Editor’s note: In this entry submitted to the “Ky Vong Viet Nam 20 Nam Toi” (“My Expectations for Vietnam in 20 Years”) writing contest, Nguyen Hoang Chuong, 55, from the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, hopes that the province’s resort city of Da Lat will be elevated to a new height in two decades.

As a resident who lives in this Central Highlands city for more than 30 years, I always picture Da Lat in the next 20 years as the “Paris of Indochina” – or a city of tourism, science and high technology.

My picture of Da Lat in 20 years is a misted city covered by pine forests, where villas are hidden. The air will be cool enough for tourists to freely explore the city. And the city covered by forests will be a romantic place for writers, poets, music composers or artists to find inspiration for their works.

The distinction of Da Lat

I imagine Da Lat in the next 20 years as a flower city of Vietnam, the Southeast Asian region, and even the world. Flowers of all kinds, from cherry blossom, mimosa, rose, tree marigold to dianthus and orchid will be in full bloom and showcase their beauties all year round. Flowers will be found in every park, street corner, house and field, where high technology is deployed.

Da Lat farmers will have an affluent life thanks to clean vegetables and flowers. Via the city’s Lien Khuong International Airport, vegetables and flowers with the popular Da Lat brand will be shipped to the EU, the U.S. and always win over customers. More air routes will be launched to connect Da Lat with other tourism cities in Vietnam and the world.

The Da Lat Nuclear Research Institute and Da Lat University will become major scientific research centers, which will train the human resources for the Central Highlands and the whole country and where well-known scientists in and outside Vietnam gather to work and do research.

Da Lat will be a romantic destination with cool atmosphere, friendly people and stay away from the harsh competition on the market. The city will also have well developed infrastructure for travel and retreat purposes. The environment will be clean and fresh, and there will be no noisy bars or clubs. That’s why Da Lat will have distinctive tourism!

Start from human resources

It’ll be too late if we do not start right now, so that Da Lat can really become the “Paris of Indochina” – or a city of tourism, science, and high technology – in the next 20 years.

We should begin with personnel training, as they will be the workforce who will prepare development and management plans in an effective way for the eco-social development and sectors which Da Lat has strength in.

While attracting people from other localities to come and work, Da Lat will become an important hub. What is even more significant is to seek the qualified people among local high school, college or university students, who are active, have good skills and dream big.

We should figure out the sectors Da Lat will need well-trained personnel to work in, and send students majoring in these fields to the best schools in and outside Vietnam, with an adequate scholarship policy. In the near future, these students will play an important part in boosting the development of Da Lat. The curriculum at local high schools should also focus on educating students to behave appropriately in a friendly, civilized city in the future.

Investing in scientific research will of course be expensive, but the benefits it will bring in the longer term are immeasurable. Therefore, there must be smart projects and decisive measures to borrow loans, as the profits in the next 20 years will surely come.

Da Lat should keep the current pine forests and grow more, by allocating land plots for local farmers to grow trees. The government will help flower and vegetable farmers with capital, new breeds, or modern technologies, and seek domestic and international outlets for them. These growers will no longer have to dump their products when prices fall.

Da Lat also needs to reduce the number of attached houses, condominiums, and multi-story buildings, and gradually relocate the offices of public agencies and organizations, and some schools to nearby towns. Public servants and local residents must also be relocated to such towns as Don Duong and Duc Trong, and Bao Loc City, when the infrastructure there is improved. This will enable Da Lat to have a more suitable population density as a tourism and resort city, which will bring all kinds of emotion to tourists – explore, savor, and enjoy.

Besides, the zoning plans for relocation of the said facilities should be carefully and appropriately done, so that Da Lat, with its French-style villas, churches, pagodas, and temples can attract tourists, who look for an ancient Da Lat.

One may ask: where is the money to do all these things? I think Da Lat should follow the "exchanging land for infrastructure" model, which Da Nang has been doing to have money. Not only local but international investors will be willing to reply to the call for investment in Da Lat if we have a smart, sincere and determined invitation.