Base Saigon: Joshua Breidenbach and Chí-An De Leo Rebrand Rice as Base Design Affiliate
Co-founders Joshua Breidenbach and Chí-An De Leo have rebranded their creative agency in Ho Chi Minh City from Rice to Base Saigon, aligning with the global collective Base Design, which originated in Brussels. Breidenbach, who relocated to Asia from the US in 2006, and De Leo, who grew up in France, Taiwan, the UK, and Vietnam, established Rice in 2011. This rebranding enables their team of 28 to maintain independence while tapping into global talent. Base Saigon serves clients such as Marou, known for crafting chocolate animals for Singapore's Changi Airport, and Highlands Coffee, which has just launched its 1,000th location. They will also host the AGI conference in Ho Chi Minh City in 2025, expected to draw 130 industry leaders. The Rice name will now cover related projects.
Key facts
- Joshua Breidenbach and Chí-An De Leo founded Rice in 2011 in Ho Chi Minh City.
- The studio rebranded as Base Saigon, becoming the fifth member of Base Design, a Brussels-founded global collective.
- Base Saigon has 28 employees and access to Base Design offices in Brussels, Geneva, New York and Melbourne.
- Client Marou, a Vietnamese chocolatier, is opening a shop in Singapore's Changi Airport; Base Saigon designed a chocolate animal product line.
- Base Saigon is handling a brand repositioning for Highlands Coffee, which opened its 1,000th shop in Vietnam and is backed by Jollibee.
- In 2025, the duo hosted the AGI conference in Ho Chi Minh City with 130 attendees.
- The Rice name now covers non-client projects such as upcycled plastic furniture, travel guides, and future design conferences.
- The partners plan a studio-academy model to create work placements for Vietnamese design students.
Entities
Artists
- Joshua Breidenbach
- Chí-An De Leo
- Mai Lam
- Linh Pham
Institutions
- Rice
- Base Design
- Base Saigon
- Marou
- Maison Marou
- Highlands Coffee
- Jollibee
- AGI
- Monocle
Locations
- Ho Chi Minh City
- Vietnam
- Vo Thi Sau Ward
- Brussels
- Belgium
- Geneva
- Switzerland
- New York
- United States
- Melbourne
- Australia
- Singapore
- Changi Airport
- Germany
- France
- Taiwan
- United Kingdom
- Thao Dien
Sources
- Monocle —