Vietnam is known to Russian tourists mainly as a country of beach holidays. But believe me, there is a warm sea in any tropical region. But the sights in each country are different. And they are not always located on the shore. Among them is the city of Dalat. This article is for those who want to see the real Vietnam. Dalat, the sights of which we describe here, will surprise the traveler. There are not only natural beauties, but also architectural monuments. So strange that excursion groups come here to see them. You can, of course, join them. But they devote only a day to visiting Dalat, while the list of attractions of the city is so large that it is necessary to spend at least two days on it. In this article, we will not only talk about the sights of Dalat, but also give some practical tips and advice for independent travelers. We hope you find the information provided helpful.
Where is it located and how to get there
The city of Dalat is located in South Vietnam and is the capital of the province of Lam Dong. The French colonialists built it in order to have where to escape from the tropical heat. The uniqueness of Dalat in its alpine location. It is located on the top of the Long Bian plateau. The height of almost one and a half kilometers above sea level makes the climate of Dalang comfortable for a European. And nature is able to defeat anyone with its beauty. The surrounding mountains are very reminiscent of the Alps. Therefore, it is not surprising that Dalat quickly developed into an elite mountain resort. He even got his own Lien Khuong airport, where airplanes from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh land. From former Saigon, the largest city in South Vietnam, you can get to Dalat by bus. The trip will cost about two hundred thousand dong, and the journey will take seven and a half hours. All flights depart from Mieng Dong Bus Station. A taxi ride along a mountain road with serpentines (30 kilometers) will cost three million dong. Intercity buses can also come here from the popular coastal resorts of Phan Thiet, Nha Trang, Danang.
Where to stay in Dalat
The best opportunity to see, without haste, all the sights of the mountain resort is an independent two-day excursion to Dalat. Many tourists, including Vietnamese, come here for a longer period. Budget housing is worth looking east of the Central Market. Hotels with three stars delight cleanliness and comfort. But the rooms often do not have air conditioning. But he, in truth, is not needed in this climate. Room for backpackers in hotels of 1-2 stars will cost 220 thousand dong. Living in the "troika" for two costs from six hundred thousand to a million. The local "fours" are not inferior to the "fives" in terms of service, but they do not have spas and other signs of chic. The price of a double room in a luxury hotel starts from two and a half million dong per night. More expensive housing is located west of the Central Market. Hostels and budget hotels should be searched on the outskirts of the city.
What to see in Dalat
This resort conquers with its cozy colonial atmosphere. Houses in the French style, “alpine” landscape around - you seem to be transported for thousands of kilometers, somewhere in Savoy. But there is also a special flavor that can no longer be found in any corner of the world. This is a certain recklessness, if not to say - "crank." And this originality begins to appear for city guests already at the railway station. To this attraction of Dalat (Vietnam), the locals are especially thrilled. The French built the station, and for the sample they took the railway station of the city of Deauville in Normandy. The colonialists planned that Dalat would become the largest transportation hub. Fortunately, this did not happen. It is no exaggeration to say that the local train station is the most beautiful in Vietnam. Only two trains per day leave from its platform. These old trains are also the slowest in the world. Trains depart when 15-20 passengers are typed. It is better to make a trip in the morning, at about nine o’clock the audience is going to. A trip on a train of the construction of the 30s of the last century also has the plus that the final station will be Ga Trai Mat. And at this point is the famous Lin Phuoc Pagoda. The train is waiting for its passengers for half an hour. This time is enough to inspect the pagoda. A round trip costs 120 thousand dong, and takes two hours in time (taking into account a thirty minute stop).
Lin Phuoc Pagoda
Sights of Dalat (Vietnam) are known for their originality and even scandalousness. But the Lin Phuoc Pagoda is an ambiguous monument. On the one hand, this is a real sacred building. People come here to pray and donate to the Buddha. But on the other hand, the building material from which the Lin Phuoc Pagoda is composed is surprising. It was erected at the end of World War II, more precisely, in 1949. Then many countries lay in ruins, and somehow they needed to be cleared. This idea of cleaning up old rubbish and building a new world was adopted by architects who created this original temple. All of it is composed of shards of dishes and broken glass of all stripes. And this applies not only to the exterior, but also to the interior decoration, statues, and other decor. As in many other Buddhist temples, the Lin Phuoc Pagoda has its own garden with a pond. There is a striking 49-meter glass dragon, snugly coiled around the pool. Even in the pagoda, you need to see the 27-meter tower, decorated with dragon statues, the Prayer Hall and a five-meter sculpture of Buddha sitting on a lotus flower. The Lin Phuoc Pagoda is located just fifty meters from the station.
Crazy House
In fact, this building is officially named Han Nga, which translates as "Moon Villa". But the locals gave him a more apt name - "Crazy House" or Crazy House. Dalat is not the only city in the world where there are such "drunk" buildings. The architect of this house (and part-time daughter of the former Secretary General of the Communist Party of the country) Dang Viet Nga once said: "I am an adventurous person and always follow my intuition." Already approaching the house, one can marvel at the flexibility of the female “sixth sense”. Not a single sharp corner. A house doesn't just look like melted ice cream. Everything in it flows and passes one into another. Tunnel corridors, stairs in the form of bridges - you get the impression that you are in the Harry Potter School of Magic or Through the Looking Glass. The house itself from a distance resembles a large old tree, in the hollow of which the hotel settled. The hotel, by the way, is operational. It is quite possible to book a room there. Near the hotel you will see a "giraffe". This is a tea house. But you can simply pay a visit to the Hang Nga Hotel (from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.). An excursion to Crazy House (Dalat) will cost only forty thousand dongs.
Mount Long Bian
An excursion to Dalat (Vietnam) will be incomplete if you do not see this natural attraction. The mountain is the highest point of the plateau, but this is not what attracts tourists here. Its peak is composed of five steep peaks of volcanic origin. You can get to the very top only on foot. But you can limit yourself to climbing the observation deck. It has restaurants, binoculars for viewing the surroundings, toilets. For especially lazy tourists or those who can not master a two-hour walk, there is an option - a ride to the observation deck of Radar Station in an all-wheel drive jeep (four thousand dongs). Climbing is best in the early morning. Then you can catch the fog swirling over the forest and take charming pictures. Mount Long Bian is a twenty-minute drive from the center of Dalat. You can get to the foot of the mountain by city bus. Entrance to the natural park itself is paid, a thousand dongs per person. The path is not tiring, the road mostly runs along a shady forest. But tourists recommend taking along drinking water - on the way you will not buy it anywhere.
Waterfalls
This is another attraction of the mountain resort of Dalat. Waterfalls are both far from the city, and close to it. The Camli River flows through Dalat. Just two kilometers from the city center - you can walk there - it forms several cascades fifteen meters high. The passage to the Kamli waterfalls is paid. And there, tourists are waiting for photographers offering to star in cowboy costumes. Reviews of tourists recommend that, if there is a shortage of time, delete the Kamli cascades from the list of “mast si”. A trip to Dalat will be much more interesting if you combine it with a visit to one of the distant waterfalls. And there are many of them in the resort district. The 30-meter Pangur waterfall, which is 40 km south of the city, is especially famous for its beauty. Also beautiful is Datanla (6 km from the center), flowing among the protected forest, and Lieng Roova. The name of the latter translates as Elephant Falls. Excursions to Prenna are extremely popular. A trip to this waterfall should be planned at least for half a day. Since, in addition to admiring the water jets, elephant rides, tasting Luwak coffee and other pleasures are offered here. All trips to the waterfall should be planned for the rainy season, which in this part of Vietnam falls on the summer months.
Museums in Dalat
Natural attractions and the sight of beauty should be alternated with educational excursions. In order to better get acquainted with the history and culture of the region, you should go to the Lam Dong Museum. It is located on the outskirts of Dalat, on Hung Vuong Street, 4. It will be far away on foot, and the public transport network bypasses this area. The museum can be reached by taxi or rickshaw. The exposition of Lam Dong is very diverse and divided into thematic rooms. It even exhibited artifacts confiscated by the police from the "black archaeologists." In the museum you can get acquainted with costumes, tools and everyday life of local nationalities. There is also a hall dedicated to the history of the city of Dalat. The museum is housed in a beautiful building, which the townspeople respectfully call "Nguyen Nuu Hao Palace." Another museum that is included in the program of almost all excursions in Dalat is called the Bao Dai Summer Palace. The last emperor of Vietnam really lived here. Everything remained the same here, as in the distant 1933. It is possible to call the Summer Palace building with a big stretch. The emperor was modest in everyday life, and his summer palace looks like an ordinary villa. But the numerous underground passages dug in the event of a coup d'etat show that a statesman of the first magnitude lived here.
Buddhist shrines
Communist Vietnam tolerates religious cults. In Dalat there are both Buddhist shrines and (as a colonial heritage) Christian. The latter includes the beautiful neo-Gothic church of St. Nicholas. It is located in the center, near the "Madhouse". The main Buddhist shrine is the Lin Sean Pagoda. She's pretty new. The time of its construction 1936-40. Unlike other "scandalous" buildings of Dalat, this pagoda is very canonical. It will interest those who want to get acquainted with traditional Vietnamese religious architecture. Also reviews of tourists recommend visiting the Buddhist monastery Chuk Lam. The monastery is located on a nearby mountain, and it is best to get to it by cable car (fifty in one direction, seventy thousand dong back and forth). Well, the entrance to the monastery is free.
Dream Park and Golden Buddha
In 2002, the city was replenished with another Buddhist shrine, which immediately became a new attraction. It's about the Temple of the Golden Buddha. The highest hill in the city was chosen for him. On its slopes there was a beautiful garden called the Dream Park. At the foot of the hill is a Buddhist monastery, and just above it is a temple. And at the very top, the Golden Buddha sits on a huge lotus flower. The height of the statue is twenty-four meters, so it can be seen from many points in the city. The park and religious complex are constantly being equipped and expanded. You should go here at least to enjoy the panorama of Dalat that opens from the observation deck. Entrance to the temple and park is free.
Dalat parks
Flower Gardens, Valley of Love - the resort has enough places where you can hide from the merciless equatorial sun under the canopy of shady trees. Some of the parks are a real attraction of Dalat. For example, the Valley of Love, although bus tour groups bypass it, is considered a favorite vacation spot of the Vietnamese. This park is so huge that you need to allocate a whole day for its full inspection. But flower gardens are included in the mandatory program of all excursion tours in Dalat. If you do not want to walk around the park in the crowd, come here early, from 9 in the morning. Reviews report that the gardens are adjacent to the city lake, so, in addition to walking among the flower beds and admiring the miniature trees, you can ride a catamaran. The gardens are also good because they are located almost in the center of the city, and the entrance ticket there is cheap (about one and a half US dollars).
What to try at the resort
Sights of Dalat (Vietnam) are not limited to architectural monuments and natural beauties. There is also an intangible heritage. First of all, it is an interesting mixture of refined French and authentic Vietnamese culinary traditions. Only here you can try a croissant with coconut cream or crepe pancakes stuffed with shrimp. On the shore of Xuan Huong Lake and in the market area there are many cafes and fast-food establishments where you can enjoy authentic Vietnamese dishes - noodle soup, seafood and chicken rice. Allows you to get acquainted with the "high" cuisine of Dalat (Vietnam) excursion to one of the restaurants, of which there are many in the city center. The main dishes from the Mast Tray list are: Bun Bo Hue Soup, Lotus Flower Salad, Laum Roast, Shrimp in Beer, Fish Stewed in Coconut Milk and Potted Seafood.
What to bring
Dalat (Vietnam) reviews are called the coffee capital of the country. It was in the vicinity of the resort that the robusta plantations and palm martens nurseries spread. The result of the digestion process of these cute little animals is the famous Luwak coffee. This product is the main souvenir that tourists bring from Dalat. Moreover, this on-site coffee can be bought at half the market price. Tea from artichoke, inlaid lacquered caskets, silk products, lamps, ceramics and wood crafts are also being brought from Dalat.