The Honeymoon Capital of Vietnam
Swiss Mountain Town
The City of Eternal Spring
Of all the monikers coined for the city of Dalat, Vietnam, it was the last one that really caught our attention–we’ve been roasting in the Southeast Asian heat since early May, so the opportunity to visit an area that promised a respite from the sauna sounded just perfect. What we found upon arrival in Dalat was so much better than a simple break from the heat.
Dalat is an oddball little place. Initially founded as a hill station by the French colonialists, modern Dalat could be called the world capital of kitsch. The big lake in the center of town is filled with swan-shaped paddle boats, the shops are filled with all manner of knicknacks and Dalat themed tchotchkes, and if you travel a little further afield, we hear you can ride a pony and get your picture taken with a Vietnamese cowboy (sadly, we didn’t make it to that attraction).
The parting gift we were given by the woman at our hotel--typical Dalat kitsch 🙂
While this town could never be called non-touristy, it had a different feel than most places we’ve been. With the exception of one street in town, we could walk around and rarely see another western tourist. The locals were warm and friendly, with owners of restaurants passing their babies off to us over breakfast and the ladies who rented us bicycles waving from across the street whenever we wandered by. I also could not help but be charmed by the attire of the locals–we were so releived to be in 70-degree weather, but everyone around us was prepared for a snowstorm–kids in head-to-toe cable knit, ladies in woolen sweaters and stocking caps, men in big puffy coats or jackets with fuzzy hoods!
It was about 70 degrees!
Despite the fuzzy collared jacket and puffy coats, the temperature was between 65 and 70 this morning!
We stayed in Dalat for five nights and ultimately had to tear ourselves away. One of the best days was also the hardest–we rented bikes and rode 35 kilometers through the hills of the central highlands to a smaller village and then on to a small but pretty waterfall. While the sights were nice, my favorite part was how excited people were to greet us as we rode by. They occassionally looked at us like we were crazy as they whizzed by us on their motorbikes but almost always shouted out a greeting and waved hello. Whenever we stopped people came up to chat, and in one case, asked us to pose for a photo with them.
Adam navigating his way through some curious cows
That's ingenuity--there were obviously no bike racks in the middle of the forest, so Adam locked our bikes up to an exposed tree root.
Closeup of Tiger Falls
Tiger Falls
Roads, shmoads. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, stops the motorbikes in Vietnam.
Detail of Linh Phuoc Pagoda
More Linh Phuoc Pagoda
Besides our day biking, another highlight was the Crazy House. It’s a guesthouse (although we didn’t see anyone actually staying there) designed by a local architect who also happens to be the daughter of the third successor to Ho Chi Minh. While it seems that most really off-the-wall locations are no match for The Party, apparently the Crazy House’s owner is in the clear because of her political connections. Whatever the reason, it’s a quirky place that is often described as one part Gaudi, one part Wonderland, or, if you’re from St. Louis, is a whole lot like the City Museum.
Adam climbing around the bridges of Crazy House
Bridges over Crazy house
Where's Adam?
More Crazy House
Dalat City from Crazy House
This creepy kangaroo with glowing red eyes was actually inside one of the guest rooms.
Hallway of the Crazy House
Crazy House
Views of Crazy House from behind
The Crazy House was a fun way to spend a morning, but the final highlight of Dalat that can’t be missed is the Dalat Market. It sits smack in the middle of town and is filled with all of Dalat’s local specialties–produce, jams, candies, wine and of course, wool sweaters and hats for those unprepared visitors. The produce alone made it one of the best markets I’ve seen, anywhere.
Strawberry vendors
Any kind of dried fish you desire
Artichokes and beans
Somehow, I didn’t manage to get photos of the countless varieties of avocados on offer. Adam was in heaven.
All in all, Dalat was just a welcome break from the heat of Southeast Asia and a taste of a different Vietnam. I couldn’t be happier that we were able to work in a visit. After Dalat, we were off to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and we’ll have lots of photos from our time there soon!
~Meg
Wow. There’s more than one type of avocado?
That crazy house looks great, and so does everything else. You’re tempting me to make Vietnam my next international destination! So have you figured out a come-home date yet?
Dalat seems like my kind of town! What fun. It will be in the high 90’s this here this weekend. Enjoy the weather while you can.
Mmm…Todd and I didn’t get to Dalat, the rains in the fall were intense there so we had to pass. You have given us many resons to go back to Vietnam, one of our favorite places in the world.