From Hanoi Train Factory to Venice Grid:
In Conversation with Trung Mai about
The Architectural Paradox of Ephemerality and Eternity
Emma Feng at Vietnam Art Collection (VAC)
Hanoi’s Industrial Landscape, Hanoi Ad Hoc
Looking into the map of Hanoi, it is easy to recognize that the urban fabric is imprinted in an amalgamation of elaborate zone planning and the obvious sprawl of informalities. Roads are congested with the squeak of motorbikes, which makes it hard to imagine how this once walkable city has transformed into one that embraces the hustle and bustle of modernity. Hawkers, peddlers, and casual laborers are witnessed and expanded into the thinnest veins of the city, while slum-like settlements and pollution are seen as the repercussions of economic development, impacts from external regimes, colonial stigma, and warfare. As one of the integral forces, industrialization has shaped and is continuously shaping the city fabric, the socio-economic dynamics, Vietnamese cultures, identities, memories, and the subjectivity of its people.
Vietnam's Industrialization
Tracing the history of Vietnam's industrialization, it began in the 1890s with the rise of extractive and manufacturing industries, especially coal mining. As Tonkin's coalfields were heavily exploited, Indochina became the East's leading coal exporter by the century's end. During this period, Hanoi, under French colonial rule, emerged as a hub for industrial activity designed to serve colonial interests in extraction and wealth accumulation. Early factories, primarily European-founded, fell into three categories: resource processing (e.g., electricity and chipboard), infrastructure and population support (e.g., railways, repair shops, construction materials), and consumer goods (e.g., distilleries, soap, sugar, cotton, tobacco). Urban planning, intended to create the "Paris of the East," reinforced segregation between colonial and indigenous zones. Yet, these developments stimulated economic growth, population booms, and factory-adjacent settlements.
Industrial Map of Hanoi, Hanoi Ad Hoc
With Soviet influence beginning in 1955, industrial and urban planning adopted socialist principles. The state led production, supported by foreign aid, while urban expansion was limited to control population growth. Many factories were relocated to rural areas during the Second Vietnam War after widespread bombings. Soviet-style housing blocks, known as "khu tap the" (KTT), remain as remnants of this era.
Following reunification, development shifted under Doi Moi reforms, prioritizing market-driven growth. Hanoi experienced rapid urban change, including population surges, increased motorization, and a transforming housing market, alongside persistent social and environmental issues such as poverty, overcrowding, and pollution.
Amid Hanoi's rapid urban transformation, in recent years, state policies have initiated the relocation of hundreds of factories from inner city areas to the outskirts, prioritizing real estate expansion and urban beautification. However, many of these sites are not simply industrial remnants. They are physical testaments to the country's modernization efforts and lived experiences of its people. Gia Lam Factory is one of these threatened sites. Its story offers a unique lens through which to examine Vietnam's industrial past and the challenges of preserving industrial heritage in a rapidly urbanizing present.
Gia Lam Factory
Gia Lam Factory, located in the northeast of central Hanoi, is a living relic of the century's historical transitions. It is considered one of the three great colonial railway works built during the early 20th century, according to historian Tim Doling. Strategically situated at the junction of four prominent railway lines, including Gia Lam–Dong Dang (163 km), Hanoi–Hai Phong (102 km), Hanoi–Lao Cai (296 km), and Hanoi–Ben Thuy (326 km), Gia Lam Factory was initially built as a mechanical depot for the repair and maintenance of steam engines and wagons by the French. It was later repurposed to produce bombs and weapons during the Japanese occupation. Over its lifespan, it has witnessed strikes, revolutions, regime changes, bombing damage, and multiple reconstructions. Although Gia Lam has survived historical turmoil and its production continues to the present day, it is currently facing relocation as a result of urban redevelopment.
Industrial Map of Hanoi, Hanoi Ad Hoc
The Grid Project: Conception
According to Trung Mai, the architect of the Grid Project, the concept is conceived at this intersection of an unknown future and potential loss of the historical legacy, interrogating the central paradox between ephemerality and eternity. Trung resonated with Aldo Rossi's idea that the power of architecture lies not in its lifespan, but in its ability to connect people to place, to one another, and to the shared rhythms of history—that a structure can be ephemeral in material, but eternal in memory. The physical stance and functions of the factory were shaped by demands, decisions, and powers, while in turn, it constructed the culture of mobility, housing and urban planning, ideologies, lifestyles, and most importantly, collective memories for the people who have worked, lived, and passed by this land and its buildings for generations. This also echoes with Michael Schiffer's concept of "behavioral archaeology," focusing on understanding the relationship between human behavior and material culture.
By intervening and repurposing this industrial site, not for material use, but for the accumulation of its memories, material and cultural impacts, and the revivification of its functional and architectural legacy, the project connects people to the space and to the non-linear memories of past, present, and future. As mentioned by Trung, it invites an examination of the site's structure and its possible future through community efforts. The Grid Project is, therefore, able to transform the material stand into a memorial center, coupled with a contemporary sustainable design approach, attempting to preserve and prolong its impact permanently.
Floor Plan 3, Hanoi Ad Hoc
Section, Hanoi Ad Hoc
Photo by Trieu Chien
The Grid Project: Reconstruction
"The grid layout takes its form from two distinct sources. It resonates with the existing intricate ceiling structure of the factory warehouse, reviving and paying homage to its architectural imprint. Additionally, it draws influence from the 19th century urban planning of Ildefons Cerdà for Barcelona's Eixample district, which employed a grid design of streets and blocks to achieve equitable city access and efficient circulation—principles that still support urban life today."
— Trung Mai
The grid in Gia Lam Factory embraces similar ideals of equality and efficiency: each spatial section aligns with the overarching grid, creating a sense of rigid order and organization while allowing for fluid traffic and movement.
Photo by Trieu Chien
On the production level, the intervention and reconstruction process aims to minimize the carbon emissions embedded in traditional construction. Materials used in the project include metal grating repurposed from leftover steel originally used to fabricate trains in the factory. Furniture featured in the exhibition was constructed from ammunition boxes once used for anti-tank weapons during the Vietnam War, discovered on-site. Additionally, art objects were assembled from reclaimed fragments found in the warehouse, such as industrial ventilation ducts and other salvaged components, giving new form and meaning to the factory's remnants.
The Grid Project: Impact
The impact of the Gia Lam Grid Project exhibition has been profound in Hanoi. Former factory workers were able to reconnect both on-site and remotely, sharing untold stories of the past. Planned student tours helped build dialogues materially and conceptually, transcending limitations of time and space. However, due to the factory's relocation, the exhibition itself is ephemeral and dismantled after one month of public opening. Having seen it in person in 2024 and now working as part of The Reincarnated Grid project curatorial team, I personally feel that the purpose of the grid has been fulfilled: elevating the factory to a dynamic memorial role—preserving, examining, and researching it with a permanent stance.
By recontextualizing The Reincarnated Grid project within the framework of the Venice Biennale, new meanings and interpretations are invited by global spectators.
Photo by Hanoi Ad Hoc
"The methodology and philosophy behind the project essentially serve as a manifestation and testimony of the greater collective intelligence embedded in Vietnamese culture — Adhocism."
"Adhocism is not about the final image, but about showing how you can adapt and adjust in the future. Architecture doesn't need to be permanent. It should be an infinite process of making and unmaking, responding to the context as it evolves. We always ask architects to create something forever, but actually, the ability to change is more important than the initial design, because the future you predict is an assumption that will never truly arrive."
—Trung Mai
Adhocism as Collective Intelligence
Here, the narrative turns against the consumerism of endless production and resource waste, and instead advocates for an alternative, adaptive, sustainable, and feasible way of living.
Adhocism is a concept introduced by Charles Jencks and Nathan Silver in their 1972 book Adhocism: The Case for Improvisation. According to Jencks, "As a design principle, adhocism begins with everyday improvisations: a bottle as a candle holder, a dictionary as a doorstop, a tractor seat on wheels as a dining chair. But it is also an untapped force in our way of approaching almost all activities, from play to architecture, including urbanism and political revolution."
While consumerism, fueled by mass media and technology, has prevailed for centuries, embedding the desire for happiness and identity in endless consumption, it has led to reinforced class divisions, long-term debt-driven instability, planned obsolescence, overproduction, and ecological crisis. In contrast, the concept of adhocism offers an alternative path to sustainable living, emphasizing reuse, repurposing, and the ethic of "doing with what you have" instead of waiting for a perfect top-down solution.
Adhocism as Alternative Solutions
Despite being one of the top 20 fastest-growing economies in the world, Vietnam's lifestyles are surprisingly rooted in the spirit of adhocism rather than traditional hierarchical structures. This cultural trait dates back centuries and is manifest in every aspect of Vietnamese life—from the scale of object to architecture and urban planning.
This ethos of flexibility and improvisation begins at the most intimate scale—everyday objects. Furniture such as tables and chairs are among the most versatile items. In Hang Trong painting, a traditional Vietnamese folk art that captures scenes from everyday life, we see the cai sap (a wooden platform bed) appear in diverse settings: used by emperors as a tea table, by students as seating in school libraries, or as an altar in temples. In modern Vietnam, the plastic stool has become the most obvious modular system of seating and tables. People combine and disassemble them freely to fit different needs, which is an embodiment of flexible, user-driven design.
Hàng Trống painting
Photo by Trung Mai
The same improvisational spirit applies to public infrastructure. During the Tet Offensive in 1968, a massive assault by North Vietnamese forces and the Viet Cong, Hue was one of the most heavily affected battlegrounds. The Truong Tien Bridge was severely damaged during the fighting. In response, locals rebuilt it by linking together boats, creating a floating bridge that functioned effectively for years afterward.
Photo by Bettmann/CORBIS
Adhocism is not only visible in physical structures but also in spiritual and ethical practices. Thich Minh Tue is a Vietnamese Buddhist practitioner who popularized walking meditation in both Vietnam and on the global stage. One of his core spirits from Engaged Buddhism, meaning Buddhism in practice, encourages not only personal mindfulness but also helping others become aware of their own capacity for compassion and generosity.
In line with this spirit, Thich Minh Tue intentionally uses discarded textiles to make his robes, imbuing them with multiple meanings: resisting consumerism, deterring theft or commodification, and emphasizing pure human virtues. He asks for food offerings not out of personal hunger, but as a call for compassion. His minimalist and mindful practice has inspired many in modern Vietnam to follow in his footsteps.
A line of Buddhist monks walks barefoot along a rural road, most clad in or carrying vibrant patchwork robes. Their journey embodies the humility, simplicity, and communal spirit at the heart of Buddhist practice.
Photo by Nguyen Van Phuoc
At the scale of the city, adhocism becomes a defining characteristic of Vietnam's urban fabric. Vietnamese cities serve as both containers and reflections of the collective mindset and spirit of their people. Much of the urban landscape has been shaped not by centralized planning, but through the bottom-up ethos of adhocism. While the chaotic appearance of some city areas might make it difficult to apply a blanket label like "intelligent design," what emerges clearly is a powerful logic of adaptation and resourcefulness that keeps cities functioning despite challenges like climate change, resource scarcity, and historical upheavals.
Zooming in, a single sidewalk in Hanoi offers a time-lapse of functions over the course of a day: it becomes an extension of domestic life in the morning, a commercial space for street food at night, and an overflow lane for traffic during rush hour. Boundaries between public and private space are blurred, flexible, and needs-driven—a pragmatic stopgap in a context of limited resources.
Photo by Trung Mai
Hàng Trống painting
Photo by Trung Mai
From a bird's-eye view, the vernacular urban morphology of Hanoi is a tangible expression of ad hoc behavior, composed of a mix of improvised solutions and systematic decisions that fill even the smallest vessels of the city.
Photo by Tristan Ruark on Unsplash
In the face of climate and ecological crises, the ability to improvise, adapt, and use what's on hand, in tandem with top-down planning and policy, makes it possible to bridge the gap between vision and execution. Adhocism presents an alternative model of problem-solving, one where the imperative lies in the actions of individual units, which collectively form a greater network of intelligence.
Trung Mai, Architect of the Grid Project, Founder of the Hanoi Ad Hoc.
Photo by Trieu Chien