Da Lat Destination Guide

In Da Lat's Central Market, you can see for yourself how laid-back the people of this town really are; in fact, this relaxed lifestyle is one of Da Lat's most charming characteristics. An unusual feature of the market is its open promenade where people stroll about; at the end of the promenade is a stairway that will lead you to one of the main streets of the town - the Le Dai Hanh Street.

Da Lat Market is an interesting place to visit. Before dawn and after dark are the best times to come to this market, and this has always been so. Before dawn, women gather here to buy fresh produce for their meals, and at night restaurant chefs come here to buy in bulk. If you visit this market during the day, you will come across stalls packed with browsers, and the vendors busy showing off their wares. Under the cover of night, something exciting happens in Da Lat Market when vendors bring in odd-looking merchandise and call out their prices in sing song voices. Since many of these vendors sell without a license, they always have an eye out for the police. It's no wonder that both the vendors and those who buy from them have racing pulses. It's enough to give any visitor a rush!

For avid golfers, the Da Lat Palace Golf Club in the stunning temperate highlands of Vietnam is a place where they can unwind, get refreshed and reinvigorated. The golf retreat dates back to 1922, and originally boasted a 9-hole course. It was renovated in 1956 and a club house added. Today this club house has been completely restored and much of the old charm has been retained. It has a fireplace, a full pro shop, a restaurant, and an outdoor patio. Since the Da Lat Palace Golf Club opened, the city has been visited by foreign golf enthusiasts, including famous names such as the American champion, Billy Casper.

The Prenn Falls combine the magic of rushing water with a rich wildlife habitat. This area used to be a wildlife refuge, and you can still see animals here and enjoy the verdant scenery today. Local enthusiasts think that the landscape here is straight out of a beautiful painting - the waterfall is like a sheet of silver, and behind it is a bamboo bridge that allows you to witness the drama of the cascading water. Prenn Falls is about 10 km from Da Lat, at the foot of Prenn Pass, and is considered a must-see by the locals and a highlight of any Da Lat tour.

If you'd like to see places off the beaten track in the central highlands, hire a motorbike that comes with a guide or driver, or both. These local drivers and guides speak good English, and seem to know everyone in Da Lat, which can prove useful. In case they don't find you first, look for them at the Peace Cafe in Peace Hotel. Make sure the driver is licensed. You can tell a legitimate driver by the book he carries along, filled with wonderful comments from tourists he has shown around. You can hire a motorbike with driver/guide from about US$20 for an 8-hour tour to US$60 a day for long distance multi-day trips, with accommodation included most of the time.

About five kilometres northeast of Da Lat, you will find Lake Ho Than Tho, the Lake of Sorrow, which has a tragic and romantic tale attached to it. Local lore has it that the lake acquired its poignant name during the time when Vietnam and China were at war. As the story goes, at this time a young couple very much in love lived in the area, and the tranquil setting of this lake was their favourite rendezvous. However, their plans of a future together were shattered when the patriotic young man, Hoang Tung, decided to answer the call for able-bodied men in Vietnam, and enlisted as a soldier in the army of King Quang Trung - Nguyen Hue.

When the time came for the lovers to meet a last time by the lake and wish each other goodbye, Hoang Tung was grieved and shocked to find that his equally patriotic beloved had committed suicide. Knowing that their separation would distract her lover from his most important duty to his country, she had drowned herself. Touched by their plight, the inhabitants of the region renamed the lake Ho Than Tho, meaning Lake of Sorrow.

The Lang Biang Mountain in Lac Duong District, Lam Dong Province, lies 12 km north of central Da Lat. There is a lot you can do on Lang Biang Mountain: go mountain climbing, paragliding, trekking or study the plants and flowers and rare bird species. The mountain, also known as Lam Vien Mountain, has five volcanic peaks ranging between 2100 metres and 2400 metres in altitude. The mountain's two highest peaks have been given female and male names by the locals. The eastern peak is known as the female K'Lang, while the western peak is referred to by a man's name - K'Biang.

Forests cover the upper reaches of Lang Bian, but the foothills have been shorn of forest cover that only half a century ago sheltered wild oxen, deer, wild boar, elephants, rhinoceroses and tigers. It's a three to four-hour hike to the top of the mountain from where the view is spectacular. The path beginning due north of Lat village is easy to find, showing up as a red gash in the green mountainside.
While climbing the mountain does not require a permit, it is a good idea to take a guide along to show you the most interesting places.

If you are an avid trekker, you'll find an excursion to Lang Biang Mountain exhilarating. You don't have to be part of a Da Lat tour group. All you need to do is get yourself a good map and ride up on a rented motorbike. You might want to take in the splendour around you and below you in solitude; if so, make sure to start early so you can avoid the tour groups that frequent the summit.

The monastery perches on top of a hill, and if you take the cable car, it will drop you close to this peaceful place. From here, you can enjoy the panoramic sight of the dams below, and relax in the monastery's serene atmosphere. The beautiful gardens, with shrubs trimmed into comical animal shapes, are worth a visit.

Thung Lũng Tình Yêu (Valley of Love)is the most interesting place in Da Lat, especially if you want some time by yourself. The Valley of Love has seen the trysts of many generations of young women from Bùi Thị Xuân High School and young cadets from Đại Học Chính Trị (Academy of Political Science). Da Lat is a romantic town, but no spot here is as romantic as Thung Lũng Tình Yêu, where evergreens cover the hills and the valleys, flowers and pine needles carpet the earth, and sailboats cruise across the calm waters of the lake.

For a breathtaking view of the valley, make the effort to climb up the hundreds of steps that begin from Hồ Đa Thiện, and end atĐồi Vọng Cảnh (Vista Point). If you're in the mood for some more activity, you can hike up to Lang Biang Mountain and walk through the clouds. From here, heaven seems only a step away.

Vietnam is considered as one of the most exciting places in South-East Asia for adventure seekers who have a taste for activities like trekking and cycling. There are spectacular mountains, verdant valleys, deep canyons, and ancient forests. After all, a journey on foot or on a bicycle enables you to see the varied beauty of this country as well as the interesting lifestyle of its inhabitants.

Da Lat is well known for its lakes and waterfalls. One of these is Ho Xuan Huong (ho stands for lake), which is man-made. On its banks, once upon a time, stood the homes of the indigenous people of the Lang Bian highlands. When in 1984, Ho Xuan Huong was drained for renovation scientists discovered the relics of this ancient hill tribe on the lake's bottom. Shaped like a crescent moon, the lake is a popular rendezvous for visitors to Da Lat, as well as for the inhabitants of the town. Honeymooners find the lake extremely romantic.