relationship between global standards and local realities.
This flexible, grounded, and solution-oriented mindset has shaped the way Freek Jansen approaches projects today, helping maintain quality, clarity, and design intent even under highly demanding circumstances.
Freek Jansen is an architect and currently serves as Southeast Asia Regional Director at Dewan Architects, an international design practice with more than 40 years of experience in mixed-use developments, hospitality, residential, and living projects across emerging markets. Working in Vietnam and across Southeast Asia, he focuses on combining international design expertise with local knowledge to create projects that are commercially viable, culturally relevant, and human-centered.
Company:
Freek Jansen (DEWAN Architects)
Website:
Explore More Featured Projects by:
Freek Jansen + Dewan Architects