Preservation & state-of-the-art development of Dalat city

Recently, in less than a month, Lamdong People’s Committee has co-organised three consecutive scientific workshops on the development of Dalat: “Preserving and promoting local aspects in the construction – development of Dalat” (in collaboration with Dalat university), “green growth – sustainable development model of Dalat city (in collaboration with the Social & Scientific Acedemy of Vietnam) and “Dalat: city in forest, forest in city – model of modern urban development and identities” (in collaboration with the National University of Ho Chi Minh City).

Preserving and promoting local aspects in the construction-development of Dalat

At the above-mentioned 3 scientific workshops most participants felt that Dalat needed developing a a modern city but preserving its own identity, its specific strengths aiming at guiding master planning of Dalat to 2030 and vision to 2050.

In these workshops, Comrade Nguyen Xuan Tien- Member of the Politburo, Deputy Secretaryof the Provincial Party Committee Chairman of Lamdong People’s Committee-said: Based on the opinions of the scientists, the province will collect and add suggestions to complete the development project of Dalat towards the direction of general guideline of Lamdong development but with special concern about specific policy for new development stage of both modern and identity focus.

Associate Professor Cao The Trinh (Faculty of oriental studies, Dalat University) in his speech some comments around the issue of preserving and promoting local cultural aspects in the construction development of Dalat at the scientific workshop “Preserving and promoting local aspects in the construction-development of Dalat” said: “it would be extreme to say Dalat is better than other cities. but we can completely confirm that Dalat has got special many characteristics and many other regions of the country.”

According to Associate Professor Cao The Trinh, the local aspect within Dalat culture is: Dalat’s own natural aspect, with its masterplanning style of a yropean resort and French architecture of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, a cultural aspect of Dalat”multi-culture” communities and Dalat, a place where documentary heritage ofthe world is being kept.

Green growth sustainable development model of Dalat city

At the scientific workshop on “Green growth sustainable development model of Dalat city,” in his speech on The concept of green cities and the application in the development guideline of Dalat city, Vu Anh Tuan Met Nam Economic& Scientific Society said that long-term vision of Dalat should focus more on the prominent position in the city’s division of economic functions and labor allocation of the whole region and of the country. It is a tourist city with unique temperate climate throughout Southeast Asia and a rich local culture’. With just a unique feature, Dalat can form the economic structure and culture of its own-Tuan Vu emphasized.

Similarly, Associate Professor Architect Hoang Dao Kinh Member of the Executive committee of Viet Nam Planning and Urban Development Society-at the conference Dalat: city in forest. forest in city a model of modern urban development and identities said Dalat city should develop following the standing of modernity and preservation. As such, Dalat, Lamdong should focus more on strategy development, and Dalat especially should have a clear philosophy of development, including urban development strategy. And should Dalat rely on planning alone, the city would not recognize long-term development scenario towards modernity and identities. As regards planning, Lamdong has launched the idea of building the chain of urban cities, with belts, radial roads suitable for large metropolitan cities, As for Dalat, a heritage city functioning as a tourist resort, this is an architecture landscape ecological complex so the issue to be addressed concerns preservation of the whole city, not only individual villas, or pine forests…

That Dalat should have a special mechanism to be developed is most endorsed by delegates during the said 3 scientific workshops. More specifically, for the specific mechanism for the development of Dalat, scientists say: To have a special mechanism for Dalat, there should be a new thinking about a modern Dalat and international integration without separating or underestimating Dalat’s unique characteristics!

By Khac Dung