Da Lat officials show little concern for heritage sites

      Authorities in the central province of Lam Dong say that two of Vietnam’s most valued historical sites in the town of Da Lat, a decades-old college and a railway station, are in danger of damage and decay beyond repair.
But despite directives given to local officials to inspect the sites and take action, nothing has been done.
The Da Lat Education College was established in 1976 by combining two smaller schools opened in 1927 and 1941. Its exquisite French architecture won the college a national heritage title in 2001 and was named among the world’s top 1,000 structures of the 20th century.
When first built, the 22-hectare school grounds provided homes for the first 10 instructors and their families. Yet many teachers remained living there well after retirement while relatives of other former teachers continued to occupy homes there as well.
Some even built additional rooms for rent. During the last 30 years, restoration work on the structure and its grounds has been minimal.
The Da Lat People’s Committee last month asked city construction and culture officials to work with the school managers to investigate what damage has been caused to the college and how many people are staying illegally on the grounds.
The committee ordered its General Urban Management Department to report the results and suggest immediate and long-term solutions by April 15.
The report is now one month past the deadline and the committee has heard nothing.
Meanwhile, restoration delays on the Da Lat Railway Station, considered the oldest and most beautiful of its kind in Indochina, have dragged on for nearly a year.
The now defunct Anglo-Norman-style station area, which was turned into a tourist destination in 1986, made headlines last year when nearby residents encroached on the historical grounds by building houses and paths.
However, many of the railway area residents have a legal right to remain on the grounds. Since 1993, the Da Lat People’s Committee has granted land-use titles to around 16 families on 0.45 hectares of the land around the station.
Last May, the People’s Committee of Lam Dong Province ordered the city to review the cases and “deal” with each one.
Then in June, the town People’s Committee asked its Department of Natural Resources and Environment to investigate the issue further and “make suggestions” to reconcile the problem.
Recently, a senior official at the department said that they are still investigating.