It faces the mountains through the shuttle of about 30 minutes north of Ho Chi Minh City by airplane and returned to the Dalat town of the beautiful plateau of Dalat which was originally a house of a hilly area. Alexander Yersin, a French doctor, was the first to be found in Europe and the area of 1898 and the 1475 meter town escaped the heat and humidity of Saigon in 1912 and a hunting place It became infatuated with, was established as a cool retreat for French people. At that time the tiger, Gaulus, the elephant were wandering around. This former French hill station has beautiful scenery of temperate climate, hills, waterfalls, lakes and pine trees, flowers, strawberries, rich and smooth coffee is known throughout Vietnam. Today, as a golf course, as a retreat for writers and artists, as a romantic and refreshing escape for Vietnamese couples and families, it is still popular with the general public and foreign tourists.
Dalat's French colonial architecture was strengthened by the Vietnamese with the Eiffel Tower radio station and resolved with the tag of 'Petit Paris'.
About 3000 villas are scattered on the Dalat Hill. Most of them modeled on the French regional architecture of the early 20th century and incorporate some more contemporary Art Deco features. The area around Tran Hung Dao, which is a road that has a panoramic view along the hill, is often referred to as the French Quarter & # 39; These beautiful colonial summer houses are in a sad state that reminds me of the recent colonial era. However, when this road joins, there are many examples that were restored to the elegant of the French colonial period through the roundabout with Tran Phu Boulevard.
These include the 5-star Sofitel Dalat Palace Hotel and its sister hotel, the Novotel on the street, both of which have Art Deco facades. The Dalat Palace in the 5 hectares park built in 1922 was originally known as Languean Palace, but has returned to its original glory. The 43 rooms have chandeliers, the bathrooms feature brass metal fittings and toenails, and a replica of European masterpieces on the wide corridors. At the French restaurant Le Rabelais, you can see the banana type Genko in magnificent view. Outside the Sofitel gate is one of the earliest villas built for the first French governor in Dalat. Built in 1932 as an annex to the Dalat Palace Hotel, Novotel features antique glazing, high ceilings, period light fixtures, wrought iron elegata with vintage cage.
Between the two hotels there is a French colonial department store, Cafe de la Poste and Vietnamese restaurant on the upper floor, which was refurbished downstairs in the 1950s French bistro. It is well worth visiting for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
It is a magnificent European-style Dalat cathedral, adjacent to Novotel, with a 47-meter high bell tower and 70 French stained glass windows. The present church was built between 1931 and 1942 and is called Hha Tho Con Ga for the bronze cock (conga) weather plate which was placed on the bell tower.
Dalat station with a large decoration reminiscent of the Dalat train station seen in the small town of France in the first half of the 20th century is not far. The wooden railroad was built in 1928 and was closed from Dalat to Tap Cham until 1964. It will no longer work, but it is possible for tourists to take an old Russian-made steam locomotive under a 5 km truck.
Even the small clubhouse of the Dalat Palace Golf Course reminds me of the original golf course built by the Franco Phil Vietnamese emperor, Bao Dai in the 1930s.
Dalat's temperate climate is cold in November, surrounding pine forests, declining French villas, sometimes cobblestone streets, European-style atmosphere. Even children are wearing a French-style Changled doll or sweater against the cold.
