The hill town of Da Lat has long been the most popular location in the region for getaway holidays since French colonial times. Many people call it ‘Le Petit Paris’ and the town even features a mini-replica Eiffel Tower in its centre! Situated on a plateau 1,500 metres above sea level, this retreat town offers a good change of atmosphere with a refreshingly cool climate while other cities in Vietnam can be very hot and humid especially during summer. Trousers and jumpers are needed if visiting Dalat from November to around March as temperatures hover at about 10°C.
The City of Da Lat is the capital of Lam Dong Province and can be found 5000 feet about sea level towards the south of the Central Highlands Region of Vietnam. Surrounded by thousands of pine trees it is home to almost a quarter of a million people. Da Lat has its own weather system, being temperate as apposed to Vietnam’s normally tropical climate. The valleys around the city are often shrouded in mist giving rise to the city’s nickname of City of Eternal Spring. Because of the climate, the area has become the centre of agriculture of produce like cabbages and cauliflowers. The large flower industry here produces Hydrangeas and Strawflowers also known as Golden Everlasting. Strawberries and Mulberries are also grown and the local preserve of these and Sweet Potato is also very popular. The city itself is quite unique for this part of the world looking as it does like a mixture between a small Vietnamese city and A town in the French Alps. The centre is quite small and is something of a tourist town. It is however a very pleasant setting and makes for a superb holiday destination; often used as a stop off between the north and south of the country, a purpose for which it is ideally suited. It is fast becoming a centre for trekking and mountain biking. There is a quite well known monastery here. Thien Vien Truc Lam Monastery is accessible by means of a cable car ride above the pine forest and makes for a pleasant few hours.
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