Dalat
Dalat is the capital of Lam Dong province in Vietnam. This is the one of the most beautiful cities in Vietnam and sits on the latitute of 1530 meters above sea level on the Langbiang Plateau in the southern parts of the Central highlands.
Average temperature is from 15° to 20° C. The rainy season last from April to November. The total area is 70 square kilometers with population of 100,000.
Dalat’s specific sights are pine wood (forming the name: ‘City of thousands of pine trees’) with twisting roads and tree marigold (Vietnamese: dã quỳ) blossom in the winter. This city has a unique temperate weather in Vietnam’s otherwise tropical climate. Mist covering the valleys almost year-round leads to its name “City of eternal spring.”
Dalat is also known as an area for science research in the fields of biotechnology and nuclear physics.
With its year-round cool weather, Đà Lạt supplies temperate agriculture products for all over Vietnam, for example, cabbage and cauliflower. Its flower industry produces two typical flowers: hydrangea (Vietnamese: ‘Cẩm Tú Cầu’) and golden everlasting (Vietnamese: ‘Hoa Bất Tử’). The confectionery industry offers a wide range of ‘mứt’, a kind of fruit preserve made from strawberry, mulberry, sweet potato, and rose.
Dalat was founded by a French – Andre Yersin in the late 1890s. In 1900 General Governor of Indochina – Paul Doumer decided to choose Dalat as a resort center. The architecture of Dalat is dominated by the style of the French colonization period. The Dominion of Mary Church and Convent were built in 1938 and offer a panoramic view of the city. The convent is a home to Roman Catholic nuns of the Mission of Charity. Dalat is a highland city with more than 2500 villas.
In the center of the city is Xuan Huong Lake. The lake bears the name of 17th century Vietnamese poet. Around the city there are waterfalls, beautiful flower gardens, pine forested valleys, lakes, golf courses, for example: Valley of Love, Camly fall, Prenn fall, Datanla fall, Truc Lam Thien Vien pagoda. In Vietnam, Dalat is a popular tourist destination.
The other choice is Lake of Sorrow or Lake of Sighs (Hồ Than thở), whose name came from a tale of two lovers, one of whom committed suicide after the other was called up to serve in the army. The romantic and beautiful Tuyen Lam Lake (Hồ Tuyền Lâm) (the lake where rivers, springs and forests meet), Prenn Falls, or Pongour are also worth visiting for their beauty and fun.
On the other hand, Da Lat is popular for French-style architecture. Examples are King Bao Dai’s Palace, Ngo Dinh Diem and Nguyen Cao Ky’s villas, Hang Nga villas, and so forth. All of those should really be visited since they demonstrate the deeply special beauty and somehow culture of the old French.
