Dong Mai Ecological Urban Park is a comprehensive master plan that combines environmental restoration with economic opportunity. The project proposes a 14-hectare public landscape centered around a reservoir and restored marshlands, interwoven with footpaths, gardens, and civic gathering spaces. Supporting programs include retail and commercial areas, a cultural exhibition hall, a food hall and market, and a large hotel. Envisioned as the future “heart” of the growing community, the park provides spaces to relax, gather, shop, and experience culture while continuing the vital work of ecological remediation and environmental stewardship.

Dong Mai Village lies just outside the capital city of Hanoi and is increasingly shaped by the region’s rapid economic growth. As the area develops, a growing population of young, middle-class families is seeking the parks, amenities, and vibrant public spaces commonly found in major metropolitan centers. In response, the park provides a wide range of recreational and leisure opportunities, including open grassy fields, landscaped gardens, kayaking and boating on the reservoir, public plazas, and an extensive network of pedestrian paths designed for walking, gathering, and everyday community life.

The park features three major public destinations: a retail complex, an exhibition hall with a food hall, and a sculptural pedestrian bridge. Together, these elements transform the park into a vibrant regional destination, a place to explore, relax, shop, and gather. The pedestrian bridge connects the western and eastern shores, crossing the reservoir in a graceful diagonal arc that forms an infinity symbol in plan. Composed of two arches arranged in rotational symmetry, the structure balances its forces through a clear and efficient system. The result is a rational solution expressed through a refined, understated form: simple, elegant, and structurally purposeful.

Vietnam’s tropical monsoon climate brings between 1,500 and 2,500 mm of rainfall each year, often resulting in seasonal flooding and muddy ground conditions. Rather than resisting this dynamic water cycle, the project embraces it as a design strategy. A large reservoir and restored native marshlands form the ecological backbone of the park, transforming seasonal rainfall into a natural filtration system. Water also holds deep significance in Vietnamese culture and artistic tradition. From Tranh Lua silk paintings to Vietnamese calligraphy, flowing lakes, rivers, and waterfalls inspire soft, fluid compositions. Drawing from these traditions, the park is conceived as a landscape painting: an interconnected series of gestures that come together to form a cohesive and harmonious composition.