Dalat Vietnam Travel Guide: Things You Need to Know

Dalat is the Capital of Lam Dong province in Central Highland of Vietnam. With the elevation 1,500 meters above sea level, Dalat has cool climate weather all year round and become the ideal vacation city in the South of Vietnam. Distance Dalat to/from Ho Chi Minh City is about 300km, and 130km to/from Nha Trang city, Dalat is a great place for tourists to escape the hot weather of the Southern Vietnam.

History of Dalat City:

The city of Da Lat was recorded in 1893, the time when Doctor Alexandre Yersin first set foot on Lam Vien plateau. However, before this period, many other explorers had come to Lam Vien, this land was originally the residence of Lach people. In 1897, Governor-General Paul Doumer decided to find a place to build a holiday station for French civil servants and soldiers in Indochina. Receiving a private letter from Paul Doumer, Alexandre Yersin suggested choosing the Lam Vien plateau, which has a climate similar to that of temperate Europe. At the end of March 1899, Governor-General Paul Doumer and Doctor Yersin personally went to Lam Vien plateau to survey and decide to implement the original plan.

The project to build the city was interrupted in 1902 when Governor-General Paul Doumer returned to France, bringing with him the idea of a city on the plateau. It was more than 10 years later, when World War I broke out, many French people could not return to Europe on vacations, that Da Lat was remembered again. From the mid-1910s, the real construction of the city began and the boundary of Da Lat was also legally determined when the Council of Regents of Hue Court announced the decree establishing the town of Da Lat on May 20.

April 1916. Within 30 years, thanks to the plans of architects Ernest Hébrard and Jacques Lagisquet, a beautiful city with villas, offices, schools, hotels... was formed. In 1945, Da Lat was a city of more than 25,000 people, playing the role of an important educational center and an attractive tourist city. In the early stages of the Vietnam War, Da Lat was planned to develop on a relatively large scale by the Government of the First Republic, many schools, cultural centers and architectural works continued to appear. But since 1964, when the political situation in South Vietnam was unstable and the war was getting fiercer, Da Lat also suffered many fluctuations and no longer developed as in the previous period.

After 1975, like many other cities in the early post-war period, Da Lat entered a difficult period. But since the late 1980s, along with the development of Vietnam's economy, Da Lat city also gradually revived, urban infrastructure continued to be built and upgraded. In 2009, Da Lat was recognized by the Prime Minister as a grade I city, continuing to play the role of an important city in the Central Highlands.

Is Dalat Vietnam Worth Visiting?

With an altitude of 1500m above sea level, the weather is cool, pleasant, “city of flowers” is the most ideal resort for all types of tourists who need to book a hotel in Dalat. . The interesting “nothing” of the beautiful city can be mentioned as: no traffic lights, no police on the traffic junctions, no cyclo carrying tourists, no Air conditioning, not staying up late.

Dalat is also famous for villas in different styles as well as history. Should have a visiting to discover its beauties and unique. They are Dinh I, Dinh II, Dinh III (Bao Dai villa), Tran Le Xuan, Crazy House, etc. Furthermore, with French architecture still remains here, visitor can see and visit at Cao Dang Su Pham University, Dalat train station.

For harmony to the nature and blooming flowers visitor can reach Central Flower Garden, Love Valley, Mong Mo Hill, Cau Dat Tea Plantation Hill, Cu Lan village, famous villages like Van Thanh, Ha Dong, huge Pumpkin garden. In addition, visitor can join to farms where grow organic vegetables, tomato to experience. And many other fields, special flower garden to pleasure visitor who love flower.

When is the Best Time to Visit Dalat?

Dalat Weather is cool all year around. There are even 4 seasons in a day in Dalat with springs, summer, autumn and winter. Climate and temperature is very pleasant, so In fact Da Lat every season has its own beauty. You can come to discover Da Lat any season that best suits your conditions. Da Lat will be different at different times in the year.

Da Lat has 2 main seasons: dry season and rain season. The wet season is from April to October. Dry season is from November to March so it is the best time to visit Dalat. It is dry and very comfortable, so that the travelers can totally relax with the clean environment here and visit many fascinating natural destinations.

Moreover, this 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.

How to Get to Da Lat City?

Due to the topographic features, Da Lat traffic only includes roads, railways and airlines. However, only road and air traffic is really active now. The most important route connecting Dalat with other cities is National Highway 20.

+ By Airplane:

• Lien Khuong Airport, 28 km south of Dalat city center, next to National Highway 20, it is in Lien Nghia Town, Duc Trong District. All three airlines in Vietnam have direct flights to here, depending on the time of year you can invest time to hunt cheap tickets to Dalat.
• You can fly to Dalat from Hanoi, Sai Gon, Da Nang, Vinh and Hai Phong. Airlines will have the corresponding flight routes (Hanoi and Saigon, which also have), you can check directly on the ticket website of the airline.

+ By Motorbike:

• From Ho Chi Minh City visitor can go to Dau Giay crossroads (Dong Nai) and then turn to Highway 20 to Dalat. This distance is about 300km from the center of Ho Chi Minh.
• Traveler can fly to Cam Ranh from Hanoi and back to Nha Trang. And then go ahead to Dalat. Passing the spectacular Omega Pass, one of the beautiful roads connecting Da Lat plateau and coastal city of Nha Trang

+ By Car/Open Bus:

• From Sai Gon daily there are many high quality passenger trains to Dalat. Since the 20th national highway was upgraded, the time to move to Da Lat was reduced to about 5-6hours.

Transportation to Get around Dalat:

Dalat is certainly unique in many ways, no more so than in the methods you use to get around city. In other cities you will be able to jump on a local bus to save your legs, but not here. The buses you see in town, are to move you to further destinations away from the city. This is a great way to get out and about, and see the countryside as a local does. Just hop on one and go to the final stop, have a wander around and catch it back.

Cyclos, that ever present iconic image of Vietnam, are also absent from Dalat. Maybe it’s the hills! There’s always a romantic horse and buggy ride to get you around the lake. The other element that is missing from Dalat, and is one of the most frustrating objects of modern life is the traffic light. Yes there are no traffic lights in Dalat and everything seems to work just fine without them. Some of the best ways getting around Dalat you can consider:

- By Motorbike: Taking Xuan Huong Lake as a heart, the tourist spots in Dalat are quite close. The most suitable means to discover Dalat is the motorbike. The motorbike will be more flexible in moving to smaller locations where the taxis come in unsuitable. Also it is suitable to wander the flower and have economic benefits best for your trip

- By Double Bike: There are many bike rental locations around the Xuan Huong Lake area. With cool weather, the bike rental around the city is quite fun, but only for nearby places, walking around the lake. Bicycle vehicles are unlikely to move as well as steep.

- By Taxi: This is a suitable vehicle for elderly families and children who are traveling by motorbike or bicycle. When you come to Da Lat, you can get a phone number and rent a fixed one. Some Reliable Taxi Companies in Da Lat you can keep in mind:

• Da Lat Taxi: 0263 3666888 – 0263 3556655
• Mai Linh Taxi: 0263 38383838
• Lado Taxi: 0263 3666777
• Thanh Buoi Taxi: 0263 3837838
• Dalat Toserco Taxi: 0263 3830830
• Anh Dao Taxi: 0263 3570570
• Thang Loi Taxi: 0263 3835835
• Red Star Taxi: 0263 3959595

Hotels for Accommodation in Da Lat:

As one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Vietnam, Da Lat is also one of the most well-equipped accommodation facilities for visitors. The whole city of Dalat has thousands of places for visitors to choose from high-end resorts, budget hotels and homestay to personalized youths.

If you are a holiday lover, you can choose resorts or villas far from the center, which are usually quiet and suitable for those who do not like the noise. In contrast, if not too fussy and just a suitable accommodation, most of the hotel accommodation in Dalat can meet your requirements.

If you come to Dalat on the occasion of the Hung King, April 30 or every summer, you will often encounter room fire. That is why you should book your hotel room in Dalat. If you are used to book online, you should reserve even months to avoid getting back to the hotel.

• Luxury hotel: Muong Thanh Holiday Dalat, Ana Mandara Dalat resort, Dalat Palace Heritage, Dalat Edensee Lake Resort & Spa, etc
• Deluxe hotel: TTC Ngoc Lan hotel, Saigon Dalat, Binh An village Dalat, Swiss-BelResort Tuyen Lam Dalat
• Superior hotel: Trung Cang hotel, Ngoc Phat hotel, Du Parc hotel Dalat, etc
• Buget Hostels/Homestay: Mooka 's Home Backpaker, Ken 's Backpackers, Dalat Family Hostel

Adventure Journey

See Also: Best Things to Do and Top Places to Visit in Dalat