The Vietnam Memorial Architect is Lin (3 letters). Lin is the surname of Maya Ying Lin, an American architect and artist. She is best known for her design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., which was completed in 1982. The memorial is a black granite wall inscribed with the names of the 58, 000 Americans who died in the Vietnam War. It has become one of the most visited memorials in the United States.