About The Brand
Preserving family heritage to a modern audience
Old Harbour, Hanoi, is a place of irreplaceable cultural gravity. Yet, like many historic city centers, it faced the threat of erasure: generic chains and homogenized commercialism—the slow erosion known as gentrification. Our mandate was not merely to design a restaurant, but to forge a cultural bulwark—a brand capable of proving that authentic Vietnamese heritage is the most valuable and viable commodity of all.
We partnered with NOM’s founder, whose deep family lineage in the Old Harbour provided the brand’s authentic core. The resulting strategy defines NOM as the "Curated Heritage Kitchen," tasked with bridging historical meticulousness and modern sophistication.
Brand Purpose, Vision + Mission
Heritage is the ultimate luxury
The vision for NOM Viet is to be recognized globally as the definitive, contemporary voice of Hanoi's culinary heritage, proving that authenticity is the future of urban vitality and setting a successful model for cultural preservation. We achieve this through a three-part mission:
-
Preserve: Preserving our roots by meticulously researching, documenting, and preparing authentic, often-forgotten Old Harbour and Northern Vietnamese recipes, ensuring their continued existence.
-
Translate: This rich heritage is presented in a modern, comfortable, and design-forward setting that makes history accessible and appealing to a new generation through a modern take on design and traditional recipes.
-
Sustain: our community by sourcing ingredients and crafts from local artisans and vendors, providing a platform where the stories and talents of the Old Harbour neighbourhood can thrive.
Brand Positioning
Nostalgia is a universal crowd-pleaser
NOM caters to culturally curious Vietnamese citizens and discerning global travellers seeking a genuine connection to Hanoi's past. Our key differentiator is that we are the only establishment in Old Harbour to embed the founder's family history and the stories of local artisans directly into our architecture, menu, and service—we serve memories, not just meals.
This commitment allows NOM to offer a transformative dining experience that is a true celebration of living Vietnamese heritage, providing sophisticated, authentic Northern flavours while actively contributing to the cultural and economic preservation of Old Harbour and its community.
Market Research & Findings
What makes heritage restaurants or eateries unique and impactful in the digital era?
The global vegan Asian food market is projected to grow significantly, indicating a demand for plant-based versions of traditional dishes
Cuisine is a recognized form of Intangible Cultural Heritage with Asia being the largest number of gastronomic heritage manifestations.
In 2024, independent outlets, restaurants and cafes make up about 70% of the food service market share in South East Asia
The Southeast Asia F&B is valued in over 100 billions USD and is projected to grow at 13.22% through 2030, driven by urbanization and economic growth.
Logo & Visual Identity
NOM focuses on cultural preservation through artifacts, heirlooms and family recipes.
Brand Name
In Vietnamese, nom evokes the act of looking — nhìn nom, to watch over, to tend to. It is the gaze of a grandmother checking if you've eaten. It is the eye of a community that remembers your name. In the digital age, where attention is currency, NOM reclaims the word: to be seen, to belong, to be fed.
The logo draws from two anchors: the ô văng — the iconic canopy-covered shophouse facades of Old Quarter Hanoi — and the threshold of a family home. In the Old Quarter, every doorway is a world. A family's identity hangs above the entrance: its name, its trade, its history.
Community is the product, and the brand displays people around food. The visual language always leaves room for the human: candid photography over styled shoots, handwritten specials over digital signage fonts, imperfection as authenticity.
Design Assets
The colour palette revolves around the concept of 'in-betweenness" and the coexistence between the two concepts presented during the fair. Paired with Bali's iconic sunset and their roots in natural preservation and culture, the chosen colour palette best illustrates the fairs intended audiences, while uplifting the Balinese culture.
With the modern-heritage positioning, I chose a font that best establishes a visual dialogue between two distinct font families. For headers and prominent titles, we employ a sophisticated, high-contrast serif — reminiscent of traditional Vietnamese script and classic print—to convey heritage, depth, and enduring craftsmanship.
This sans-serif provides the necessary modern clarity and efficiency, ensuring the historical depth of the cuisine remains accessible, and the overall experience feels polished and contemporary, ultimately proving that respecting the past can be the most cutting-edge form of design.
