Vietnam’s iconic Dalat Railway Station twinned with its French architectural inspiration

Vietnam National Railway Group (VNR) and French National Railway Company (SNCF) held a twinning ceremony between Hai Phong Railway Station and Pontorson-Mont-Saint-Michel Railway Station at Dalat Railway Station on Wednesday.

The two sides also unveiled a twinning plaque for Dalat Railway Station and Trouville-Deauville Railway Station in France.

Dalat Railway Station was built by French architects between 1932 and 1938 and recognized as a national historical and cultural relic in 2001.

The station is considered one of the oldest and most beautiful railway buildings in Indochina.

The Dalat-Trai Mat section is the only remaining part of the former Thap Cham-Dalat cog railway.

Trouville-Deauville Railway Station in France's Normandy region inspired French architects in designing Dalat Railway Station nearly a century ago.

Both stations are now tourist destinations associated with sightseeing and local cultural experiences.

Hai Phong Railway Station was built in 1901 and began operations in 1902.

It serves the Hai Phong-Hanoi-Lao Cai-Yunnan railway route, which connects Vietnam with China.

The station was recognized as a tourist attraction in 2025.

In France, Pontorson Railway Station serves as a gateway to Mont-Saint-Michel, while Trouville-Deauville Railway Station provides access to tourist destinations in Normandy.

Dalat Railway Station welcomes nearly 500,000 visitors annually, including around 200,000 who take tourist train rides, according to VNR.

The twinning of Dalat and Trouville-Deauville railway stations was first marked at a ceremony organized by the French Embassy in Hanoi on May 7.

The initiative is part of an SNCF tradition of establishing partnerships between railway stations to promote shared heritage and international cooperation.

At the ceremony, Olivier Brochet, who was France's ambassador to Vietnam at the time, said railway cooperation had become an important part of the Vietnam-France Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, established in 2024, particularly in infrastructure development and green transition.

France would continue supporting Vietnam's railway sector through the French Development Agency and companies including SNCF, Systra and Alstom.

To leverage the partnership, VNR proposed joint efforts in preserving station heritage, developing tourism-linked transport hubs, and co-promoting heritage rail products.