At the invitation of Vietnam-based international investors and developers Larfa Properties and AppleTree Group, Philippe Starck, one of the world’s most celebrated creators, arrived in Vietnam to share his vision for Nhà Estate, a beachfront residential development in Ho Tram. 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.”
Ahead of the project’s public debut, Starck recently attended a gathering at a creative venue in Ho Chi Minh City alongside Eric Merlin, CEO of AppleTree Group and the development team — an informal, elegant evening that brought together a handpicked group of friends, collaborators, and figures from the city’s creative and business communities to celebrate the vision behind the estate.
Nhà Estate: When Philosophy Becomes a Living Space
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 natural world. 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 Philippe 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.”
Having arrived in Vietnam, Philippe 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.
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.
Nhà Estate 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.
Here, architecture is shaped through subtle dialogues between land and water, warmth and luminosity, openness and privacy, lightness and durability. 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 on the water.
Ho Tram: Where Nature Shapes a Way of Life
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.”
About Nhà Estate
Imagined by world-renowned creator Philippe Starck, Nhà Estate is a collection of 38 private villas, a boutique hotel, a restaurant, and a beach club, located in Ho Tram, Vietnam. The luxury residential project is a joint venture between Larfa Properties, a privately owned real estate investor and developer with a focus on long-term, high-quality projects, and AppleTree Hospitality, part of the AppleTree Group founded in Vietnam in 1993. The partnership combines Larfa’s commitment to craftsmanship and heritage with AppleTree’s three decades of building premium, experience-led businesses across Asia.
About AppleTree Group
Established in 1993, AppleTree Group is a diversified investment and development company headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City, with a portfolio spanning hospitality, tourism, retail, and food distribution.
About Larfa Properties
Larfa Properties specialises in hospitality, residential, and mixed-use developments across Europe and Asia, with a focus on architectural character, heritage value, and long-term investment potential.
About Philippe Starck
Philippe Starck is a world-famous creator whose multifaceted inventiveness is always focused on the essential — his conviction that creation, whatever form it takes, must improve the lives of as many people as possible. This philosophy has made him one of the pioneers and central figures of “democratic design.”
Through his prolific work across all domains — from everyday products (furniture, a citrus squeezer, electric bikes, an individual wind turbine) to architecture (hotels, restaurants that aspire to be stimulating places) and naval and spatial engineering (mega yachts, a space habitation module) — he continually pushes the boundaries of design, becoming one of the most visionary and renowned creators of the international contemporary scene.
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Media contacts
Commercial inquiries: Nhà Estate
Press: Ivy+Partners – Ms. Khanh-Linh Nguyen – Senior Communications Consultant
0986031299 – khanhlinh@ivynpartners.com
