The Vietnamese alpine resort of Dalat is often called Little Paris. It was built by the French, in the middle of the 19th century. colonized Indochina and sought salvation from the suffocatingly humid heat of Saigon. The first to draw attention to the favorable climate of the mountainous area in the southeast of Vietnam was the French bacteriologist Alexander Yerssen, and already in 1907 the first hotel was opened in Dalat. Europeans who wanted to enjoy the mountain air and picturesque views could stay there. Nowadays, the resort is especially popular with honeymooners, bohemians and golf lovers on world-class quality courses. When planning a tour and drawing up a program of excursions, be prepared to see another Vietnam - not a beach resort, but respectable, sophisticated and quite civilized. When asked what to see in Dalat, travel agencies will gladly answer its guests, offering excursions to natural attractions and walks to museums, where the history of the colonial past and the modern present is carefully preserved.
TOP 10 attractions in Dalat
Xuan Huong Lake
In 1919, an artificial dam appeared in the city, which was actively under construction at that time, blocking a small river. As a result of reclamation work, Dalat received an artificial lake Xuan Huong in the very center. The lake immediately turned into a favorite place for walking among townspeople and tourists.
A boat rental service is open on the banks of Xuan Huong. By renting a small boat, you can take an exciting walk and see Dalat from the water. The equestrian club offers horse riding. For fans of hiking, there are trekking routes along the shores of the reservoir.
Near the lake there is Hoa Binh Square, where several cafes and restaurants with national cuisine and European dishes on the menu are open. On one of the banks of Xuan Huong, there is a beautiful golf course with an area of 50 hectares.
Dalat flower gardens
At the northeastern tip of Xuan Huong Lake, there is a large park called Dalat Flower Gardens. Many guests of the resort come here every day to look at thousands of tropical plants.
The park was founded in 1966 and reconstructed a quarter of a century later in accordance with the new fashion requirements in landscape design. Today, the park has a boating lake with swans and a variety of plants that bloom all year round. The main types of Vietnamese flora are widely represented in the Dalat Flower Gardens: lush hydrangeas and bright fuchsias, fragrant azaleas and timid mimosas, chic roses and stylish gerberas. Juicy chrysanthemums bloom in the garden, dozens of species of cacti feel at ease and exquisite orchids invariably attract everyone's attention.
Those wishing to take home a piece of blooming Dalat can buy orchid seeds and seedlings at the park's store.
Lam Dong Museum
The history of the city, although not too long, nevertheless deserves that everyone could get to know it. Moreover, people lived in these parts even before the arrival of the French colonialists in Indochina and even long before the onset of a new era. This is how the local history museum appeared in Dalat, where many exhibits are presented that tell about the history and traditions of this part of the country.
The oldest exhibits date back to the Stone Age. The stands show the tools of labor of primitive people found in the ground. The exposition continues with ancient agricultural devices, traditional craftsmen's tools, national costumes and household utensils. In the halls of Lam Dong, you will find musical instruments and silk fabrics, drawings on paper and pottery, weapons used during the civil war, and hunting traps used by the locals to catch birds.
Nine exhibition halls are systematized by theme and historical period. The most modern exhibits are dedicated to the achievements of the socialist republic in building a new society.
Crazy house
Even if you came to Dalat without children, you are definitely recommended to look at Madame Dang Viet Nga's "Madhouse"! The daughter of one of Comrade Ho Chi Minh's advisers, who once studied in the USSR and retained a taste for life and a creative character until her old age, Ms. Nga built an original guest house, called crazy because of its design, interiors and general concept:
- The name of the hotel, translated from Vietnamese, sounds like "Lunar Villa".
- When designing the hotel, not a single right or sharp angle was provided - all lines are soft and curved.
- The hotel cafe is located in a tea house in the shape of a giraffe.
- The cost of one night in the rooms of Madame Nga's guest house ranges from $ 30 to $ 140.
- Each room has its own name. You can stay at the Bear, Ant, Pheasant, Kangaroo or Pumpkin, decorated in full accordance with the names.
The unusual building was included in the top ten of the strangest structures on the planet, which for its creator was the highest mark of many years of hard work. Madame Nga herself personally meets each guest of her hotel. It is advisable to book rooms in advance, because the "Madhouse" in Dalat is very popular.
Longbyan viewpoint
In half an hour's leisurely drive from the city center, you will find Longbyan Mountain, where all the photographers who, by the will of fate, find themselves in the Vietnamese outback, will certainly go. At sunrise, the most picturesque views of Dalat and the surrounding area open from the observation deck on Longbyan, and even those who prefer to take selfies with their smartphones come and come to see the city from a bird's eye view, without bothering with the abstruse settings of "canons" and "nikons".
You can get to the Radar Station observation deck on foot (about two hours of a leisurely walk from the foot to the top) or by jeeps, which are offered in large numbers by the locals. If you plan on trekking on foot, bring an adequate supply of drinking water.
Bao Dai Summer Palace
In 1945, the last Vietnamese emperor, Bao-dai-de, a representative of the Nguyen dynasty and ruler of the pro-French government, publicly abdicated the throne. Since then, several of his residences, built in the first third of the twentieth century, have survived in Dalat.
The Bao Dai Summer Palace is not particularly luxurious or luxurious. It was built in 1933 and it is possible to call the residence a country villa.
Everything in the interiors of the palace has been preserved from the times when Vietnam was ruled by the thirteenth representative of the royal dynasty. Furniture, carpets, dishes and decorations have been preserved, despite the fact that after the abdication of Bao-dai from the throne, several owners changed in the villa. The palace even managed to visit the general's military headquarters during the civil war.
Train station and trip to Chaimat
The most beautiful railway station in all of French Indochina was considered a small station in Dalat. It was built on the model of the Deauville train station in Normandy in 1932. The authors of the project were French architects.
Initially, a small station served a railway line with a length of more than 80 km, but in 1964 the road was destroyed as a result of hostilities. It was only partially restored in 1991. Since then, only one train runs from the station in Dalat, which can be called a tourist attraction, and not a full-fledged public transport.
You can ride the 7-kilometer route to the village of Chaimat every day from 9 am. A small train leaves when there are at least 15 passengers. The round trip takes about two hours, with a stop in Chaimata about half an hour. During this time, passengers have enough time to explore the Lin Phuoc Pagoda, which is another popular attraction in Dalat.
Lin Phuoc Pagoda
As materials for the construction of this strange structure, its authors chose broken dishes and other household waste, which is abundant everywhere in Asia. The result is a building that is now not overlooked by any visiting tourist, and the Vietnamese themselves regularly visit in order to pray to their gods. Lin Phuoc Pagoda is fully operational and already has the status of a religious shrine.
It began to be erected in 1949, when total poverty and devastation did not allow architects to use expensive building materials. The result was a 27-meter-high tower with typical curved ridge roofs, decorated with dragons, a spacious prayer hall with an area of more than 600 square meters. m. and a five-meter statue of Buddha, seated, according to tradition, on a lotus flower.
Around the pagoda, there is a garden where tropical plants bloom throughout the year. A pond was dug in the garden, on the bank of which a huge dragon made of glass and tiles "lies".
Pongur waterfall
The incredibly picturesque Pongur Falls, falling off the rocks in several wide cascades, is considered the largest in Vietnam. Its height does not exceed three tens of meters, but the streams rush down in steps and look especially photogenic after the end of the rainy season. In this part of Vietnam, they end by November and resume in April.
The easiest way to get to the picturesque waters of Pongur, located 40 km south of Dalat, is as part of an organized excursion or by local taxi.
Silk factory
Interested in what to bring from Dalat as souvenirs for loved ones or as gifts for colleagues? Take a tour of a local silk factory where local needlewomen embroider paintings on silk.
Plots of future masterpieces are usually invented by male artists, but the honor of bringing them to life is given to girls. Usually, a group of several craftswomen is working on each canvas, and during the tour you can see how Vietnamese embroiderers work.
The factory has a souvenir shop selling silk paintings. If you cannot find anything suitable from the finished product, you will be offered to make an individual order, which the workers will fulfill before your departure from Dalat.
