The most romantic city in Vietnam, also known as “Le Petit Paris” or “City of Flowers”, Da Lat is a perfect place for couples and families to visit and enjoy the chilly weather, an escape to the heat found in most other cities in Vietnam. Many hotels and houses were built during the French colonization, blessing tourists with the sight of unique, Western culture in the middle of Asia. Da Lat’s lakes and waterfalls are also known as some of its top attractions.
Datanla Waterfall
This 20-meter high waterfall not only attracts tourists because of its clear water and lovely views but also because of many other interesting activities, such as self-controlled roller coaster, waterfall climbing and rafting.
Pagodas
Another must-visit location in Da Lat is their collection of popular Buddhist pagodas which feature a variety of Da Lat’s beauty.
- Truc Lam Zen Monastery – On the way to Tuyen Lam Lake is a beautiful temple surrounded with pine trees. With the beautiful landscape, the pagoda is not only a place for meditation but also an ideal place for sightseeing.
- Linh Phuoc Pagoda is made up of glass mosaic. The front of the pagoda is lined with meticulous sculptured pillars in the shape of flying dragons, which were made from glass debris. This is really the ideal place for visitors who want to learn more about Buddhism as each floor of the tower worships different gods and goddesses.
City of Flower
If you love flower, Da Lat is your ideal destination. With a variety of flowers and plant species.
Da Lat Flower Garden covers 7,000msq on the northside of Xuan Huong Lake, known as the biggest selection of flowers in Dalat. It’s also an appealing attraction during the annual Flower Festival, with hundreds kinds of flower and plant species.
Domaine de Marie Church
The Domaine de Marie Church, also called Mai Anh Church or Cherry Church, is home to the Roman Catholic nuns of the Mission of Charity.
It features the blended architecture of France and Vietnam’s Central Highlands. Its roof structure is like that of Nha Rong (Communal House), a popular type of house on stilts in the Central Highlands. French influence can also be seen on the walls, which feature stained glass windows, and on the façade of the building.
Lang Biang Mountain
Consisting of two peaks, Lang Biang Mountain offers a fantastic view of the surrounding hills and lakes. The fastest way up is getting a ride in an old Russian jeep. The jeep will take you 4.4 kilometres up a paved road through beautiful pine forest. At night, visitors can come back down to the valley and celebrate bonfires with the natives here and enjoy a grand festival, prepared upon request.
Food to eat before you leave
- Small round rice pancake (Banh Can) – a favorite dish of the locals and tourists. Made from pure rice with the filling of spring onion, served with fish sauce, meatballs and crackers on top.
- Avocado ice-cream – one of the most beloved desserts in the cold weather. A perfect combination between scoops of fresh sweet white ice cream and soft greasy grinded avocado, and some dried coconut on top.
- Bread with meatball soup – the combination of ground pork mixed with cat ear mushrooms, minced onions, garlics and some kinds of spices makes this dish a heavenly taste, totally different than other regions in Vietnam.
- Soybean milk – can easily found anywhere in Da Lat. Enjoy a hot glass of soybean milk in the cold weather, and you will never forget the sweet and fresh flavor.
- Coffee – Da Lat is famous for its coffee streets near Da Lat Market and Xuan Huong lake. Coffee in Da Lat also has its own flavor with subtle fragrance and moderate bitterness that can enchant people at first try.