Kimmi Ha (Ha Phan Kim Nguyet) is a designer, researcher, and social entrepreneur based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. She founded UPGREEN Vietnam, a circular design studio that turns low-value plastic waste into cultural objects finished with traditional Vietnamese lacquer (sơn mài). Her practice treats craft as a form of knowledge: the slow cycles of layering, curing, and sanding become a way to rethink what counts as waste and what counts as value. She is a PhD candidate at RMIT University and teaches design at several universities in Vietnam. In 2026, she was part of the organizing team for Circular Design Week in the Mekong Delta, where she co-developed the Cảm Ứng fieldwork methodology grounded in Vietnamese language and cultural epistemology. Kim is interested in how design, craft heritage, and community knowledge can support regenerative futures in Southeast Asia. She is a YSEALI Professional Fellow and a 2026 Seoul Design Award finalist.
