NIXON TRAN
Founder & Principal Instructor
A practice shaped by flowers, people, and time.
Nixon Tran is a floral artist and Sogetsu ikebana teacher from San Francisco, and the founder of When Still in Ho Chi Minh City. His practice brings together more than twenty-five years of working with flowers and a continuing study of ikebana. Through teaching, exhibitions, and everyday practice, he explores how arranging can deepen our attention to materials, our surroundings, and one another.
BACKGROUND & PRACTICE
Nixon began working with flowers at fourteen in a San Francisco flower shop. His experience grew across retail floristry, weddings, events, film, and wholesale, giving him a practical understanding of flowers and the many ways people encounter them.
His study of Sogetsu ikebana with Soho Sakai brought another dimension to that work. Through ikebana, technique became closely connected to observation: understanding the character of a branch, the direction of a line, and the space that allows a composition to breathe. He has been a Sogetsu teacher since 2011 and holds the rank of Jonin Somu.
In 2023, he founded When Still in Ho Chi Minh City. The studio has grown into a community of students and teachers who learn through regular practice, shared exhibitions, and an ongoing exchange of ideas. His work at When Still brings his experience as a florist into conversation with the discipline and creative freedom of Sogetsu.
APPROACH TO TEACHING
Nixon’s teaching begins with looking closely. A stem’s direction, a change in proportion, or a small adjustment in space can alter the feeling of an entire arrangement. He encourages students to understand those decisions through making, observing, and trying again.
Technique provides a foundation for that exploration. As students develop confidence, they are encouraged to make thoughtful choices and recognise what their materials can offer. Alongside the finished arrangement, Nixon gives attention to the process: how we respond to difficulty, work with change, and discover possibilities through practice.
STUDY & RECOGNITION
Exhibitions & Installations
2010–2026 · Bouquets to Art, San Francisco — participating artist in selected years.
2026
ONE | 縁 — Union Square, Ho Chi Minh City
2025
Awakening | Khởi Sắc Khai Hoa — Rue Miche L’Édition at Union Square, Ho Chi Minh City
Living Heritage: Heritage for the Future — GEM Center, Ho Chi Minh City
Japan in Bloom — Chillala–House of Art, Ho Chi Minh City
Gagoh / Teachers’ Exhibition — When Still, Ho Chi Minh City
2024
My Ikebana Diary, third edition — August, Ho Chi Minh City
My Ikebana Diary — January–February, Ho Chi Minh City
2022
Bouquets to Art — San Francisco
Bloom SF — floral installation at Salesforce Transit Center, San Francisco
2021
San Francisco Floral Butterflies — participating floral designer
2015
San Francisco Flower Show — exhibiting with the Soho Study Group
Teaching, Demonstrations & International Exchange
2026
NAKAMA — organizer and participating presenter, When Still, Ho Chi Minh City
Where Two Meet — demonstration and workshop, Soho Study Group, California
From Roots to Form — two-day teaching program, Flor de Barrio, Guadalajara, Mexico
Distinct Practice, Shared Grounds — collaborative workshop with Chloe of Aulling Atelier, Ho Chi Minh City
Ikebana Through Time: Emptiness, Impermanence, and Revelation — invited demonstration, Flower Club International
2024
Hanaike Battle — international competitor, Mount Tai, China
2011
Wish upon a wedding - Florist for terminally ill patient.
Professional Achievements
First Grade Sogetsu Teacher, Jonin Somu, trained under Soho Sakai in San Francisco
Founder of When Still, established in Ho Chi Minh City in 2023
Founder and Chairperson of the Saigon When Still Study Group, Vietnam’s first official Sogetsu study group, established in November 2025
Awards & Recognition
Two-time recipient of the Tsukino-Fune Award, Sogetsu Foundation (2024,2025)
2025 Sogetsu Excellence Award for Awakening, awarded to the Saigon When Still Study Group
Selected to represent Tsukino-Fune Award recipients at the March 2026 Flower Thanks Day ceremony in Tokyo
Selected for the Sogetsu 100th Anniversary Akane Award, to be presented in April 2027
Press & Features
2026 · THE WED — Find Your Match: 56 Wedding Florists for Every Aesthetic
2026 · Thursd — Round the Clock
2025 · THE WED — The Top Wedding Floral Trends for 2026
2024 · Tuổi Trẻ — feature on When Still’s ikebana practice
2023 · aFamily / CafeBiz — profile on ikebana and Vietnamese materials
2022 · Mornings with Mayesh / The Florist’s Table — Becoming an Ikebana Master with Nixon Tran
