Ngô Viết Thụ (17 September 1927 – 3 September 2000) was a Vietnamese architect. Ngô Viết Thụ was born on 17 September 1927 in Thừa Thiên, French Indochina. He married Võ Thị Cơ and had eight children, one of whom, Dr. Ngô Viết Nam Sơn, is also an architect and planner, working both in the United States and in Vietnam. He studied architecture at the ''École supérieure d'architecture'' in

Đà Lạt Da Lat, or Dalat (; ), is the capital of Lâm Đồng Province and the largest city of the Central Highlands region in Vietnam. The city is located above sea level on the Langbiang Plateau. Da Lat is one of the most popular tourist destinat ...

, before transferring to study at the

École des Beaux-Arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...

in Paris. He graduated and won the First Grand Prize of Rome (

Grand Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

) in 1955, the highest recognition of Beaux-Arts schools for an architect in France. From 1955 to 1958, he became resident at the

Villa Medici The Villa Medici () is a sixteenth-century Italian Mannerist villa and an architectural complex with 7-hectare Italian garden, contiguous with the more extensive Borghese gardens, on the Pincian Hill next to Trinità dei Monti in the historic ...

s (Rome), sponsored by the Academy of France, to conduct research of architecture and urban planning. During that time, his research works were exhibited annually, together with the works of other Grand Prix de Rome's residents, with the presence of the President of France and President of Italy on opening days. After working on several projects in Paris and in London, he was invited by President Ngô Đình Diệm to return to Vietnam to work on national projects in1960. In 1962, he was the first Asian architect to become an Honorary Fellow of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

. He designed the

Independence Palace The Independence Palace (), also publicly and officially known as the Reunification Convention Hall or simply Reunification Hall (), is a landmark in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon), Vietnam. It was designed by architect Ngô Vi� ...

(also known as the Presidential Palace, 1962–66, later renamed Reunification Palace, on 30 April 1975) in

Hồ Chí Minh City Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

Huế University Huế University () is a public, research-oriented university system located in Huế, the former imperial capital of Vietnam; it is one of the important regional universities of Vietnam. In Vietnam, universities are classified into two classes: u ...

's campus (1961–63), Atomic Research Center at

(1962–1965), Thủ Đức University Campus (1962), Hương Giang 1 Hotel in Huế (1962),

Phủ Cam Cathedral Phủ Cam Cathedral () is a Latin Catholic cathedral in Huế, Vietnam, and seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Huế, Archdiocese of Huế. Built in almost 40 years (1963—2000) at the site where a Catholic church has existed since the 17t ...

(1963), the

Air Vietnam Active from 1951 to 1975, Air Viet Nam (Air VN) () was South Vietnam's first commercial air carrier, headquartered in District 1, Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City). Established under a decree by Chief of State Bảo Đại, the airline flew over ...

Headquarters (1972), the Agriculture University in Thủ Đức (1975), Sông Bé Hospital (1985), Century Hotel in Huế (1990). He had associated with international architects in the design of University of Medicine of Saigon (Chief of Vietnamese Team, associating with CRS from Houston), International Art Center in Paris (collaborating with architects

Paul Tournon Paul Tournon (b. 19 February 1881 – 22 December 1964) was a French architect. He was born in Marseille and died in Paris. He was an architect in chief of many French civil buildings and national palaces, and a member of the Académie des Beau ...

and

Olivier-Clément Cacoub Olivier-Clément Cacoub, (born April 14, 1920, in Tunis, and died April 27, 2008, in Paris), was a French architect of Tunisian-Jewish origin, known for working in the International Style and Brutalism. Career He studied at the Lycée de Tunis ...

). Aside from being an architect, he was an innovative painter. Two of his most famous paintings were "National Landscape" (displayed at the main dining room of the Independence Palace) and "Speed" (private collection).

Death

Ngô Viết Thụ died on 3 September 2000 in

Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

, aged 72.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ngo, Viet Thu 1927 births 2000 deaths Vietnamese architects Prix de Rome for architecture École des Beaux-Arts alumni 20th-century architects People from Huế