DISTANCE: 10km (6 miles)
TIME: A full day
START: Da Lat Central Market
END: Da Lat Palace Golf Club
POINTS TO NOTE: Da Lat is the most walkable city in Vietnam. This tour is suitable for the entire family, and though the walk is up and down gentle hills, it is not challenging. This tour requires a mix of walking and rides in taxis or motorbikes. Da Lat also serves as the starting point for the Central Highlands road trip.
Da Lat is the capital of Lam Dong Province, resting at an elevation of 1500m (4921ft), on the Langbiang Plateau. The city is ideally situated as a vacation hub with major highways leading conveniently to HCMC, Phan Thiet, Phan Rang, Nha Trang and Buon Ma Thuat. With an average annual temperature of 17°C (63°F), Da Lat is Vietnam’s most popular fair-weather retreat and one of the nation’s top honeymoon destinations.
The original inhabitants of the area were the K’ho tribe, divided into the Lat and Chil clans. Da Lat literally means ‘River of the Lat People’, although much of the clan relocated to nearby Lat village as Da Lat grew. In addition to the K’ho, the Ma and Churu tribes also inhabit the hills surrounding Da Lat. Although largely forced to assimilate by the government, occasionally people can be seen walking about in quasi-traditional dress with large baskets hanging on their backs.
Dr Alexandre Yersin (for more information, click here) was the first European to survey the area in 1893, under the authority of Paul Doumer, the French governor-general of Indochina. Considered the founder of Da Lat, he recommended a hill station and sanatorium be built here to take advantage of the mild climate and beautiful scenery.
Fresh produce and other goodies at Da Lat Central Market
Peter Stuckings/Apa Publications
Da Lat Central Market
Begin at the Da Lat Central Market 1 [map]. It is set in the deep hollow of a tall hillside and surrounded by rows of cafés and shops selling flowers, wine and candied fruit.
Central Market
Peter Stuckings/Apa Publications
Food is the highlight here, with stalls selling rice meals with local specialities, and che, a desert made with sweetened beans and candied fruit. The stairs and ramps leading to the market are also flanked with vendors in the evening, selling grilled meats, corn, sweet potatoes, and rice crackers topped with quail-egg omelettes; sua dau nanh (hot, fresh soy milk); banh cam (sesame doughnuts filled with green-bean paste); sweet waffles stuffed with cheese and pork; and bowls of steamed snails. The take-away specialities sold throughout the market include dried and candied fruits, wines and deer jerky. Grab some breakfast here.
The market is bustling well before 6am and remains open long past 11pm. On Saturdays and Sundays from 7–10pm, the streets surrounding the market are closed to vehicles and a carnival atmosphere ensues with an influx of pedestrians, souvenir peddlers, food vendors and street-side clothing auctioneers.
An abundance of flowers at the market
Peter Stuckings/Apa Publications
Da Lat Cathedral
From the market, walk south on Le Dai Hanh (the lake will be on your left), then straight ahead is the tan- and cream-colored Da Lat Cathedral 2 [map] (Nha Tho Con Ga or ‘Rooster Church’; Mon–Sat Mass 5.15am and 5.15pm, Sun Mass 5.15am, 7am, 8.30am, 4pm and 6pm). The cathedral was built in 1942, with stained-glass windows made by Louis Balmet, in Grenoble, France. The rooster weather vane on top of the steeple lends the church its nickname.
Da Lat Palace and Hotel du Parc
Da Lat was originally built around the grand Langbian Palace Hotel, now known as the Da Lat Palace 3 [map]. Construction of the hotel began in 1902 and finished 20 years later (at the time, travel from the coast took more than a week, making construction difficult). The Hotel Du Parc followed in 1932. Both retain much of their original architectural charm. Both hotels sit to the left of the cathedral, on either side of Tran Phu Street. Le Café de la Poste, see 1, between the two hotels (and owned by the same company), makes a great breakfast or lunch stop.
Bust of Emperor Bao Dai
Peter Stuckings/Apa Publications
Nga’s Crazy House
Head west on Tran Phu Street now, then turn south (left) at the triangular roundabout onto 3 Thang 2 Street. Finally take a right on Huynh Thuc Khang. For anyone travelling with children, or those who played in treehouses themselves as a child, Nga’s Crazy House 4 [map] (Hang Nga; 3 Huynh Thuc Khang; tel: 063-382 2070; daily 7am–6pm; charge) is a whimsical and inspiring architectural delight for the whole family. The never-ending house is continuously being added to, with tunnels, stairways and halls meandering into secret rooms, towers and reading nooks, occupied by giant carved kangaroos, giraffes, eagles and bears.
Summer Palace of Bao Dai
Walking less than a kilometre further south on 3 Thang 2 Street, and turning left on Trieu Viet Vuong Street, brings you to the Summer Palace of Bao Dai 5 [map] (Biet Dien Quoc Truong; Duong Trieu Viet Vuong; tel: 063-382 6858; daily 7.30am–11am, 1.30–4pm; charge), Vietnam’s last emperor, which was built between 1933 and 1938. This is the third of the palaces (designated Dinh I, Dinh II and Dinh III) belonging to Bao Dai in Da Lat, although the other two are not currently open to the public. It’s said that all three are connected by tunnels so that the emperor could secretly visit his mistresses in each one.
Lam Dong Museum
Peter Stuckings/Apa Publications
Lam Dong Museum
Grab a taxi or motorbike and head back to Tran Phu Street, which turns into Tran Hung Dao and then Hun Vuong. Da Lat’s Lam Dong Museum 6 [map] (Bao Tang Lam Dong; 04 Hung Vuong; tel: 063-382 2339; daily 7.30am–11.30am, 1.30–4.30pm; charge) is an excellent museum, recognised by the United Nations for its extensive collection of musical gongs, used by the local K’ho, Ma and Churu minorities. Exhibits also include a very impressive taxidermy collection of local wildlife; relics from the Funan Empire, excavated at Cat Tien National Park; artefacts found in recent excavations from yet-unidentified cultures; and full-sized Ma and K’ho longhouses, decorated with musical instruments, weapons and common household items.
Nga’s Crazy House
Peter Stuckings/Apa Publications
Xuan Huong lakeside
Catch a taxi or motorbike to any stretch along Xuan Huong Lake to continue your walk. Formerly part of the town’s colonial-era golf course before it was flooded, the lake sprawls through the heart of the town. The surrounding hills, villas and pine forests provide a lovely backdrop.
Da Lat Flower Garden
Walk to the north side of the lake and visit the Da Lat Flower Garden 7 [map] (2 Tran Nhan Tong; tel: 063-355 3545; 7am–6pm; charge). The best time to visit the gardens is during the annual Da Lat Flower Festival, usually held for a week in November, December or January (dates and activities vary from year to year), when there are beautiful flower displays in the gardens, surrounding a small lake.
Da Lat Palace Golf Club
On the northern banks, a golf course originally built for the last emperor, Bao Dai, has been renovated and expanded into the lovely Da Lat Palace Golf Club 8 [map]. The 18-hole championship course is a sister location to the Ocean Dunes Golf Club in Phan Thiet. They also have a great restaurant to watch the sunset over the green, see 2.
Food and drink
1 Le Café de la Poste
Tran Phu Street; tel: 063-382 5444; daily B, L & D; $$$$
This charming French-style café serves a select menu of sandwiches, pasta, Asian and French dishes. Service is friendly, and meals are prepared with great care. Even the toasted ham and cheese sandwich is a memorable treat. The buffet breakfast is excellent.
2 Da Lat Palace Golf Club
Phu Dong Thien Vuong Street; tel: 063-382 1201; daily B, L & D; $$$$
Set in the original colonial club-house, the restaurant serves Tex-Mex, Korean, Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese specialities. The home-made chips and salsa, buffalo wings and chicken fingers are all top-notch. Outdoor seating offers a lovely view of the greens and lake.