Da Lat preserves urban heritage

Lam Dong (VNA) - Planning experts have urged authorities in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong to preserve the special urban heritage of Da Lat city.

Experts at departments, agencies, and universities discussed urban and cultural preservation and development, particularly its French colonial-era architecture, at a seminar held in Da Lat on December 27.

Planning expert Le Quang Ninh said that hundreds of special architectural works in the city should be preserved and promoted.

Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, spoke about the cultural value of French architecture, saying that it was necessary to preserve, upgrade or remove many buildings constructed in the early or mid-20th century.

Urban planning expert Ngo Viet Nam Son said that planning should include green spaces and bodies of water between and around high-rise projects.

“Da Lat city’s streets have the potential to become pedestrianised areas, which would attract tourists,” he added.

Doan Minh Khoi of the Vietnam Association of Architects said the city should also promote health tourism, high-quality health care products and its agricultural economy.

“When new projects are built, attention must be paid to protecting the environment and forestry resources as well as preserving cultural and historic relics,” he said.

Under Da Lat’s development plan by 2030, approved by the Prime Minister in 2014, the city has adjusted its plan from a scale of 393 sq.km to 3,359 sq.km.

Based on a government decision, Da Lat plans to become a “modern, environmentally friendly city, a national and international resort city, a scientific research centre, and a national and international trade centre.”

It will offer training and technological transfer in agricultural production and become a biodiversity protection research centre as well.

Following its master plan to 2020, Da Lat and its vicinity target becoming a smart city.

Bao Loc city is expected to be upgraded to a grade II industrial urban city, while Duc Trong district would be a grade III urban area and a key economic zone in the southern region.

Da Lat became famous over the last 120 years since its founding thanks to its temperate weather, spectacular landscapes and architecture, including many French villas.-VNA