Travelog - A travel guide to Vietnam

Back in 1893, French professor and doctor, Alexandre Yersin looked out over an area that has since become renown in Vietnam as a premier place of beauty and elegance. Although 113 years (and times of war and economic hardship) have elapsed since Mr. Yersin first fell in love with Da Lat, its natural beauty, historic sites, quality tourist services, and excellent food together make Da Lat the first option of many Vietnamese and foreign visitors.
Natural beauty

It would take hours to talk about the natural beauty that is in and around Da Lat. Within the city are colorful flower gardens, the Lam Vien plateau, Than Tho and Tuyen Tam Lakes, the Dankia Suoi Vang tourist resort, Prenn and Cam Ly waterfalls, the Langbiang mountains, and much more. It seems that there is either a colorful flower or smooth grass carpet alongside every Da Lat road and if one gets out among the continuous hills, going home will seem like a very unpleasant idea.

Culture, and historic sites

Da Lat is a city of people of many different ethnic groups, each with its own unique culture. If you like old religious buildings, there are lots of pagodas, temples and churches throughout the city built at various times.

The Thien Vien Truc Lam monastery can be found on Phung Hoang Mountain, close to Tuyen Lam Lake. On a 24ha site, this is Vietnam’s largest Zen monastery in both space and scale. Standing grave and solemn, the monastery architecture is a harmonious blend of classical and modern elements. Besides the Zen monastery, visitors to Da Lat will find themselves fascinated by the Linh Phuoc and Thien Vuong Co Sat pagodas, the Cam Ly pagoda and the Chanh Toa and Domaine churches.

Alongside the solemn pagodas and churches, the foggy city also houses pre-war, grand French villas and community structures. Go to see Palace 1 - ‘the stamp of time’, Palace 2 - a summer castle, and Palace 3 - a castle on the mountain.

Sipping coffee and the night life

Da Lat is the place to be when the sun goes down. In the cool evenings, the downtown area in front of the Da Lat marketplace is generally full of people. Most come to enjoy the food. The atmosphere, the cool air, and the great food make this the place to be.

Da Lat coffee is genuinely ‘home grown’, with quality ranging from normal to outstanding. Sit down and relax with a cup of fine Da Lat coffee but remember - it does carry a buzz.

Things to do

There are many great things that one can find to do in Da Lat. There’s a cable-car that’s rather new and it offers a great view from on high. See the whole city and the surrounding hills from 1,517m. Spot the French-built villas among all the new buildings.

Do you like horses? Horseback riding on the plateau is something that will give you a thrill and your backside a workout. The city’s low hills with flowing grassy fields are perfect for both you and your horse.

Did you say golf? You bet. Da Lat has the 65-ha Doi Cu golf course. It’s not that expensive, but that depends on the time of the day. The standard price is US$65 per person, but there’s a kind of ‘happy hour’ every day from 14h30′ to 15h30′ when it less - US$25-35. Whacking the little ball around at the Doi Cu golf course is sure to get your head right before having to leave this wonderful city and alas, return home.