Mr. Pham S, Vice Chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People’s Committee, said that on April 26, the King Palace (Dinh 1) Da Lat project at No. 1 Tran Quang Dieu, Ward 10, Da Lat City, was invested by Hoan Cau Da Joint Stock Company. Lat (Hoan Cau Company) as the investor, will be closed. This move was made by Lam Dong after working and agreeing with the business on related issues.
Palace 1 is located at an altitude of 1,550 m, built by French millionaire Robert Clément Bourgery. After that, King Bao Dai bought it and turned it into headquarters during his time as head of state (1949-1955). After 1975, Palace 1 was used as a guest house, then assigned to tourism businesses but it was ineffective.
By 2015, Hoan Cau Company was assigned an 18-hectare pine hill area by Lam Dong province including a number of villas and Palace 1 to implement a tourism project with a 50-year operating period. The business leased it back to repair and renovate for business and service purposes with the name King Palace project.
The walkway to Palace 1 is nearly 500m long and paved with stone. On both sides of the road are rows of hundred-year-old trees. Before being closed (April 24), King Palace still operated normally. Many tourists come here to visit, including foreigners. The ticket price per visitor is currently 90,000 VND.
The main building in Palace 1 is more than 810 m2 wide, including 1 basement, ground floor and 1 upper floor with 12 large and small rooms serving work, living and resting of the former emperor’s family and close relatives.
In the main room right at the entrance to the first floor, there is a place to receive guests and work for mandarins. The rooms all use yellow and red as the main color tones, expressing royal power. The door system, stair rails, and floors are all made of wood imported from Thailand.
Inside the Palace, many historically valuable artifacts are preserved. In the main hall is a display of dragon robes recreated during the reign of the Nguyen Dynasty.
Upstairs, there are rooms for rest, worship, and the place where important meetings of State Chief Bao Dai and mandarins take place. Currently, King Bao Dai’s portrait is simulated by wax statue.
Over the years, Palace 1 has become a favorite destination for many people. In the photo are tourists visiting King Palace on April 24.
Foreign tourists experience horse riding services around the grounds of Palace 1.
On the grounds of Palace 1, there are also other buildings, such as villas and royal gardens on the hill. After the project is closed, the relevant units will execute a minutes of asset handover between the parties. The People’s Committee of Da Lat City was assigned to continue to preserve and manage the assets within the project and develop a plan to auction land lease rights at Dinh 1.
According to the Department of Finance of Lam Dong province, the total project investment value of the enterprise is more than 112 billion VND (minus more than 36 billion VND in depreciation and 3 billion VND in rent for Palace 1). Therefore, the actual amount Lam Dong province has to refund to businesses is nearly 73 billion VND. This agency proposed that the province deduct nearly 56 billion VND from the State budget to refund Hoan Cau Company. The remaining 17 billion VND will be included in the auction plan to be paid to Hoan Cau company.
Regarding this project, in 2020, the Government Inspectorate concluded that Lam Dong province leasing Dinh 1’s house and land to Hoan Cau Dalat Company was a violation of land and investment laws, so it proposed to terminate the project. . In case an enterprise wants to use it, it must re-determine the price and lease the asset according to regulations to avoid loss of budget revenue.
In 2021, Lam Dong province issued a document terminating operations at the above project with a plan to refund money to the investor. The recall and closure have only been carried out since then.
