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Residents and tourists alike have shared their disappointment over the removal of large portions of the Franciscaines Misionnaires de Marie – an abandoned monastery in the Central Highlands city of Da Lat – during the site’s renovation.

Spanning more than seven hectares, the chapel and residential quarters of Franciscaines Misionnaires de Marie sit between Tran Quang Dieu and Hung Vuong Streets in Da Lat, which is the capital of Lam Dong Province.

For years, the iconic chapel has been an inspiration for Vietnamese artists and photographers, being reimagined in countless works of art.

The mission is located in an area surrounded by pine trees near the center of Da Lat. Photo: Duc Tho / Tuoi Tre

A ruined complex

According to writer Nguyen Vinh Nguyen, the Benedictine complex was designed and built by French architects Alexandre Leonard and Paul Veysseyre in the late 30s and early 40s, marking the onset of Benedictine missionaries from the West making their way to Vietnam.

In 1954, these missionaries left the complex in the hands of Franciscans nuns before moving to Hue in the central region to set up the Thien An Monastery.

In the following years, the nuns enlisted Vietnamese architect Pham Khanh Chu to design additional classrooms behind the existing complex.

According to Tran Ngoc Trac, former head of Lam Dong Province Arts and Literature Association, the mission was known as Viet Nu Commercial School in 1969.

In 1979, the seven-hectare complex was handed over to the government.

Machines are brought to the mission to remove severely destroyed areas. Photo: Duc Tho / Tuoi Tre

Over the following decades, the school’s two classroom blocks and residential building served as the province’s supplementary school, then as the Lam Vien Hotel, and eventually Tran Phu High School.

In the 1980s, another building was built between the two blocks.

The chapel and monastery were next used as a warehouse, sports hall, and residential structure.

It was eventually abandoned for several years before becoming a campus of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture.

At one point, nearly 20 families illegally occupied the chapel but were eventually forced out by local authorities.

Inside the main chapel. Photo: Duc Tho / Tuoi Tre

Pulling out all the stops

The Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture, which currently manages the complex, said it has plans to restore the site.

“We are doing our best to preserve the monastery’s artistic value,” said the school’s representative.

“We expect it to be a landmark of the university’s Da Lat campus in which potential architects from the Central Highlands and neighbouring areas are trained.”

Plans on the renovation include a new amphitheater being built in the complex and the restoration of dilapidated structures.

The chapel will be transformed into a library and meeting hall which will host architecture and art workshops, while the residential structures will be used as boarding houses for lecturers.

The residential building’s roof is removed for restoration. Photo: Duc Tho / Tuoi Tre

“We decided to restore the existing constructions of the chapel and residential structure though they are not listed in the government’s compulsory reservation scheme,” the university told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

“We see the complex as a meaningful and valuable heritage site.

“Restoring costs much more than rebuilding but we must protect this significant landmark.”

The monastery’s façade has been reimagined in many pieces of art. Photo: Duc Tho / Tuoi Tre

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The little girl who was saved in a hair-raising fall from a building in Hanoi last month was discharged from the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital on Friday after five days of treatment.

Doctor Hoang Hai Duc, head of pediatric orthopedics at the hospital, said the pelvis joint of H., the child patient in question, was fixed and is responding well to treatment, as suggested by X-ray images.

A re-examination for the three-year-old toddler is slated for two or three weeks later.

On Thursday, Duong Thi Minh Thu, head of the hospital’s social work Ddepartment, visited and gave presents to the girl and checked on her family.

The management board of the hospital also directed the department to provide support for the family during the girl’s next check-ups.

On behalf of the family, H.’s mother expressed gratitude toward the treatment that her daughter had received.

Around 5:30 pm on February 28, H. was seen climbing over the balcony on the 12th floor of the apartment building at 60B Nguyen Huy Tuong Street in Thanh Xuan District.

She hung there for a moment before dropping.

The girl was saved by a man, 31-year-old Nguyen Ngoc Manh , who had noticed the situation and dashed up the metal roof of a structure ready to catch her.

Her fall barely missed his arms so she hit the metal roof below before bouncing up, according to what was seen in new videos that surfaced after initial footage of the incident went viral on Facebook.

Manh quickly brought her down to the ground before she was rushed to the hospital with injuries to the pelvis joint.

The man was then praised by the prime minister and the public for his heroic act.

Manh is a delivery worker in Dong Anh District, Hanoi.

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A Vietnamese adopted by a French couple 23 years ago had the opportunity to reconnect with her biological family in southern Vietnam after having her story published in T uoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

Amandine Durand, a 23-year-old Vietnamese – French adoptee, on Wednesday burst into tears when she suddenly hit with the realization of a lifetime: she had found her biological family.

The journey for tracing root

“Last week a beautiful article was published in Tuoi Tre Newspaper about my story, how I ended at Go Vap orphanage, my life in France and abroad, and the reason why I came back in[sic] Vietnam. I was looking for my biological family, maybe still[sic] a tiny chance to find them,” Amandine wrote on her Facebook.

“I have such great news to announce today, I finally found [my family], where I am from. I already had a big family in France, now the family is huge, there is no word who can express how I feel. This week was incredible,” she added [sic].

Tuoi Tre had the honor to follow Amandine as she set out to trace her personal history.

Amandine Durand shares her story at the talk titled “Helping Vietnamese Adoptees Trace Their Roots” held by Tuoi Tre Newspaper on July 12, 2018 in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre

On July 12, Tuoi Tre published Amandine’s adoption story in its Vietnamese print edition as part of its “Helping Vietnamese Adoptees Trace Their Roots” program.

Within hours of its publication, the story had spread throughout the country and Tuoi Tre became inundated with phone calls from people claiming to know Amandine’s birth mother, Do Thi Chiem, a resident in Ngai Giao Town, Chau Duc District, in the coastal province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau.

When Tuoi Tre told Amandine the news, the young woman reacted with understandable wariness, though it was clear she was eager to follow the lead.

The only way to find the truth, after all, would be to visit Ngai Giao.

Amandine and Tuoi Tre set out from Ho Chi Minh City to Ba Ria – Vung Tau at 5:00 am on July 14, passing from the busy highways of Saigon onto the twisting back roads near Ngai Giao where Chiem, now in her mid-60s, is cared for by relatives.

When Amandine arrived at the house, relatives and neighbors were eager to fill in the empty spaces of her story.

The story of baby La

According to neighbors, Chiem grew up in a poor area of the province and eventually married a local man, with whom she bore five children.

Shortly after the fifth child, the husband passed away.

Chiem married for a second time and soon had another daughter, Doan Thi Lua, now 25.

Two years later, at the age of 43, she was pregnant once again. In the six month of her pregnancy, however, her old age and harsh living conditions contributed to an obstetrical hemorrhage and she was transferred to Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

Doan Thi La was born premature, weighing only 1.56kg and needing to spend her first few days of life in an incubator.

“I was weak and did not have money. People around said that our daughter could die if we brought her home to live our difficult life,” Chiem recalled.

Do Thi Chiem (2nd from R) kisses Amandine when they meet on July 14, 2018 in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau. Photo: Tuoi Tre

An infertile couple asked to adopt the baby and, choking back tears, Chiem agreed, hoping it would save her daughter’s life.

She received VND1 million and a bunch of old clothes in return.

The couple ended up leaving the baby at the hospital.

She was then taken to the Go Vap Orphanage where she eventually met her French adoptive parents.

When Chiem and her family got back to their hometown, they told their neighbors that the baby suffered a premature death.

However, the yearning for his daughter tore at Amandine’s biological father’s heart.

After that telling his family the truth, he spent much of his life talking about his baby with regret until he died in April 2018 from cardiovascular disease.

When the people of Ngai Giao read Amandine’s story in Tuoi Tre , they knew the details were too similar to be mere coincidence.

Amandine listened intently as Tuoi Tre reporters carefully translated the story, trying to make sense of her life and trying to find a link to these strangers who were her family.

When Chiem and Lua tried to hug her, she pulled away.

Chiem and Lua both agreed to a DNA test and samples of Chiem’s hair and nails were brought to a lab in Ho Chi Minh City for testing.

As Amandine left the house that day, her face was calm and betrayed no emotion.

Her mother and sister were in tears.

The picture of the father

Before leaving Ngai Giao, Tuoi Tre and Amandine visited the house where Chiem and her husband used to live.

Amandine burst into tears when she saw the picture of her father on a small altar in the house, realizing the similarities between his face and hers.

“I am late, dad,” Amandine said while shedding tears and reaching to hug Chiem and Lua.

Amandine (L) is seen crying in a picture taken during her visit to meet Do Thi Chiem and Doan Thi Lua (R) on July 14, 2018 in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau. Photo: Tuoi Tre

“She is my little sister,” Lua said in tears. “My father kept talking about La in months before he passed away.”

Before leaving the place, Amandine gave a necklace to “her sister” with a promise to return.

After four days of waiting, Tuoi Tre and Amandine received unsurprising news from the DNA test – a matching result confirming that Chiem is Amandine’s biological mother.

Amandine couldn’t help but share her news with the world.

“If I could be honest, here and right[sic] now everything is going to change. All the pain I had is gone and all my questions are finally answered,” Amandine spread the happy news on her Facebook.

“It’s a miracle I was born premature [with only] a 20 percent chance to survive.  Here I am and after a week I found my family. I’m just so thankful for the situation and am the luckiest woman in the world.  Two families, two amazing countries, two beautiful cultures,” she happily shared. Her dreams had come true.

To all the children who are still looking for their family, please never give up.  Believe in faith and in your dreams. The best is coming for you.

Amandine Durand – Doan Thi La

Below is an English version of Amandine’s story published on Tuoi Tre Newspaper in the form of a personal essay on July 12: I want to find my mother: Do Thi Chiem. She was 43 when she gave birth to me in the early morning of August 20, 1995 at Tu Du Hospital. She left after that. I was premature and weighed only 1.56kg. The hospital named me Do Thi Ngoc Chau. At six months old, I was adopted from Go Vap Orphanage and flew to France. My adoptive parents have always told me that I am a gift they had been waiting for. They fell in love with Vietnam when they traveled the country during their youth. When they knew they couldn’t have children, they decided to adopt a child from Vietnam. I have changed their life with happiness and they have given me a wonderful life. I have everything I want, travel a lot, and had the opportunity to study in London. My parents support me in everything I do. Together we’ve traveled to Vietnam five times since I was young to experience the country, its food, and its culture. I love the country and its people. I feel comfortable and connected here; no one stares at me because I look the same as them. When in France, people often stare because I look different. Since I turned 14, I’ve had the idea of finding my birth parents. I wonder where they are and how their life is.  I wonder if I have siblings.  I wonder why they left me. In France, I had a very good job, an apartment, and a car.  All was good. I did charity work such as handing out food to poor and homeless people. My parents often taught me about certain values in life: if you want something in life, you have to work for it and share your luck with people. Sharing will not make you poor – it’s an important part of life. Last year, I visited Vietnam to volunteer at orphanages.  I particularly remember the Go Vap orphanage where I took care of babies and disabled children. I feel connected with the place and feel as though all the children are my brothers and sisters. I was there, in that situation. After three months I went back to France where I tried to continue with my life, but felt something was missing. From the bottom of my heart, I felt Vietnam was calling. This year I returned to Vietnam, found a job, and continued volunteering. My life in Vietnam is as great as in France.  Everything is lovely. What was most important to me, though, was that I find my birth parents. I’ve always wanted to meet my biological parents and to know where I’m from and why they left me. I think it’s important to know the whole story.  This Vietnamese part is the missing part of my life puzzle. I need help from friends in Vietnam to complete that puzzle. Amandine Durand – Do Thi Ngoc Chau

Although Ho Chi Minh City Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong ordered competent authorities to assertively deal with loud karaoke noise, leaders at district level have bemoaned the difficulty in measuring noise levels.

Many residents in the metropolis have pinned high hopes on the authority’s recent efforts to put an end to the noisy karaoke singing, which has been said to bring terror and nightmare to many people.

T., who resides in Hoa Thanh Ward, Tan Phu District, said he had been bothered by karaoke noise from a nearby beer parlor for quite a long time.

“They were still singing even at 11:00 pm. We have reported it to ward-level police but nothing has changed,” T. recalled.

“I had to take sleeping pills on some occasions but was still unable to sleep.”

Le Thi Ngoc Chau, a resident in Binh Tan District, said many men at her neighborhood often drank beer and sang karaoke almost every night.

However, they have not organized this kind of entertainment following the Lunar New Year holiday.

“Maybe they fear the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the city’s authorities have recently announced to take assertive measures to deal with the situation,” Chau elaborated.

Chau hoped that the peacefulness would last for a long time so that children can focus on their homework and the elderly can take a rest.

Minh, who lives at an apartment complex in District 1, also hoped that competent authorities will continue taking bold actions to eliminate noise pollution caused by karaoke singing.

Noise measurement almost impossible

According to Nguyen Thi Thu Nga, chairwoman of District 10 People’s Committee, local officers have fined many people for making loud karaoke noise.

Officers would first issue warnings following reports from residents, and a fine would be imposed if violators repeated the wrongdoing, Nga elaborated.

Most of the violators have stopped their noisy activities after being warned, the chairwoman added.

Do Anh Khang, vice-chairman of Go Vap District, said that the local administration had established two special teams.

The first is in charge of dealing with karaoke singing using large loudspeakers at local neighborhoods and parties.

The second team was tasked with inspecting karaoke parlors to make sure they do not violate regulations on noise limits and fire safety.

Measuring noise levels remains a challenge because of the lack of specialized devices, both leaders of District 10 and Go Vap District stated.

An official in Binh Thanh District added that he had to ask the bureau of natural resources and environment for assistance in measuring noise levels.

Pham Dinh An, chairman of Ward 6, Go Vap District, suggested that the city should develop a software or application that can measure noise, along with a corresponding legal corridor to make dealing with the issue an easier task.

In accordance with government Decree No.167, singing loud karaoke in residential areas from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am is punishable by a fine worth VND100,000-300,000 (US$4-12) for individuals and up to VND600,000 ($24) for organizations, said Tran Minh Cuong, a lawyer from the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association.

Under government Decree No.155, karaoke noise at two decibels or higher is prohibited at any time.

Violating this regulations is punishable by a fine worth up to VND160 million ($6,880) for individuals and VND320 million ($13,770) for organizations, depending on the noise level, Cuong added.

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