Da Lat is a young city compared to
other cities in the south of Vietnam such as Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Nha
Trang as it was founded only in the late 1890s. Once serving as the capital of the
Federation of Indochina, Da Lat’s permanent image nevertheless is as a holiday
resort in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, the reason for which it was originally
established.
Da Lat features many interesting
landmarks. Its lakes and waterfalls have long stood out as some of its top
attractions while Emperor Bao Dai’s Summer Palace and the Buddhist pagodas are
equally popular. Visitors can spot a good number of well-preserved French
villas and chalets in the French Quarter located not far from the city centre.
It’s relatively simple to get to
Xuan Huong Lake and from there you can continue to visit many other sites in
town by foot as they are quite close by. The minority villages located nearby
Da Lat are a must for those wanting to see the ‘real’ Vietnam as the villagers
are pretty much keeping their traditional ways of life extant.
Bao Dai’s Summer Palace
Bao Dai was the last emperor/king
of Vietnam and ascended to the throne in 1926. He was only 12 years old at that
time. With a reputation as a man who enjoyed parties and the good life, Bao Dai
spent a good amount of time in Da Lat.
His summer palace was made up of
three imperial buildings with the part called Dinh 3 being the best known and
most visited. Built in 1933, the restored palace is still furnished with a lot
of its original furniture and fittings and offers a rich insight into the life
of the royal resident. The parts that are open for the public are the emperor’s
throne, office and bedroom, dining room and the empress’s quarters. Many
portraits and sculptures of the royals are on display too. Photography is not
allowed inside the building.
Opening Hours: Daily from 07:00 –
17:00
Location: On Le Hong Phong
Road, about a quarter of a mile southwest of Dalat's city centre
Tel: +84 (0) 63 549168
Da Lat Railway Station
Built in 1943, Dalat Railway
Station is small but offers interesting original ticket windows with a
wood-burning steam train. Visitors can also hop on for a short ride of about
5km following the historic line to a tiny village named Trai Mat and enjoy the
countryside along the way. The train operates about five times per day and
needs at least a group of four to five people to be able to make the trip.
Opening Hours: Daily from 08:00 –
17:00
Location: Northeast of Xuan
Huong Lake, off Nguyen Trai Street
Lake of Sights
The Lake of Sighs, as its name
suggests, is named after several sad tales of lovers. It was originally a
natural lake but was enlarged by the French as a dam. Even though the name has
unhappy connotations the Lake of Sighs is a popular destination for the
Vietnamese, especially young couples. Paddle boats and motorboats take lovers
out and away on the lake. There are horses and horse-drawn carriages to be
hired too.
Opening Hours: Daily from 07:00 –
17:00
Location: Northeast of town,
along Ho Xuan Huong Road
Linh Son Pagoda
If you want to visit a
non-touristic pagoda, try Linh Son Pagoda. It is more like a neighborhood place
than an attraction. Also located on a hill overlooking Dalat, the pagoda offers
contrasting views of the busy city on one side and the temple’s own tea and
coffee plantations on the other. It’s a common sight to see monks working in
the fields, especially during the tea and coffee harvesting season.
Opening Hours: All year round
Location: Not far from Dalat
city centre
Truc Lam Pagoda
Though it was recently built, Truc
Lam Pagoda is popular and probably the prettiest and the best-kept shrine in
Dalat. Located on Phuong Hoang Mountain by Tuyen Lam Lake, it features a cast
bronze bell, a pagoda and many Buddha images. Go up there by cable car and
admire the view from the top – it’s amazing.
Opening Hours: All year round
Location: A few kilometres
south of town
Valley of Love Park
As the name suggests, the Valley of
Love Park is popular with Vietnamese newlyweds. It has rolling green hills,
lakes and beautiful gardens and picnicking spaces. Youngsters like this place
not only because of the small amusement park but for the western-like ‘cowboys’
with their fake guns, and wide hats. The cowboys’ job is to actually offer
horse and pony rides to customers as well as posing for photos with them.
Some people even bring hammocks
here and pass their time reading, napping and people watching. It’s a purely
relaxing place that caters for all. Another popular activity in the park is to
go for a ride on the swan pedal boats around the lake. Avoid major holidays and
long weekends if you want to hire a boat in peace.
Opening Hours: Daily from 06:00 –
17:00
Location: On Phu Dong Thien
Vuong Street, less than 5km north of the town centre
Crazy House (Hang Nga Guest House
and Art Gallery)
It’s hard to meet people who have
visited Dalat and have not been to Hang Nga Guest House and Art Gallery, better
known as the ‘Crazy House’ because of its bizarre concept and tree-like shape,
designed by Dang Viet Nga, a Soviet-trained Vietnamese architect who first
established it in 1990.
With a little over a dozen rooms,
each with its own unique theme, here you’ll find tunnels, ladders, concrete
kangaroos; tigers and bears. If you are lucky, you might have the chance to
chat with the designer herself as she is usually present there.
Opening Hours: Daily from 07:00 –
18:00
Location: 3 Huynh Thuc Khang
Street, Dalat
Tel: +84 (0) 63-822070
Datanla Waterfalls
Datanla is no doubt one of the most
visited waterfalls in Dalat and is conveniently located a few kilometres south
of town. Sometimes ethnic K’Ho artists perform cong chieng here – a Vietnamese
traditional instrument cast from mixed copper. Those who are looking for
thrills should try the (mini) roller coaster ride from the top of the falls.
Opening Hours: All year round
Location: A few kilometres
south of town and three kilometres from Prenn Falls
Lam Ty Ni Pagoda (Aka the Mad Monk
Temple)
This small monastery is a mix of a
religious site with a lovely garden and an art gallery run by a kind of Zen
monk/painter called Vien Thuc. He is unlike ‘normal’ Zen practitioners and is
very energetic, able to chat with people in many languages including French,
English, Swedish, Chinese, Thai and of course Vietnamese. His art collection
might not be to everybody’s taste but certain exhibits are still very
interesting.
Some visitors find his operation a bit odd and un-Zen like, however others help
spread the good word around. Many tour companies now include this place in
their Dalat tour program. Visit the so-called ‘Mad Monk Temple’ to see for
yourself.
Opening Hours: All year round
Location: 2 Thien My (not far
from Hang Nha House) Tel: +84 (0) 63- 821775
Pongour Falls
These magnificent and powerful
falls are 20 metres high in the mountains and about 100 metres wide in rainy
season and are the largest falls in Vietnam. Visitors can hear the echo of the
water falling into the lake from a long way away.
Opening Hours: All year round
Location: In Tan Hoi Commune,
Duc Trong District (about 45km from Dalat)
The French Quarter
Take a sneak peak of how the then
influential people spent their summers during colonial times by visiting the
French Quarter along Tran Hung Dao Road. Visitors will see many original French
colonial-style villas and homes that were built around 1920s and ‘30s. Many
hotels, golf courses and spas as well as schools and churches were built in the
same period, most using French designs. This area is well maintained and many
villas are now owned by nearby five-star hotels.
Opening Hours: All year round
Location: Along Tran Hung Dao
Road a few kilometres southeast of town
Xuan Huong Lake
This manmade lake has become a
major landmark. It has beautiful gardens with many flowering plants and trees.
The beautiful reflection of willow and peach trees along the banks of the lake
is part of Dalat’s charm and there are restaurants, cafés, shops, accommodation
and a variety of business venues nearby, especially on the northwest side of
the lake, considered the heart of Dalat. Here, locals enjoy picnicking, cycling
and jogging, horse-cart riding and riding swan paddle boats as well as
celebrating weddings.
Opening Hours: All year round
Location: Central Da Lat
Da Lat Flower Gardens
It’s hard to separate Da Lat and
flowers from each other as the city is well known for its variety of colourful
flowers and plant species. It even has its own famous annual flower festival
which has proven to be very popular with domestic tourists. Established in
1966, the Da Lat Flower Gardens are on the northern side of Xuan Huong Lake in
the heart of the city and cover an area of about 7,000sqm.
Orchids, hydrangeas, roses, pansies,
mimosas and peach blossoms are among the 300 different kinds of common flowers
displayed in the parks along with many more exotic flowers. Some of the flowers
blossom a few times in a year, meaning that the park always features lovely
flora no matter when you visit, but summer is of course its peak time. Visitors
can also buy beautifully arranged bouquets at the gardens.
Opening Hours: Daily from 07:30 –
16:00
Location: Top of the Top-peg
Hill, north of Xuan Huong Lake
Da Lat Market
Da Lat Market is similar to many of
Vietnam’s city markets and is an interesting place to spend a short while to
feel the vibe of the real Vietnam. It is made up of more than 1,000 shops in a
few multi-storey buildings. The busy market offers interesting goods,
especially local produce from wine to flowers, meat to handicrafts and
cosmetics to strawberries candy and household appliances.
Basically you can find everything
here including cheap winter cloths (in case you are not prepared for Da Lat’s
cool weather.) Check out the market’s food court for local specialties.
Opening Hours: Daily
Location: Opposite Hotel Anh
Dao, on Nguyen Chi Thanh, Central Da Lat
Elephant Falls (Lieng Rewoa
Waterfall)
This dramatic falls has its
original name from the K’ho ethnic language and it means ‘elephant falls’ in
Vietnamese. Because of its remote location it is relatively quiet, which can
only be good as it also means less tourist buses. Check out the nearby Linh An
Tu Pagoda – a peaceful retreat.
Opening Hours: Daily from 07:30 –
16:30
Location: Near Linh An Tu
Pagoda in Nam Ha village (about 30km south of Da Lat)
Lat Village
You’ll know that you’ve arrived
here when you spot the concrete chicken statue in front of the village. There
are a few different legends about the chicken depending who you talk to such
as; this monument was built by the government to show its appreciation of the
villagers for their input during the Vietnam War or; it was built for the
memory of a young couple whose love was forbidden. There are more stories but
it really doesn’t matter about why and how the giant chicken got there. A visit
to this minority village is truly an eye-opening look into the simple life of
ordinary Vietnamese people who lead a very basic lifestyle with simple housing,
a small school, plantations and farms.
The village is poor and there is no
doubt that some folks here might try a little bit too hard to sell visitors
their crafts and handmade products like blankets, cotton goods and local rice
wine (similar to poitin). When not working on their land, many villagers work
at home doing a bit of this and that to provide extra income for their families
including traditional silk and cloth weaving.
Opening Hours: All year round
Location: About 16km south of
Da Lat
Linh Phuoc Pagoda
Linh Phuoc is one of the most
well-known pagodas in Vietnam with a 37-metre bell tower – the tallest in the
country. The main hall consists of colourful paintings regarding the story of
Buddha from his birth until he obtained Nirvana and his death. Linh Phuoc Pagoda’s
surroundings are peaceful with small lakes and gardens but things can also get
very busy with domestic tourists from time to time.
Opening Hours: All year round
Location: At the end of Trai
Mat Street
Prenn Falls
The impressive 10-metre high Prenn
Falls is a major Da Lat attraction, meaning lots of visitors come here,
especially during public holidays and school breaks. Located about 10km from
the centre of Da Lat, Prenn Falls has a small cable car service but many people
prefer to walk up the path behind the falls. It’s more fun but wetter that way.
Many visitors also make their way to the nearby Au Lac Temple.
Opening Hours: Daily from 07:00 –
17:00
Location: About 10km south of
Da Lat
Thien Vuong Pagoda
This pagoda was built by the local
Chinese community so it’s sometimes referred to as the ‘Chinese Pagoda’.
However the main focus of this monastery is not the pagoda but three historical
Buddhist statues which date back to the 16th century. Thien Vuong Pagoda has a
superb location suited among Dalat’s refreshing hills, giving travelers who
enjoy seeing both religious and natural sites more options (there are monks and
nuns living in the compound, too). Many people take along picnic baskets.
Opening Hours: Daily from 09:00 -
17:00
Location: A few kilometres
southeast of town