The abandonment and decay for over 30 years have transformed these villas in blockhouses. The interior burned, blackened facade, only their structures remain like the skeletons of dead bodies on a battlefield. The windows are black holes letting ghosts lurking freely when night falls.
Neons of luxury are glowing on the deserted avenue. The glass facades reflect the logos that spread their mystical light in the night, a continual desire generated by billions invested of advertising. From Paris to Saigon via Hong Kong, it flows throughout the journey with the same stage direction.
votive:
Which belongs to the vow.
Votive object, object offered to fulfill a vow
Dalat was created during the French colonial period to be a mountain resort in the south of Vietnam. In 1907, the first hotel was built and the urban development was supervised by Ernest Hébrard. The city became rapidly the touristic spot, especially for the Saigonese bourgeoisie eager to escape the stifling heat of his city.
After the end of the American War in 1975, owners of the villas fled and currently, more than 200 villas are under management of the DaLat People’s Committee,
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It is a kingdom that children build out of sight of adults. It is a theater without a stage of an unknown time where the people gather like in a village’s market place. Princesses, murderers, bears, aliens, all parade in a cheerful and festive crowd.