RMIT Vietnam students win first prize in creative contest

Tiếng Việt

RMIT Vietnam students win first prize in creative contest

A group of three RMIT Vietnam Bachelor of Design (Digital Media) students won first prize at the Senses of Vietnam creative contest with their 3D printed chessboard The Legends.

Students Nguyen Anh Duy, Tran Le Bao Quan, and Pham Ngoc Ha took home more than 70 million VND after their project beat out nearly 300 other entries.

Produced by a 3D printer, the chess pieces in The Legends were inspired by Vietnam: from king to pawn, each piece resembles a character in Vietnam’s history or folklore.

“If the king were to be Lac Long Quan, then the queen had to be Au Co,” Duy said.

“For the rest of the pieces, they are designed to represent Hai Ba Trung [twin sisters who fought foreign invaders], Thanh Giong [one of the four eternal saints in folklore], the ancient Co Loa rampart, and Yet Kieu [a hero in the Tran Dynasty].”

The Legends chessboard wins first prize in the Senses of Vietnam creative contest.

Motivated after studying a hi-tech toy-making and production skills course at RMIT Vietnam, and exhibiting the creativity and innovation that is cultivated in the program, the team sought to do something very imaginative: combine real and imaginary characters from history and folklore into one concept.

For Duy, the resulting chessboard is an opportunity to promote Vietnam’s image and culture to the world.

“In addition to its entertainment value, the chess collection has educational and inspirational functions,” Duy said.

“A creative product based on traditional culture can bridge generations, races, and languages— and it keeps folk culture current.

“My ultimate idea is to incorporate Vietnam’s image and culture into the chess board and market it to the world.

“This would be unique and unprecedented.”

The team took three months to plan their ideas, sketch out characters, design the concept, develop a 3D prototype, and take other steps just to make six chess pieces.

The trio continue to improve their concept and are looking for an investor.

The Legends was exhibited at the Vietnam Creative Festival (VCF2016) where the contest “Senses of Vietnam” was held with the aim of encouraging creative work that presented Vietnamese perspectives through all senses.

Attend Creative Experience Day on Sunday 27 November at the Saigon South campus and 4 December in Hanoi City campus to see more creative works by RMIT Vietnam students in the 'Transparent' showcase.

Story: Thuy Le

Communication and design

11 November 2016