About
Base Saigon
is where Vietnamese brands learn to travel
Founded as Rice by Chí-An De Leo and Joshua Breidenbach in Ho Chi Minh City in 2011, before the market was ready and before the rules were written, Base Saigon was built on the belief that design and storytelling can help Vietnamese brands define themselves and move through the world. Today, in a country accelerating in real time and anchoring the network in Asia, the studio — based in a modernist 1960s house in central Saigon — positions local brands globally and global brands locally with cultural precision. Base Saigon shapes brands including Marou Chocolate, Pizza 4P’s, UNICEF Vietnam, Uniqlo, Uber and Baemin, and, beyond client work, its team of thirty creatives invests in design education, local events and publishing. Not as a side project, but as a responsibility.
Meet the basers
Minh-Anh Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American designer guided by observation and curiosity. Born in Seattle but shaped by New York – where she arrived with no plans or connections – she learned to navigate the unfamiliar through attention, intuition, and an eye for what often goes unnoticed.
After nearly five years designing data-driven graphics at Bloomberg Businessweek, her urge to see from new angles led her to Vietnam in 2024, where she joined Rice – now BaseSGN – as a Senior Designer. Her work helps brands articulate who they are and build worlds that feel honest and alive.
Outside design, Minh-Anh has danced since childhood. These days, she practices street dance and occasionally organizes community events – spaces where movement, music, and connection meet.
