Revitalizing identity for coastal public space in Nha Trang City

Abstract

The paper studies the formation and development of coastal public space in Nha Trang city and how its current form has not enhanced the local identity. This was a phenomenon commonly seen in many coast cities in Vietnam. This paper aims to provide a referent design guideline for future design of coastal public space in Nha Trang city. As a part of this effort to return identity to the city, we focused on physical and non-physical elements and their relationship in this specific case, treating them as the framework for this research. Drawing on ethnographic interview and geographic data, we looked closely to the shapes of place’s identity, including all related elements.