Dalat
Dalat is quite different from anywhere else you’ll visit in Vietnam. You would almost be forgiven for thinking you’d stumbled into the French Alps in springtime. This was certainly how the former colonists treated it – escaping to their chalets to enjoy the cooler climate.

The French feel is compounded by a radio mast shaped like the Eiffel Tower and the local bohemian artists’ predilection for swanning around in berets. Dalat is small enough to remain charming, and the surrounding countryside is blessed with lakes, waterfalls, evergreen forests and gardens.

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Getting there & away
Land
Bus
Dalat’s long distance bus station (Ð 3 Thang 4) is 1km south of Xuan Huong Lake, although many private services will (if asked) pick up and drop off at the hotel of your choice. Services are available to most of the country, including several to HCMC (60, 000d, six to seven hours), Phan Rang (40, 000d, 4½ hours), Nha Trang (60, 000d, seven hours) and Buon Ma Thuot (65, 000d, four hours).

Dalat is a major stop for open-tour buses. Sinh Café has a daily bus to Mui Ne (US$7, 5½ hours).

Car & motorbike
From HCMC, taking the inland (Hwy 20) route to Dalat via Bao Loc and Di Linh is faster than taking the coastal route (Hwy 1A) via Ngoan Muc Pass.

The following are road distances from Dalat: Di Linh (82km), Nha Trang (205km), Phan Rang (108km), Phan Thiet (247km) and HCMC (308km). There are secondary roads connecting Dalat to Buon Ma Thuot and other parts of the central highlands
Air
Vietnam Airlines (833 499; 2 Ð Ho Tung Mau) has daily services that connect Dalat to HCMC and Hanoi. Dalat’s Lien Khuong Airport is located 30km south of the city.

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Bao Dai's Summer Palace
The art deco-influenced Bao Dai's Summer Palace was constructed in 1933 and was one of three palaces Bao Dai kept in Dalat. The decor has not changed in decades, except for the addition of Ho Chi Minh's portrait over the fireplace, but the palace is filled with artefacts from decades and governments past and is extremely interesting.

Crémaillère Railway Station
Dalat's pretty Crémaillère Railway station is now largely decorative. Railway enthusiasts will be interested in the old locomotives on display, including a Japanese steam train.

Cuong Hoan Traditional Silk Centre
A fascinating place to visit is Cuong Hoan Traditional Silk Centre in Nam Ban village, near the Elephant Falls. Here you can see every part of the miraculous process, from the live silkworms spinning out their precious cacoon, to the vats where they're boiled up and the threads separated, to the loom where the shimmery cloth is woven. You can even sample the cooked grub - they taste kinda nutty.

Dalat Cathedral
The gingerbread-style Dalat Cathedral was built between 1931 and 1942 for use by French residents and holiday-makers. The cross on the spire is topped by a weathercock, 47m above the ground. The church itself is rarely open outside of mass times.

Dalat Flower Gardens
An unusual sight in Vietnam, the Dalat Flower Gardens were established in 1966. Flowers here include hydrangeas, fuchsias and orchids. Most of the latter are in special shaded buildings to the right of the entrance. All in all it's a very nice and well-kept cross section of Dalat foliage, along with some crazy kitsch topiary.

Dalat University
Dalat's climate has made it something of an education centre; before air-con it was one of the few places in Vietnam where it was possible to study without working up a sweat. Dalat University was founded as a Catholic University in 1957 by Hué Archbishop Ngo Dinh Thuc (the older brother of unpopular South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem, with the help of Cardinal Spelman of New York. It was seized from the church in 1975 and reopened two years later as a state-run institution.

Domaine de Marie Convent
The pink tile-roofed structures of the hilltop Domaine de Marie Convent, constructed between 1940 and 1942, were once home to 300 nuns. Today the remaining nuns support themselves by making ginger candies and selling the fruit grown in their orchard. The French-speaking nuns are pleased to show visitors around, explaining the work they do for orphans, the homeless and handicapped children. A shop sells handicrafts made by the children and nuns. Mass is celebrated in the large chapel, Sun to Fri.

Du Sinh Church
The Du Sinh Church was built in 1955 by Catholic refugees from the north. The four-post, Sino-Vietnamese steeple was constructed at the insistence of a Hué-born priest of royal lineage. The church is on a hilltop with beautiful views in all directions, making this a great place for a picnic

Hang Nga Crazy House
A perfect combination of Dalat's bohemian tradition and its taste for kitsch, Hang Nga Crazy House is a guesthouse in the form of a giant surreal artwork. The architecture is Gaudi-meets- Alice in Wonderland and cannot easily be described: there are caves, giant spider webs made of wire, concrete tree trunks and scary-looking animals with glowing red eyes. Yes it's tacky, and exceedingly commercialised, but many are astounded to find such a countercultural construction in Vietnam

Lam Dong Museum
The hill-top Lam Dong Museum, housed in a lovely French-style villa, displays ancient stone artefacts and pottery as well as costumes and musical instruments of local ethnic minorities. It was once the abode of Nguyen Huu Hao, the richest person in the Go Cong district of the Mekong Delta and the father of Vietnam's last empress.

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See more Viet Nam

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