Master Plan of Greater Dalat – Dalat (Vietnam), 2012-2013

Dalat, a holiday resort located 210 kilometres from Ho Chi Minh City, in the highlands region.

From the early development of the city in the early twentieth century at the instigation of the Franco-Swiss bacteriologist and explorer Alexandre Yersin, to the creation of a health resort in the 20s follow the plans designed by Ernest

Hébrard, Dalat, the summer capital, took form and expanded. In 1940 it was considered as a candidate to become the capital of Indochina and today enjoys public amenities and leisure facilities reflecting its prestige: the large Yersin high school, the Institut Pasteur and Dalat golf course coiled in the heart of the urban scheme, but also many hotels, palaces and hundreds of individual villas.

The last 120 years have seen the emergence of remarkable industries in Dalat in the fields of horticulture, floriculture and agricultural research, which over time have become true emblems of the city.

The purpose of this study is to help the Province of Lam Dong to make the necessary choices for the development of Greater Dalat.

The “Greater Da Lat” study reframes the existing master

plan for the city of Da Lat (393 km2) within a new perimeter now extended to a territory covering 3,355 km2. It reexamines the role, image and development of the resort of Da Lat in this new territory that encompasses several towns belonging to the province of Lam Dong in addition to the city of Da Lat.

The new orientations in spatial planning focus on several objectives and emphasize the principles of sustainable development:

– Da Lat becoming a category 1 city thanks to the doubling of the population of Greater Da Lat projected for 2050 (980,000 inhabitants) with corresponding public amenities and infrastructure necessary for the new conurbation, and supported by economic development primarily centered on tourism, innovation and education.

– A resort town with a climate unique to Vietnam, Da Lat has set itself the double challenge of achieving successful tourist development, with an estimated 10 million visitors, while preserving its specific characteristics, that is to say its remarkable wooded landscapes, its lakes, its historic architectural heritage and the exceptional quality of its horticulture, floriculture and agriculture.