For more than two decades, Thủ Thiêm has been a contested site due to unjust redevelopment and land compensation, which led to mass displacement of its original residents as well as its quintessential lush wetland ecology. Although I am not directly related to Thủ Thiêm, this place, its vibrant history and the tragedy of many of its residents have always held a special place in my heart. That day, while riding along Lương Định Của street after being away from the city for a few months, I had the feeling that if I was going to wait for the right time, the right funding opportunity in order to materialise my affection for this place, it would never happen. I decided that I would make do with whatever I have on hand — a diverse community of artists, anthropologists, architects, researchers as well as art organisations, who showed great enthusiasm and support for Thủ Thiêm as I approached them. Within just a few months, in July 2024 I initiated and officially launched Project Đo Đạc, which literally means “surveying” or “measuring” in Vietnamese, a community-driven, site-responsive art project that focuses on the preservation of memories and knowledge about Thủ Thiêm. Since then, Project Đo Đạc has manifested through a plethora of events and activities including performance art workshops, talks, field trips, and workshops discussing issues related to heritage conservation, urban planning through map making, traditional botanical knowledge.
In December 2024, with tremendous support from Goethe Institut HCMC, Đo Đạc Performance Art Week materialised featuring a series of performance-art related activities notably, the performance workshop guided by Hanoi-based performance art group, the Appendix Group (including artists Nguyen Huy An, Ngo Thanh Bac and Vu Duc Toan), guerrilla performance in Thủ Thiêm. In late April 2025, with some remaining funds from 2024, Đo Đạc was able to host another workshop with Vietnamese-Swiss artist Quynh Dong continuing its commitment to the practice of performance art as well as its community of passionate performance artists in HCMC.
