Phudu
Phudu is a sans-serif display typeface inspired by Vietnamese hand-lettering billboards in the old days, that supports a wide range of languages by Duong Tran. As a new way to achieve variable font, the lighterPhudu gets, the extended it becomes, for people to read it easier compared to other lightweight narrow typefaces. In the progress of learning and crafting types, Duong has always thought about what makes a Vietnamese typeface. If we rewind to the past, we can see a Vietnamese lettering style on the billboard stores, when the artists adapted Latin typefaces and then added marks based on their styles. Among those, there were mostly all-caps sans-serif types played as descriptions or the store's names themself. To make a new easy-to-read and easy-to-get typeface, Duong mixed some of the researched letters from the story above. He doesn't want to just revive the types, he wants to improve them to fit the modern-day styles, but still have "Vietnamese" souls in them. The typeface was named Phudu (phục dựng) - "revival" in Vietnamese, and has a meaning of timeless (quite the opposite of the name when it can be read as "phù du" - ephemeral). To contribute, see github.com/duongtrtype/DTPhudu
- Classification
- Sans
- Foundry
- License
- free
- Source
- Get this font ↗
01Style templates
Phudu for the heading, Onest for the body.
02Suggested pairings
AaBbCc
0123456789
{(!@#$?&})
05Type scale
Waterfall · 64 → 16 pxDesign starts with a question.
Good letters carry the memory of the pen.
A soft serif with old-style warmth, drawn for display sizes and unhurried reading.
This typeface borrows the melting charm of phototype and rebuilds it, patiently, for the screen.
At text sizes the warmth settles into something quieter: open counters, a generous x-height, and forms that curve rather than cut. It reads like a well-worn paperback — familiar, unhurried, and slightly mischievous.
06Weights
7 styles07In context
Text settingsGood letters carry the memory of the pen.
The brief asked for warmth without nostalgia, and authority without sternness. Phudu answered both at once — a face that feels typeset by hand yet holds up at retinal resolutions. At this size it settles into an unhurried rhythm: generous spacing, open counters, and letterforms that carry tone before they announce themselves.
Small sizes are where display faces usually apologise for themselves. Phudu does not. Drop into text and the texture tightens into a competent, readable grey — open counters, a generous x-height, and forms that curve rather than cut. At text sizes the warmth settles into something quieter: familiar, unhurried, and slightly mischievous. It reads like a well-worn paperback, holding its voice across captions, footnotes, and long paragraphs without flattening into noise. Paired with a neutral grotesque for wayfinding and labels, it gives an identity system exactly one strong opinion — usually the right number — while the body keeps doing the quiet work underneath.
08Character set
Hover a glyph to inspect09About Phudu
Phudu is a sans-serif display typeface inspired by Vietnamese hand-lettering billboards in the old days, that supports a wide range of languages by Duong Tran. As a new way to achieve variable font, the lighterPhudu gets, the extended it becomes, for people to read it easier compared to other lightweight narrow typefaces. In the progress of learning and crafting types, Duong has always thought about what makes a Vietnamese typeface. If we rewind to the past, we can see a Vietnamese lettering style on the billboard stores, when the artists adapted Latin typefaces and then added marks based on their styles. Among those, there were mostly all-caps sans-serif types played as descriptions or the store's names themself. To make a new easy-to-read and easy-to-get typeface, Duong mixed some of the researched letters from the story above. He doesn't want to just revive the types, he wants to improve them to fit the modern-day styles, but still have "Vietnamese" souls in them. The typeface was named Phudu (phục dựng) - "revival" in Vietnamese, and has a meaning of timeless (quite the opposite of the name when it can be read as "phù du" - ephemeral). To contribute, see github.com/duongtrtype/DTPhudu