Dalat

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Please click on the countries below to read more about your desired destinations in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. These pages provide first-hand local travel information regarding transportation, accommodation, attractions, food & drink, entertainment ... together with some suggestions on ready-made tours to and from those places.

Vietnam

Hanoi

Halong

Hoian

Nha Trang

Ho Chi Minh City

Can tho

Sapa

Phu Quoc

Phan Thiet

Dalat

Danang

Qui Nhon

Vung Tàu

Cambodia

Seam Reap

Phnom Penh

Sihanoukville Beach Town

Laos

Luang Prabang

Viang Chan

Overview

Important Information

Gallery

Known as "Le Petit Paris" by the early builders and residents of this hillside resort town, Dalat is still a luxury retreat for city dwellers and tourists tired out from trudging along sultry coastal Vietnam. In Dalat you can play golf on one of the finest courses in Indochina, visit beautiful temples, and enjoy the town's honeymoon atmosphere with delightfully hokey tourist sights.

At 1,500m (4,900 ft.), Dalat is mercifully cool year-round -- there's no need for air-conditioning. The town is a unique blend of pastoral hillside Vietnam and European alpine resort. Alexander Yersin, the Swiss geologist who first traipsed across this pass, established the town in 1897 as a resort for French commanders weary of the Vietnamese tropics. In and around town are still scattered the relics of colonial mansions, as well as some serene pagodas in a lovely natural setting; you've escaped from big-city Vietnam for real. A few ethnic minorities, including the Lat and the Koho, live in and around the picturesque hills surrounding Dalat, and you can visit a number of rural villages on local tours.

Dalat is a top resort destination for Vietnamese couples getting married or honeymooning. If the lunar astrological signs are particularly good, it's not unusual to see 10 or so wedding parties in a single day. Many of the local scenic spots, like the Valley of Love and Lake of Sighs, pander to the giddy couples. The waterfalls are swarming with vendors, men costumed as bears, and "cowboys" complete with sad-looking horses and fake pistols. A carnival air prevails. It's a "so bad that it's good" kind of tacky that is definitely worth the trip. There are also some picturesque temples and hillsides lined with the crumbling weekend homes of French colonials. Emperor Bao Dai, the last in Vietnam, had three large homes here, one of which is now the Sofitel Hotel.

Airport: There is no international airport in Hoi An. The Domestic Da Lat Terminal center is roughly 30km from the centre of the capital city. You can be connected either at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi or Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. Taxi is available outsitde the airport. The Journey should cost approximetly $15 U.S.

Clothing: Lightweight cotton and linen clothing is advised for much of year. The average temperature is 17°C, and does not exceed 25°C in the hottest season. Warmer clothing is usually needed. Rainwear is advisable in any season.

Electricity: Electricity: 220V, 50 Hz AC (some 110V, 50HZ AC). Two-pin plugs are in use, however sockets are different from those found in most countries and an adapter socket may be needed. Outlets for 110 volts for small appliances are found in most hotels.

Health: A yellow fever certificate is required from travellers over one year of age arriving within 6 days of leaving or transiting countries with infected areas. For the latest immunisation requirements please contact your GP.

Language: Vietnamese is a difficult language to learn. Based on tonal variations, it is difficult for a short term traveler to speak easily. It comes from the Chinese, although the two languages have diverged. Vietnamese has six tones, so a word can be said six ways, imparting six different meanings. There are also regional variations, so what is polite in Saigon may be just the opposite in Hanoi. In the 17th century, Alexander de Rhodes. Jesuit scholar and missionary, created the romanized script which was used only by the educated. In 1954, under Ho Chi Minh, the romanized script became the official written script for the Vietnamese language. Today, English and French arethe most common second languagesin Vietnam, so someone is sure to help you out. And, even though it is a difficult language, give it a try. your efforts will be appreciated!

Tipping: If you are happy with services provided by your local guides and drivers, a tip, though not compulsory, is appropriate. While it may not be customary to you, it is of great significance to the people who will take care of you during your travels, it inspires excellent service, and is an entrenched feature of the tourism industry across destinations. Here are our suggestions;

Meals (restaurants):the average amount is $1
Guides: We recommend $2-$5 per day for local guides (depending on group size),
Drivers: You will have a range of drivers on your trip. Some will be with you for a short journey while others may be with you for few days. We would recommend a higher tip for those more involved with the group however a base of $1 to $2 per day would be appropriate (depending on group size).
Bellboy: the average amount is $1
Chambermaid: the average amount is $1 per day. For larger groups and adventure trips you may want to increase this. But please remember that it’s totally up to you, these are guidelines only

Visa Requirements: Almost all visitors to Vietnam need a visa to enter the country, although some qualified exemptions apply for citizens of those countries with bilateral reciprocal agreements with Vietnam. Depending upon the nationality and passport of the applicant, a tourist visa may be granted for either a fifteen (15) or thirty (30) day stay in Vietnam.Click here for more details…

Best Buys: The list of bargains is endless, but to whet your appetite, here are a few examples: Tea, Local wine, dride fruits and the famous XQ emboidery pictures can not be missed.

Places to see

Bao Dai's Palace
Completed in 1938, this monument to bad taste provided Bao Dai, Vietnam's last emperor, with a place of rest and respite with his family. It has never been restored and, indeed, looks veritably untouched since the emperor's ousting and hasty exile. On a busy weekend in high season, you might get a rush by imagining you're there to liberate the place and are part of the looting masses -- that's not hard to imagine, with the crowds ignoring any velvet ropes and posing for pictures in the aging velvet furniture.

Dalat Market
(Cho Da Lat)Huge, crowded, and stuffed with produce of all varieties, this is the top stroll-through destination in Dalat. Here's where you can see all the local specialties -- and even have a try! Some of the vendors will be happy to give you a sample of some local wine or a few candied strawberries. Dalat in general is low on the hassling tourist touts that plague the big towns and tourist sights in Vietnam, and entreaties from the merchants are friendly; you can walk around without too much hassle here because the locals are doing all the shopping. The top floor of the market now houses a high-end embroidery studio, and shops catering to tourists are on the rise, but mostly what's for sale are good local wines, preserves, and produce. Just outside the market, a number of vendors sell anything from sweetened soy milk to affordable dinners. The place is busy night and day, mostly with domestic tourists wandering the town. A fun vibe pervades it.

Dalat Railway Station
(Cremaillaire Railway) Built in 1943, the Dalat station offers an atmospheric slice of Dalat's colonial history. You can see an authentic old wood-burning steamer train on the tracks to the rear, and stroll around inside looking at the iron-grilled ticket windows, which are now empty. Although the steamer train no longer makes tourist runs, a newer Japanese train makes a trip to Trai Mat Street and the Linh Phuoc Pagoda. A ride costs $5 (£2.75) and leaves when full.

Hang Nga Guest House and Art GalleryOtherwise known as the "Crazy House," this Gaudí-meets-Sesame Street theme park is one not to miss. It's a wild mass of wood and wire fashioned into the shape of a giant treehouse and smoothed over in concrete. It sounds simple, but there's a vision to this chaos; just ask the eccentric owner/proprietor and chief architect, Ms. Dang Viet Nga. Daughter of aristocracy, Ms. Nga is well-heeled after early schooling in China and has a degree in architecture from the university in Moscow. In Dalat she has been inspired to undertake this shrine to the curved line, what she calls an essential mingling of nature and people. The locals deem her eccentric for some reason, but she's just misunderstood; don't pass up any opportunity to have a chat with the architect herself.

Truc Lam (Bamboo Forest) Zen Monastery
The complex was completed in 1994 with the aim of giving new life to the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen sect, a uniquely Vietnamese form of Zen founded during the Tran dynasty (1225-1400). Adherents practice self-reliance and realization through meditation. The shrine, the main building, is notable mainly for its simple structure and peaceful air, and there is a large relief sculpture of Boddhidarma, Zen's wild-eyed Indian heir, at the rear of the main temple. The scenery around the monastery, with views of the nearby man-made lake, Tuyen Lam Lake, and surrounding mountains, is breathtaking. Truc Lam can now be reached by a scenic tram ride from a hilltop overlooking Dalat.

Lake of Sighs (Ho Than Tho)
This lake has such romantic connotations for the Vietnamese that you would think it was created by a fairy godmother rather than French dam work. Legend has it that a 15-year-old girl named Thuy drowned herself after her boyfriend of the same age, Tam, fell in love with another. Her gravestone still exists on the side of the lake, marked with the incense and flowers left by other similarly heartbroken souls, even though the name on the headstone reads "Thao," not "Thuy." The place is crammed with honeymooners in paddle boats and motorboats.

Food and drinks

Dalat House (Asian, Western Cuisine)
About 4 km/2 1/2 miles east of town, past the railway station, Around Town
It's out of the town center, so it can be reached by cab, but that somehow adds to the experience of this dolled-up new Western restaurant, a place where local businessmen go to impress clients -- it evokes the theme to The Godfather. It's a mix of Asian and Western cuisine served on fine white china on candlelit, linen-draped tables. The best local choices are the good stews that take the chill out of a cool Dalat evening: hot-pot dishes great for sharing, or baked clay-pot specials. Western meals are all country-club standbys: meat and potatoes, fish filet, and pasta.

Ngoc Hai Restaurant Review (Vietnamese, Chinese cuisine)
Just down the street from the market, this local spot is two floors of bright, clean, indoor/outdoor dining. It's nothing spectacular, but the staff at Ngoc Hai is friendly and the menu is ambitious; ask for anything, and you'll hear hearty replies of, "Have. Have." Selections from the Western end of the spectrum include roasted chicken with potatoes and a mock-up of British fish and chips, but go for the Chinese-influenced Vietnamese stir-fries, one-dish meals, and soups. Reasonable set menus vary daily and are a good bet. Good veggie selections, too.

Xuan Huong (Vietnamese cuisine)
Two new restaurants sponsored by Dalattourist have entered the dining scene: one on a little island over central Xuan Huong Lake, the other just opposite on the shore, and both serving good Vietnamese grub. The lake site is a particularly picturesque pick, even if just for an evening drink. The place gets overrun with wedding parties, so keep an eye on the horizon lest you get dragged into the proceedings.

Le Café de la Poste (Continential Cuisine)
This cozy, colonial gem, part of the Dalat Palace Hotel, is located in an open, airy corner building across from the post office (go figure). It's more a restaurant than cafe, really, and has a great selection of light choices, sandwiches, and desserts in addition to hearty entrees like spareribs, T-bone steak, and fresh pasta. The salads are big and fresh, and they have a great French onion soup. Don't miss the cheesecake for dessert. It's slightly pricey for Dalat, but it's worth it in a way that the Dalat Palace's fine-dining venue, Les Rabelais, is not.