Research project: 
The vital role of Hem villages in Ho Chi Minh city: the paradigm for future settlements. 

Project description: 
This thesis examines the architectural typology of the alleyway communities, or hẻms, within the metropolitan area of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Currently accommodating 85% of the city’s residents, these hem communities significantly contribute to the city’s cultural identity and urban fabric. The research explores the potential of the hems as an instrument of urban restructuring and a pathway to reduce present urban inequalities. By conceptualising the hems not only through previous geographical and sociological lenses but also through spatial and urban design frameworks, this study seeks to generate new narratives for developing sustainable and inclusive settlements.

Researcher interests: 
Self Actualised urban precincts 

Principal Supervisor:
Silvia Micheli

Publications: 
Monthly articles for the Village Voice

Contact Email: 
e.haysom@uq.edu.au

Researcher biography

Ed Haysom LFRAIA, AIA, HonFNZIA has had an international architectural career designing a range of buildings but has specialised in resorts and hospitality projects.  He has won numerous awards for his work. Now in Australia, from 2013 - 2019 he worked and lived in Vietnam and is Design Director of Transform Architecture. 

Ed has served as both Queensland Chapter President and National President of the Australian Institute of Architects.  He was Deputy Chair of the Major Brisbane Festivals Board from 2003 until 2014 and a Board member of the Brisbane Development Association now Committee for Brisbane.
In 2014 he was appointed City Architect for the City of the Gold Coast and returned to Queensland for 18 months.

He has assisted Government on various committees and task forces, serving as a client representative on the Lord Mayors Restore City Hall Board and as a member of the Brisbane City Council IDAP panel and the Board for Urban Places.  He was also a member of the Australian delegation to the APEC negotiations on international trade in architectural services. In 2003 he was awarded the Centenary Medal for services to architecture.
Ed has advised the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee on the redevelopment of their City Hall as well as the creation of a new city in Can Gio near the mouth of the Saigon River.

In 2019 he lead the team in designing a new technology university in the Nha Be district.  He has also been on the jury of the Vietnam Property Awards for several years. He is a Design Director of Transform Architecture, a highly awarded international architectural practice headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City. In 2020 Transform Architecture was shortlisted to design the new Performing Arts Centre for Ho Chi Minh City