Urbanism and architecture of Da Nang city during the French colonial period (1888-1954)

Abstract

In the history of Vietnam, Da Nang City is known as the biggest port in the Central and an international gateway with busy trading activities. Before the invasion of French at the and of the 19th century, because of continuous conflicts, the land had not received much interest from the landowners in urban planning. The appearance and domination of French in the city could be considered as the first application of modern ideas in urbanism and architecture. As the French invaded and colonized Vietnam for nearly seven decades, the colonial government played a significant role in the urban development of this city. The central area of Da Nang City, along the left bank of Han River, was first planned by the French and most of their colonial constructions are still functioning well today. This thesis studies the urbanism and architecture of Da Nang City during the French colonial period (1888-1954) from the political, economic, social, and religious perspectives. Within the French rule, their colonial strategy in Da Nang altered according to the different historical contexts. Thus, in this research, the development of urbanism and architecture of the city was discussed in three specific periods. While in the first period, the settlement of French in Da Nang following the Western urban standards had been established, the next two stages experienced the expansion of urban areas in the city, as well as the strong growth of Da Nang architecture.