Designing with Lotus: A Journey Through Vietnamese Floral Culture

Some people travel to discover new places. Others travel in search of something they have loved for years.

The couple who joined us for this private workshop came from Spain with one simple wish: to see lotus flowers in Vietnam. They had been planning the journey for nearly three years, hoping to visit during lotus season and experience the flower they had admired from afar. Rather than simply taking photographs, they wanted to spend time with it, understand it and create something with their own hands.

To make the experience feel more complete, Flor Saigon partnered with The Urbanist Travel to design a day that extended beyond the studio.

We began by welcoming the couple at Park Hyatt Saigon before taking them to Bà Chiểu Market, one of Ho Chi Minh City's neighbourhood markets where flowers, seasonal produce and everyday local life come together. Walking through the market became part of the workshop itself, offering a chance to observe the colours, textures and rhythm that quietly shape Vietnamese floral culture.

Back at the studio, we paused with a refreshing homemade drink delicately infused with lotus blossoms, prepared by our Founder and Art Director, Lê An Nhi. Before arranging a single stem, we spent time talking about the lotus itself. In Vietnamese floral design, every part of the plant has its own beauty. Flowers, seed pods, leaves and stems each contribute a different texture, movement and rhythm, allowing an arrangement to reflect not only a single moment, but the changing life of the flower throughout the season.

Together, we created a basket arrangement using fresh lotus flowers and seasonal foliage. Rather than following fixed formulas, the workshop focused on understanding natural movement, proportion and the relationship between every material. Each stem was placed with intention, gradually becoming an arrangement that felt balanced, quiet and deeply connected to the character of the lotus.

As the afternoon came to an end, we prepared a small farewell gift for the couple: a bag of lotus seeds to take back to Spain. It was a simple gesture, but one that carried the hope that a small part of their experience in Vietnam could continue growing long after they returned home.

Our favourite moment, however, happened after the workshop had officially finished. While chatting about flowers, travel and everyday life, we discovered that both the couple and Nhi spoke Russian. What had begun as a day connecting Spain and Vietnam unexpectedly ended with laughter and conversations in Russian around the studio table.

Looking back, we realised the workshop was never only about lotus flowers. It became a journey through Vietnamese culture, local neighbourhoods, shared meals, unexpected conversations and the quiet connections that flowers have a way of creating between people who might otherwise never have met.

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