Design Map · Eindhoven
Đà Lạt: “the Vosges of Indochina”
Graduation project by Sophie Pham van 't Noordende at Design Academy Eindhoven, 2026. Shown during Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven on Design Map, location F5.
Founded by French colonists as a hill station, the Vietnamese area of Đà Lạt was chosen for its mild climate and alpine aesthetics. Pine trees became part of the Europeanisation of the landscape, driven by a desire to recreate an idealised home. This project examines the aesthetics of colonialism, showing how ecosystems were reshaped to produce familiar environments for settlers. A panorama assembled from colonial postcards of Đà Lạt and the Vosges reappropriates a colonial mode of representation. Historically, panoramas placed viewers at the centre of an apparently unrestricted landscape. Here, the supporting structure remains visible, disrupting the illusion of a neutral gaze. Fragments from colonial tourist guides and an audio piece interrupt this weaponised nostalgia, asking what is projected onto the landscape and who controls its transformation. The cast pine resin landscape appears serene, but its serenity is amnesic: it conceals the violent erasure through which it was made.