Dalat looks like a cross between Vietnam and the French Alps. Many of its hotels and houses were built in a French style during the French colonization. There are many places for tourists interested in architecture to visit, such as Dalat Railway Station, designed by French architects Moncet and Reveron, or Hang Nga guest house, ‘Crazy house’ which is also an interesting place to stay.
The climate in Dalat is often called ‘Eternal Spring’ for its pleasantly warm temperatures during the day and quite cool at night, down to perhaps 10oC. Due to its favorable weather, Dalat is a supplier of temperate produce for all over Vietnam, for example, cabbage and cauliflower. Also, it has a nickname ‘City of Flowers’. Its flower industry is highly developed and famous for two typical flowers: hydrangea and golden everlasting.
Apart from architectural places of interest, Dalat also has lots of beautiful sites such as Xuan Huong Lake – center of town, Lake of Sorrow– 5km Northeast of town on Ho Xuan Huong Road, Valley of Love – Phu Dong Thien Vuong Street, Lang Biang Mountain – has a 1900m peak, ideal for a 3-hour hike, Prenn Falls – 10km outside the town, Pongour Falls – one of the largest and widest waterfalls in Vietnam, 30km south of town on highway 20, etc.
Tourists arriving in Dalat can enjoy the atmosphere of Vietnamese markets by visiting Dalat market, which is full of local specialties such as strawberry jam, dried fruits, avocado, artichoke.?
Best time to travel
Like other mountainous areas in the Middle of Vietnam, Da Lat has 2 main seasons: dry season and rain season. The wet season is often from April to October, so it could be better for visitors to come to Da Lat in the period of time from November to March. It is dry and very comfortable, so that the travelers can totally relax with the clean environment here and visit many fascinating natural destinations like Xuan Huong Lake or The Valley of Love. Moreover, this period of time is the season of flowers in Da Lat when colorful flowers are bloomed brilliantly everywhere. There is an annual flower festival in January in Da Lat, when many unique types of flowers from the city and other areas in Vietnam are exhibited.
