LINE Technology Vietnam (LTV) is home to some of LINE's most dynamic engineering teams, featuring young and energetic developers, programmers and tech experts who are helping to shape LINE's next generation of exciting products. With two locations in Vietnam—one in Ho Chi Minh City and one in Hanoi—LTV recently moved into a beautiful new home for its Hanoi office. 

The Hanoi office is located in the central business district, on the 20th and 21st floors of the Capital Place building, featuring 1,484 square meters of space and seating capacity of 124. But LINE wanted this office to be more than just a place to do work. Wherever LINE opens an office, we look to combine common design concepts and styles — "Flexibility", "Sustainability" and "Connectivity" — with local needs and attributes. 

"Wow, it's amazing," said Tien Dat Nguyen, a Java developer at LTV. "I like the open space, especially on the 20th floor."

"For me, it's not just a place to work, but a hub for connecting with everyone and building a healthy working environment," said Khoa Ngo Dinh Anh, from the LTV Branding team. "With the great views, my colleagues and I feel inspired and are creating great ideas together." 

As is standard design procedure when LINE opens new offices around the world, our creative team put a lot of effort into combining local needs with our distinct LINE character. For the Hanoi office, this was more complicated than usual because the design main team was based in Japan, and with the Covid pandemic they could not travel to work on the space in-person. So, much of the work had to be done remotely, coordinating with a construction team hundreds of kilometers away. The team studied the function of each space and the locally available construction materials and construction methods. But by emphasizing good communications and staying in constant contact, the different teams were able to stay in sync throughout the design and installation process. 

A unique reception space 

The reception area is the first place that visitors see when they come to the office, so extra effort was made to make it stand out from the rest of the building. For the Hanoi office, this meant an emphasis on black and open space, with six monitors embedded in the walls show PR videos to entertain visitors.

"You'll know it's a LINE space the moment you enter," said Minh Huong Nguyen, a UIT developer. "It's so airy and spacious, especially with that panorama view of West Lake."

A café with 7m ceilings

The cool image of the reception area is contrasted with the bright and open atmosphere of the café, which is the centerpiece of the office, featuring ceilings nearly 7 meters high and large windows looking out over the city.

The walls are decorated with the keywords that represent LINE's developer culture — "Take Ownership," "Trust and Respect," and "Be Open" — along with other core concepts from LINE's unique culture. 

Employees use this space to recharge, hold meetings, build teamwork, and enjoy social gatherings. In addition, Tech Talks are often held here to attract the interest of talented IT engineers. For these reasons, the furniture can be combined in different ways to accommodate a range of needs and uses.

Vietnamese office culture is characterized by a family-like atmosphere, where employees have lunch together at the food counter, often bringing in memorabilia from recent trips to discuss with their colleagues. The people of Vietnam also really enjoy spending time outdoors, so the design is meant to have an outdoor feel, even in the office, and with open spaces for interacting with others.  

There is also a "Koagari" space, with LINE characters painted on the wall dressed in Vietnamese traditional costumes. Here, you can take off your shoes and take a nap to recharge after lunch.

 

Engineer-friendly

Vietnam has been eager to develop its tech sector, but since the industry is still young, so are many engineers here — and so is LINE's workforce in Vietnam. And that means putting an emphasis on an office design that works best for engineers.

"We really appreciate the important role of talented engineers in the research and creation of the latest technologies, and we truly are committed to investing in the development of engineers' capabilities," said LTV General Director Sugiyama Kai.

Along a hallway wall on one side of the office, by the windows looking out over the city, there is a long whiteboard for engineers to write on during meetings. There is also a work lounge that has a different atmosphere from the desk area, so that employees can switch modes.

Of course, with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, many LINERs are working from home these days, and the LTV office in Hanoi is no different. But, still, it was important for LINE to prepare for life after Covid — and having a great office is an important part of shaping the LINE Style culture for all our employees. 

"I'm counting the days until we can work in the office," said Quang Vu, from the LTV Communicator Team. "We had a tour of the new space recently and it made me feel excited, thrilled and proud. It really is memorable."  

 

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