An Update
Before we get to The Road to Da Lat I must share a celebratory moment. This is a post I am extremely proud of. As this is post number 150. It’s been almost two years since I first posted something on the Constant Epicurean. Though I had an idea of what I wanted it to be, it has evolved into something far greater than I could have imagined. We’ve been from Thailand to Vietnam, Mexico to Canada and many places in between. We are doing wonderful here in Vietnam. Continuing to explore and make many more stories to write down and share with you all.
I have had a heavy heart of late and have struggled at times to find motivation to write in these difficult times. I continue to pray and continue to hope that with all things in life this too shall pass. All I can offer the world is simply this, be reasonable with one another and as always love one another. Love will cover a multitude of sin. An so without further delay I give you “The road to Da Lat – The City of Eternal Spring”.
THE ROAD TO ĐÀ LẠT – THE CITY OF ETERNAL SPRING
A Very Early Start
Again, time and space exist on a very different plane in Vietnam. Diem and I decided to invite as many of our family that could make the trip to join us in Da Lat. I had booked a four bedroom house in downtown Da Lat and everyone was welcome. Two of my brother-in-laws, Quan and Luan, Luan’s wife Duyen and their adorable little girl would be joining us.
It felt incredibly early, or late, when the alarms began to sound. Just after midnight, and quiet on the front, we gathered our things. We were already packed and save for a little freshening up we were all ready to depart. Diem had scheduled an SUV to take us from the neighborhood to the bus station across town. Luan locked the house up tight and we walked the 50 yards or so down the lane and over the bridge.
The Bus Station
Often finding myself in this comfortable haze, I sat in the front seat and stared out into the night. It was early Monday and I was surprised to see much of the city alive and active. “It is an Asian mega city after all” I thought to myself as I enjoyed the view. We arrived at the bus station with little effort and unloaded. The bus station was chaotic and incredibly busy for 1 am on a Monday. Or at least I thought so.
An Observation
We waited in the terminal, had a snack of bread filled with custard, as I sat in a sleepless stupor. There is something to be said here, I’m looked after, protected, cared for and concerned about with little effort. I don’t procure transports or concern myself with much of anything. It seems a bit unfair, but to be fair I can’t read locally or communicate well, so I am just along for the ride. At times it seems unreal, as if I’m a child, being led along by adults who know better. It’s liberating yet sometimes I feel guilty and on most occasions I just feel lost. But not in a bad way.
Conversations swirl around about our next move, what exactly the driver was referring to or some other important detail that I can’t understand. I see something of interest and I walk towards it like a dog chasing a ball. What is this, what does it do, what is it for? I almost always rely on Diem to herd me back to what we are doing. I’m living a carefree life without worry, It’s wonderful. When Diem comes with me to the US I’ll give her the same experience.
All Aboard
Our bus arrived around 1:30 with a big sign in the window declaring its destination of Da Lat. We boarded quickly. As I’ve learned in Vietnam, all things transport wait for no one. I hadn’t made it to my bed when the bus pulled away and we were off to Da Lat. This bus was much different from the rustic and homely bus we took to Saigan some time back. This bus was luxurious and well equipped. A place for your shoes, a full length bed, privacy curtain, WiFi and a cute little television. With the ability to write and catch up back home I wondered if I would find sleep at all.
As we rolled on out of the river delta the lights of the city faded away. Replaced by pockets of light from the towns and small cities that dotted the landscape. I knew we would be in a bit of a whirlwind tour in Da Lat. Diem and I would be there for the week, but everyone else’s time was limited to just a few days. I forced myself to shut down and settled in for as much of a nap as I could get in the five hours it would take to get to our destination.
The Last Leg
I woke around five and the sun had already begun to cast light on the countryside. With a view and things to see I knew what little sleep I was going to get was behind me. We were climbing ever higher through the mountains towards Da Lat. The rolling hills just off the road and majestic mountains in the distance. The misty mountain air that blanketed the landscape. My excitement was mounting quickly.
We arrived at the bus station in Da Lat just before seven. We exited the bus to an incredibly sensual cool mountain breeze and procured a transport to our rental house. The bus station was beautiful and architecturally very different from most similar facilities I have seen in Vietnam. This was the first sign of how unique Da Lat really is.
The Mountain Retreat of Da Lat
Da Lat is an anomaly in Vietnam. Nicknamed the valley of eternal spring, Da Lat actually sits on the Langbian Plateau just under 5,000 ft above sea level. With additional peaks around the plateau rising more than 7,000 feet. It sits high enough in elevation in the tropical zone to promote a year round stable climate. The daily average only fluctuates between 77.5 degrees in the height of summer, to 70.5 in the deepest of winter. Nightly averages are just as stable with winter nights averaging 52.3 degrees, and a very comfortable 61.3 in summer.
It also sits just low enough in elevation to allow for a plethora of temperate fruits and vegetables. Da Lat is the largest producer of strawberries, cabbage, grapes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower and coffee in all of Vietnam. Da Lat is one of the largest wine regions in all of Southeast Asia. It also boasts an incredibly robust coffee and flower trade and is considered by many to be the Holland of Indochina.
Da Lat is very European in architecture and weather. The alpine retreat of the former French colonialist is filled with evidence of their presence a century ago. The architecture is so influenced by the French alps, that sometimes one may forget that they’re in Vietnam at all. One of the cities first nicknames was little Paris and with its wide avenues, beautifully manicured squares and a charming lake at its center, Da Lat was everything I ever dreamed it to be and so much more.
Avoiding War
I loved everything about Da Lat. And historically I wasn’t alone. Da Lat was one of the few cities and regions during the war that was deemed off limits. With its mountain villas and relaxing vibe it was the only place in Vietnam that was an unofficial neutral zone. Deep inside what was then South Vietnam, Da Lat would be spared most of the destruction and wrath of battle while it catered to the generals and officers on both sides. There are many tales of American and South Vietnamese service men being pampered in the beautiful mountain villas and their enemy counterparts receiving the same treatment in their own villas nearby.
Everyone loved Da Lat and no one wanted to see it destroyed. For that I am thankful. It’s sacred position among all during the war was so profound that it only saw battle one time. Out of the decades long presence of American troops, the Vietnam war found Da Lat for only 9 days in 1968. January 31, to February 9 during the Tet Offensive. There was very little collateral damage and the city was spared any major destruction.
Da Lat a Brief History
It can be said of Vietnam that it has a history as old as time, yet many of its regions and modern day treasures are recent discoveries. The dynamic Annamite mountains which ungulate to and fro down the backbone of this beautiful country, also give it mystery and at times separation from the rest of the world.
The Hai Van mountain for instance, which juts out into the South China Sea just north of Da Nang is so difficult to navigate and was such a geographical and physical barrier that it halted the invading Chinese for a thousand years. Even as recently as the Vietnam war the Hai Van mountain and its strategic pass were the dividing line between north and south. Until only a few years ago there was only one way over the Hai Van pass, today there is only an additional tunnel through it.
Da Lat is another of those isolated and youthful gems. The plateau is so difficult to reach that its discovery by anyone other than small mountain tribes did not occur until the 1890’s. There still are areas of Vietnam so remote and difficult to reach that not much is known about them today. In what I think is a wonderful piece of trivia, the plateau that would later become Da Lat was actually discovered by a protege of renowned chemist Louis Pasteur, known as Alexander Yertsin.
The French Alps Come to Vietnam
An early bacteriologist for the French Government, Yertsin set out to explore the uncharted wilderness of then central Cochinchina. He was so spellbound by the area that he petitioned the governor of Cochinchina, Paul Doumer, to commission a resort high in the cool misty mountains of what would soon become Da Lat.
The first challenge was to gain access and Doumer ordered a road-building expedition between 1898 and 1899. By 1907 the first hotel opened and the French poured in. The French adorned the city with beautiful villas, elegant boulevards and all the charms of the Swiss alps. It is one of the few cases of a Vietnamese city built entirely for the French.
Off To The House
Beyond the nicknames of “most romantic”, “flower capital”, and “valley of love” I hadn’t yet learned much about the alpine city. And that’s just it, it was a city. I had expected a Helen, Georgia, or Pigeon Forge type of place. Mostly tourists, mostly like a typical mountain town or village. These things Da Lat was not. Yes it has it’s tourist feel and it is a large part of the economy here. But what really caught my attention was the sheer size of this mountain city, and city it is.
It was clear as we made our way to the house in downtown Da Lat, that Da Lat was in fact a large city by American standards. As of 2020 there are about 410,000 within the city limits of Da Lat. Atlanta has about 506,000. It was rolling hill after rolling hill of cliff side homes, green houses, coffee shops, Alpine squares and beautiful European villas. It was much larger than my mind thought a mountain retreat should be. Though It’s expansiveness was a pleasant surprise.
A Bit Early
We arrived near the house around 8 but we couldn’t check in until 11 at the earliest. With luggage in tow we headed up the hill towards a beautiful little roundabout with a few restaurants and coffee shops. We tucked into Bun Bo Hue noodle shop for what would be the foundation of our time in Da Lat. The noodle shop was famous in Da Lat and its reputation was deserving. The bowl was delicious. Tender noodles, rich broth, fresh greens and herbs. Chunks of tender pork ribs, slices of beef and firm chicken pate, coagulated pork blood and other bits of tasty goodness.
I received a phone call from our host as we ate. The house would be ready early, that was great news. We settled our bill and walked next door for a cup of coffee. It was a beautiful boutique coffee shop with amazing Caphe Sua and French press tea. I sat in the open coffee shop enjoying the refreshing and cool mountain air. It was wonderful to be in Da Lat, I could feel that this would be a wonderful week.
Exploring Nearby
The house was ready for us but we couldn’t seem to make it. There are just so many beautiful things to photograph and awe at that it makes any attempt to do anything specific seem laborious and futile. The medians are filled with rose bushes, every inch of roadway and squares are filled with beautiful flower displays and works of topiary art one would normally only find in a botanical garden. Flowers are Da Lat’s thing and they make sure they are everywhere.
We finally worked our way into the house, mind you it was only a half a mile from the coffee shop, if that. A very comfortable two story, four bedroom house across from the lake in central Da Lat. A perfect location, full kitchen and plenty of room for everyone. All for the whopping price tag of $300 for the week. Man, I love traveling in Vietnam. Everyone settled in and we freshened up and hit the street.
The Mall
On the lake in front of the house is a rather large almost parade ground type park. A massive staircase coming up from the lake and wide open spaces with large flower displays dotting the area. There was also a modern mall and grocery store here, but I couldn’t seem to understand where it was as there was nothing else visible. We walked around and took pictures of the flower displays and was lost in finding this large modern grocery store in front of our house.
There was a rather large dome shaped green and yellow building on top of the staircase, but it wasn’t large enough to house a grocery store, or mall for that matter. We finally walked around the glass dome and behind it was a concrete lined canyon of sorts. The dome was the glass roof, the mall was underground. We headed down into the deep recesses of the mall to buy groceries for the house.
Da Lat Golf
After stocking the house for the week our motorbikes arrived. I had rented three motorbikes for us to zip around Da Lat in as it would make things easier and less expensive than hiring a car everyday. Our little motorbike gang loaded up in the early afternoon and headed off to Da Lat golf for a little photo session. Diem had mapped out all the best places for photography and Da Lat golf was the first on the list.
Sitting high up on a hillside, Da Lat golf had an indoor golf facility as well as a rooftop patio with swings and perches for those gravity defying mountain top photo ops. We spent about an hour at Da Lat golf, had some delicious coffee, a spicy banh mi and took many pictures. The clouds had just rolled away and the rain had stopped right before our arrival. I was beyond tired as afternoon was fading into night and after a while we headed home for an early sleep before an early morning. There was much to explore, and limited time in the city of eternal spring.
Click here for a random set of our archived stories
or Click Here for a short video of us driving around Da Lat
