Dalat Destination

Dalat has a unique flavor among Vietnamese towns. Founded in 1897 as a resort for French commanders weary of the Vietnamese tropics, it still has hundreds of huge colonial mansions. Some are being restored by Vietnamese nouveau riche; others are empty and decaying. Dalat's history, combined with the welcome temperate mountain climate and pastoral hillside setting, give it the feel of a European alpine resort which, in fact, it once was. In and around town there are also numerous pagodas to see, in serene natural settings that lend an atmosphere far different from, for example, your typical bustling Saigon temple. Dalat is also a good place in which to glimpse the influence of the Catholic Vietnamese, represented by several churches and cathedrals. Farther out of town are postcard-perfect farmlands, valleys, and waterfalls. A few ethnic minorities, including the Lat and Koho, live in and around these hills, and you can visit their small villages.

Dalat is the number-one resort destination for Vietnamese couples getting married or honeymooning. If the lunar astrological signs are particularly good, it's not unusual to see 10 or so wedding parties in a single day. Many of the local scenic spots, like the Valley of Love and Lake of Sighs, pander to the giddy couples. The waterfalls are swarming with vendors, costumed "bears," and "cowboys" complete with sad-looking horses and fake pistols. A carnival air prevails. Yes, it's tacky, but isn't it interesting to see how other cultures do tacky? Plus you'll get a chance to travel, lodge, and dine with Vietnamese on a holiday, a rare opportunity.

Bao Dai Palace
Completed in 1938, this monument to bad taste provided Bao Dai, Vietnam's last emperor, with a place of rest and respite with his family. Think concrete and velvet furniture. There are 26 rooms to explore, including Bao Dai's office and the bedrooms of the royal family. Deer horns from a poor animal the emperor bagged himself hang on the wall. The place has never been restored, and indeed looks veritably untouched since the emperor's ousting, which makes it all the more interesting. You can still see the grease stains on Bao Dai's hammock pillow and the ancient steam bath in which he soaked. Don't miss the etched glass map of Vietnam in the main dining room, given to Bao Dai by a group of students in 1952. The explanations are in English, and most concern Bao Dai's family. There is pathos in reading them and piecing together the mundane fate of the former royals: this prince has a "technical" job, that one is a manager for an insurance company.

Dalat Market (Cho Da Lat)
Huge, crowded, and stuffed with produce of all varieties, this is the top stroll-through destination in Dalat. Here's where you can see all the local specialties--and even have a try! Some of the vendors will be happy to give you a sample of some local wine or a few candied strawberries.

Dalat Railway Station (Cremaillaire Railway)
Built in 1943, the Dalat station offers an atmospheric slice of Dalat's colonial history. You can see an authentic old wood-burning steamer train on the tracks to the rear, and stroll around inside looking at the iron-grilled ticket windows, empty now. Although the steamer train no longer makes tourist runs, a newer Japanese train makes a trip to Trai Mat Street and the Linh Phuoc pagoda. A ride costs US$5.

Datanla Waterfall
Datanla was once a major power source for the Lat people. Today, it's a mediocre fall, pretty enough after a walk through the forest but a fully fledged tourist site. See it if you're on the way to the Truc Lam Monastery.

Hang Nga Guest House and Art Gallery
Otherwise known as the Crazy House, this is a Gaudi-meets-Sesame Street theme park designed by an eccentric Russian-trained architect. The garden features a tree-trunk couple arguing, a huge spider web, and a towering sculpted giraffe. An overhead bird-cage tunnel contraption winds throughout. Try to meet Ms. Hang Nga, of the soft voice and very heavy eye shadow, herself. The locals call her eccentric for some reason, but she's just misunderstood. You can also stay in the guesthouse, nine small rooms hollowed out of huge fantasy tree trunks.

Lake of Sighs (Ho Than Tho)
This lake has such romantic connotations for the Vietnamese you would think it was created by a fairy godmother rather than French dam work. Legend has it that a 15-year-old girl named Thuy drowned herself after her boyfriend of the same age, Tam, fell in love with another. Her gravestone still exists on the side of the lake, marked with the incense and flowers left by other similarly heart-broken souls, even though the name on the headstone reads "Thao," not "Thuy." The place is crammed with honeymooners in paddleboats and motorboats.

Linh Phuoc Pagoda
Here is another example of one of Vietnam's fantasyland glass and ceramic mosaic structures. Refurbished in 1996, this modern temple features a huge golden Buddha in the main hall, and three floors of walls and ceilings painted with fanciful murals. Go to the top floor for the eye-boggling Bodhisattva room and views of the surrounding countryside. In the garden to the right, there is a 10-foot-high dragon climbing in and out of a small lake. You can get inside of it and crawl around, too.

Prenn Falls
The Prenn falls are actually quite impressive, thundering down from a great height--and you can follow a path under them, which adds some thrill factor. The Prenn experience includes cavorting costumed bears, staged photo opportunities, and vendors selling every kind of tacky knickknack available.

Xuan Huong Lake
Once a trickle originating in the Lat village, Dalat's centerpiece, Xuan Huong, was created from a dam project that was finished in 1923, demolished by a storm in 1932, and reconstructed and rebuilt (with heavier stone) in 1935. You can rent windsurfing boards and swan-shaped paddleboats, although it seems few people actually use them. Nobody is sure if the water is clean or not.

Su Nu Pagoda
Thirty nuns live at this peaceful temple. While the structure isn't very big or impressive, the Su Nu complex is small and you are free to stroll around the temple and serene gardens, usually accompanied by a nun. If you bring an interpreter, you may be invited to have a cup of tea and discuss the way of Buddha.

Valley of Love
The Valley of Love is scenic headquarters in Dalat. You can enjoy walking amidst the rolling hills and charming lakes, all the while enjoying the antics of the Vietnamese honeymooners zipping around on motorboats and posing for pictures with local "cowboys."

Thien Vuong Pagoda
Otherwise known as the "Chinese Pagoda," built as it was by the local Chinese population, this circa 1958 structure is unremarkable except for its serene setting among the hills of Dalat and the very friendly nuns who inhabit it. It does have three awe-inspiring sandalwood Buddhist statues that have been dated to the 16th century. Each is 4 meters (13 ft.) high and weighs 1 1/2 tons. Left to right, they are Dai The Chi Bo Tat, god of power; Amithaba or Sakyamuni Buddha; and Am Bo Tat, god of mercy.

Truc Lam (Bamboo Forest) Zen Monastery
Don't call this a pagoda. There's a difference, one you can feel as soon as you ascend the hill after going past the single, tiny vendor. The complex was completed in 1994 with the aim of giving new life to the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen sect, a uniquely Vietnamese form of Zen founded during the Tran dynasty (A.D.1225-1400). Adherents practice self-reliance and realization through meditation. The shrine, the main building, is notable mainly for its simple structure and peaceful air, and the quarters for nuns and monks nearby are closed to the public. However, the scenery around the monastery, with views of dam-made Tuyen Lam Lake and surrounding mountains, is breathtaking. The grounds themselves are furnished with a small man-made pond and mimosa trees. As Zen master Thich Thanh Tu said, "Life is but a dream."