Nhà Estate, the first project imagined by Philippe Starck in Vietnam will be located in Ho Tram, a beachfront location a few hours from Ho Chi Minh City, with the design inspired by the surrounding natural beauty…
Located on a peninsula between the Ray River and the sea, Nhà Estate comprises just 38 private villas in Ho Tram’s best-preserved area. Each waterfront home is individually designed to achieve a seamless integration with the outdoors, honouring the site’s original beauty as if the architecture had emerged naturally from the terrain.
At the invitation of Vietnam-based international investors and developers Larfa Properties and AppleTree Group, the project represents the first time Starck has lent his creative vision to a residential concept in Vietnam, a place that Starck imagined as if “it has always existed, timeless in its elegance and poetry. An elsewhere in Vietnam.”
Image credit: Nhà Estate
With a career spanning over four decades, Philippe Starck has conceived a vast portfolio of global icons, from everyday objects to architectural landmarks, always with the human experience at the core. To him, a space truly succeeds when it stirs the emotions and fosters a deep harmony between people, their community, and the environment. It was therefore only natural that it all started with a human encounter between the Merlin family and Philippe Starck – a meeting that was meant to be, between partners sharing the same values, the same philosophy and ethics.
When they discovered the unique landscape of Ho Tram, together they recognised the rare opportunity to create a place rooted in truth, honest in its design and intelligent in its purpose: a preserved place built to endure, where architecture becomes a natural extension of the landscape.
All the elements were in place to start a creative collaboration: the right people, the right land and the right vision. As Starck explains, “Nhà Estate is a home of life and humanity, honesty and harmony. Here, everything is imagined to awaken intelligence, inspire creativity. It is a place to be more in love, more alive and more human.”
Starck fully embraced the local landscape, ensuring that Nhà Estate reflects a global spirit rooted in a profound respect for Vietnamese culture. The project serves as a bridge between Starck’s humanistic creative vision and an Eastern sensibility – one that prioritises a kinship with nature, a spirit of community, and a graceful balance between heritage and progress.
The project is conceived as a village with a highly organic masterplan, shaped by the harmony of sea and river and complemented by a beach club, restaurants, and generous communal spaces. At the same time, Nhà Estate remains closely connected to nearby attractions, including golf courses, restaurants, bars, and water-sports activities.
The architecture is shaped through subtle dialogues between land and water, warmth and luminosity, openness and privacy, lightness and durability. The foundation of each home is formed from solid stone masses, evoking ancient constructions. From this grounded base, the upper levels open up through expansive glass frames and refined structures, Each Nhà Estate villa is conceived to allow natural light, sea breezes, and the surrounding landscape to flow into every living space, always with views of the water.
For many years, Vietnam’s high-end resort real estate market has been defined by scale and investment volume. Nhà Estate, however, takes a different path by placing emphasis on the quality of experience and the relationship between people and their living environment.
The emergence of Nhà Estate is closely tied to the transformation of Ho Tram, one of the few coastal stretches in southern Vietnam that has preserved much of its pristine character. Located roughly two hours from Ho Chi Minh City, the area is gradually becoming a key resort destination, known for its long beaches, untouched forests, and rare natural ecosystem.
Ho Tram has become an ideal setting for the two development partners, Larfa Properties and AppleTree Group, to shape this project. With decades of experience in the luxury real estate sector, both share a common approach: creating places with cultural depth and enduring value, rather than developments driven by short-term market demands.
“We believe that the true value of a project does not lie in short-term profit, but in its ability to endure and be appreciated over time,” says Eric Merlin, CEO of AppleTree Group. “Nhà Estate was conceived as an unconventional development. It is a philosophy of living, where architecture, nature, and people rediscover their balance. Our aspiration is to create a place that holds meaning today and continues to matter for generations to come.”
Main image credit: Nhà Estate
