Đừng Ngại Nói Lời Yêu đang ở một địa danh mới và nổi tiếng tại Bà Rịa, Vũng Tàu.
A striking architectural silhouette.
Three bows slicing through the sea.
Reaching outward, rising together.
The Tam Thắng Tower embodies the city’s yearning for growth, a vision drawn from the origins of Vũng Tàu itself. Three ancient villages: Thắng Nhất, Thắng Nhì, Thắng Tam – names born from three military boats dispatched by the imperial court under Gia Lon, with misson to guard and cultivate this coastal frontier.
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Bãi Sau Park
The towers stand beside Bãi Sau Park. Bãi Trước offers a calmer and more peaceful atmosphere, while Bãi Sau is known for its energy, swimming, and lively crowds. It is where concrete ends and sand begins – the last step before taking a deep breath and diving into the sea.
Right on that delicate line between land and water, they appear. They are wearing not just swimsuits, but outfits that feel like armor for the spirit: the Carp Jacket, the Tanca Pants, and the Red Star Headscarf, all from TRANG BUI. And then, they jump.
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Đình Chương rises. Tú Uyên opens up. Thanh Mai moves forward.
There is something natural and graceful about the way they move, as if they are part of a flowing current.
| Đình Chương represents /yesterday/.
The name carries a quiet strength and completeness, like something that has found its place —an old communal house or a finished story that forms the foundation of what comes next.
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Tú Uyên represents /today/
Delicate and bright, capturing the present moment at its fullest – a single flash of beauty you wish could last forever. |
| Thanh Mai stands for /tomorrow/, a promise and a direction.
“Thanh” means youth, and “Mai” means what is to come. It is the energy of something still taking shape, always reaching toward the sea. |
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Perhaps the “aspiration for growth” that the Tam Thắng Tower expresses is exactly this: the courage to move forward, just like the three ships that came here two centuries ago.
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I see a small child slipping from his mother’s hand. He stumbles on the grass and falls, but he does not cry. He bites his lip, grabs a handful of grass, and stands up again. In the distance, the scent of kumquat and coconut drifts through the air. A street vendor walks by, her conical hat covering most of her face, her soft call fading into the breeze. Sweat shines on her skin. And suddenly, I realize something simple.
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What exactly am I searching for in “Thắng” — victory?
I have been looking for it on the top of the tower, in the old records about the three fateful ships from two hundred years ago, while it is actually right here. “Thắng” is not just a past event; it is something still alive. It is the attitude of staying until the end to overcome. That child is doing the same thing. He wins over his fall, stays with the pain, and stands up. The street vendor wins against the heat and exhaustion, staying on this road to make a living, to take root in this city.
As I struggle to write, or perhaps delay writing, my phone lights up. I open Zalo and see a message from my sister. I have always thought of her as strong and unshakable, someone who always finds a way through hardship. I imagine her walking through a dark tunnel, holding on to a belief in her own “Thanh Mai,” trusting that light will appear at the end, no matter how faint it is. That quiet determination, that steady effort to overcome small challenges, is the same as the child’s and the vendor’s. I look back at the blank page. I want to win too.
The 143 concrete pillars of Tam Thắng represent more than architecture. They are a symbol of countless small and quiet efforts, different in height and shape, all rising together toward the sea.
“DNNLY” (“Don’t Be Afraid to Say Love”) is Vietnam’s first interdisciplinary creative project that brings together fashion, architecture, art, science, and sociology. Season 1 (2025) places the áo dài at its center, sending a message of love from Vietnam to the world. “Words of Love for Life” continues this journey, bringing the áo dài into parks across Vietnam to share love with everyone.
INTERVIEW TRANG BUI
DNNLY 2025 | @dnnly_vietnam
CONTENTS: Phạm Việt Thắng
LAYOUT: Thiện Tài
GRAPHIC: Thiện Tài, Vân Vân, Việt Thắng
ART CONCEPTS: dandu
PHOTOGRAPHS: CHIRON Duong
SUPPORTER: HAI Man
MODEL: CAO Đình Chương, Thanh Mai, Tú Uyên
