Viêtnam Memories Project
"LaDalat"

Preserve the Citroën La Dalat, a project of the "Vietnam Memories Project"

The "Vietnam Memories Project" aims to protect the Vietnamese heritage.

The Citroën "La Dalat" is part of the country’s automobile heritage. In 1970, it was the first car made in Vietnam and for Vietnam.

There were between 4 000 et 5 000 vehicles made (the figure varies according to sources).

Today, this car has become rare. There are no more than 200 roadworthy cars throughout the country and most of them are in poor condition.

After 1975 when the country closed, it was practically impossible to find spare parts to maintain them. They were then tinkered with and repaired with the limited means available. It is not uncommon to see La Dalat with parts from other cars. In one of our examples, the turn signal switch is from a Russian car and the seats are from an old Toyota.

Most of them, unable to be repaired, were either sold for spare parts or left broken down at the bottom of a garden, where, after decades in the tropical climate, rust has devoured them.

One of the difficulties is finding cars in good standing.

In fact, over time, a car may have changed hands several times without the new owners redoing the registration card in their name. In the best case, the only existing paper is a simple bill of sale scribbled by hand from one owner to the next. If, by misfortune, one of these acts is lost and the names of the owners appearing on it cannot be found, it is impossible to register it legally.

Today numerous LaDalats are driven without an updated registration. The police tolerate this for the moment, but for how long? The future of this car is uncertain and they may one day be confiscated and destroyed.

It is therefore very difficult to find a La Dalat in good standing and practically impossible to find one in its original state. They have been tinkered with, or even completely modified over time.

Our project is to preserve this heritage. Today it is much easier to simply maintain this type of vehicle, as the total renovation of this Citroën requires expertise, money and a great deal of time.

Restoring a Dalat to its original condition is very complicated.

Being a very simple car with a folded sheet metal body, many were modified as soon as they left the factory, adapted to the needs of their owner. The cars were then often modified by the following owners.

It is also very difficult to restore these cars to their original condition because today we have very little documentation on the models produced. In addition, there have been many different versions of La Dalat with equipment that evolved during the 5 years of its production.

So we decided to renovate them, but still maintain the appearance they have today. After all, it reflects their history and that of the country.

By taking a tour with Vintage Cars Tours, you support our project and help us finance this program to preserve a unique automotive heritage.

Currently, we have 3 vehicles, Choupette, Titine and Choupinette ...

We do not know the exact date of their manufacture. Their registration indicates "before 1975" (1975 being the year of reunification of the country.)

Each of these cars is in good standing with legal registration and an up-to-date technical control.

RESERVE YOUR TOUR IN A CITROËN LA DALAT NOW, CLICK HERE

Restoration work on the first vehicle (Titine) April 2017