A central area of Da Lat City, which is expected to welcome 5-6 million visitors per year in 2020

Permission was granted after considering the proposal by the Lam Dong Province People’s Committee and the opinions of the Construction Ministry.

Accordingly, hired foreign consultants will work with their Vietnamese counterparts in modifying the overall planning by 2030, including a vision for 2050.

The provincial authorities and the ministry must coordinate with each other in giving directions for making adjustments to the city’s planning in accordance to applicable laws and regulations, Hai said.

Earlier, on November 16, 2011, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung approved the city’s overall development planning, under which Da Lat will become a key political, administrative, economic and cultural center of Lam Dong Province.

The city is also expected to become a national and international resort, a national-level center for scientific research, training and technology transfer, and a center for studies of agricultural production and biological diversity protection.

According to a forecast, Da Lat will have a population of 620,000-650,000 and an urbanization rate of 55-60 percent in 2020. In 2030, the population will rise to 700,000-750,000 and the urbanization will increase to 65 percent.

The annual number of visitors to Da Lat is expected to be 5-6 million in 2020 and the figure will increase to 9-10 million in 2030.

Da Lat, a popular tourist destination in Vietnam, is located 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above sea level on the Langbiang Plateau in the southern parts of the Central Highlands.

TT