Cover Through Think Playgrounds, Chu Kim Duc transforms vacant lots into inclusive spaces where communities grow and children thrive.
Through Think Playgrounds, Chu Kim Duc transforms vacant lots into inclusive spaces where communities grow and children thrive.
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Architect and social entrepreneur Chu Kim Duc champions public spaces that inspire connection, inclusion, and lasting change.
Ms Chu Kim Duc, architect and co-founder of Think Playgrounds, is one of the leading voices in public space creation in Vietnam. She graduated from the Faculty of Planning, Hanoi Architectural University in 2003 and went on to complete a Master’s in Garden History and Landscape Heritage at the Versailles School of Architecture in France. In 2014, she and her colleagues launched Think Playgrounds with a mission to uphold the Right to Play, designing creative, child-friendly, environmentally sustainable public spaces using recycled materials and promoting urban biodiversity.
Over the past decade, Think Playgrounds has realised 270 public playgrounds across Vietnam, many of which are specifically designed for children with disabilities, providing safe and inclusive spaces. At SHE Speaks 2025, Chu Kim Duc offered a unique perspective on the role of women in shaping public spaces and championing inclusion. Her journey is a testament to how women’s vision and determination can transform communities and create a better life for all.
Read more: SHE Speaks: Thi Anh Dao redefines the concept of “luck” through the ability to overcome adversity
Special inspiration
Chu Kim Duc’s path was shaped by the presence of a remarkable woman: Mrs Judith Hansen, an American librarian who came to Vietnam with a simple wish, to give children in Hanoi a playground. “Children have the right to play,” she said, planting a seed of concern in Kim Duc’s heart. Play areas in shopping malls only serve some children, she realised, but what about the others?
Guided by this empathy, Kim Duc and her friends embarked on a formidable journey. They founded Think Playgrounds and began converting vacant lots into lively public spaces. Today, she has created 270 public playgrounds and more than 150 playgrounds for private enterprises, bringing joy to countless children across the country.
Above Chu Kim Duc – architect and co-founder of Think Playgrounds
Chu Kim Duc – architect and co-founder of Think Playgrounds
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For Kim Duc, a playground is more than a place for children to play. It is also where parents and residents can meet, connect, and cultivate a sense of collective responsibility that protects the vulnerable. She explains: “If we have a shared space to meet and exchange ideas regularly, conflicts can be resolved through dialogue.” On that journey, women like Kim Duc, as mothers, wives and sisters, quietly become the thread that binds communities together, transforming playgrounds into places where love and generosity flourish. They create not just physical spaces, but spiritual ones, where every woman can find her voice and companionship.
Kim Duc demonstrates that sensitivity, compassion and the capacity to connect, traits often associated with women, are not only natural but also potent instruments of social change. She is committed to ensuring that these creative, inclusive playgrounds are no longer the “exception” but the “norm”, a standard founded on kindness, where women’s contributions are acknowledged, celebrated and carried forward.
Women are willing to commit and create
The path of a female leader, architect and social entrepreneur has never been straightforward. Kim Duc admits that in the early years of moving from volunteer coordinator to running a business, she faced a period of crisis. With a background from the University of Architecture, she had to learn how to manage, how to speak up to solve problems, and how to confront her own fears.
Read more: Front & Female 2025: Social Impact Award nominees announced
Above Chu Kim Duc – architect and co-founder of Think Playgrounds
Chu Kim Duc – architect and co-founder of Think Playgrounds
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That fear is not unique to Kim Duc. It is an invisible pressure many women experience: the fear of not meeting social expectations, the fear of being incapable of pursuing their true ambitions. Rather than allowing that fear to hold her back, she taught herself to face it, learned to assert her value, and stepped into leadership.
At Think Playgrounds, Chu Kim Duc works to cultivate an open environment where employees, regardless of gender, feel empowered to confront their fears and choose their own path. She recognises that for a woman to flourish, talent alone is not enough; it also takes encouragement, inspiration and space to grow. Kim Duc believes that a woman’s career and life should not be constrained by gendered expectations. In building public playgrounds, she is also shaping a future in which women have the confidence, strength and opportunity to become whoever they aspire to be.
Above SHE Speaks 2025 takes place within the framework of the Front & Female Awards – an annual event by Tatler Asia celebrating female pioneers
SHE Speaks 2025 takes place within the framework of the Front & Female Awards – an annual event by Tatler Asia celebrating female pioneers
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SHE Speaks 2025 takes place within the framework of the Front & Female Awards, an annual event by Tatler Asia celebrating female pioneers. Themed “Women Advancing Women – From Sustainable Roots to Community Aspiration”, SHE Speaks 2025 aims to provide a space where pioneering women can connect, expand their thinking, share their creative journeys and inspire momentum for progress. In doing so, each woman is empowered, supporting one another to reach new heights with steadiness, courage and initiative.
