Overview of Dalat star

Passing many winding roads to find him, we are surprised by his effort in making this mountainous land to be a place to realize his dream – Dalat Star. The first surprise comes when a dyke decorated with an artwork came into view. 

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History of Dalat Star
Dalat is a charming city with vast flowers gardens, winding mountain passes, Iushy green pine forests and amiable people. Many visitors to Dalat are so charmed by its beauty that they hesitate to leave after just one visit; many choose it as their second home. Trinh Thai Dung is one of those people. Leaving behind his managing position and a successful career in Ho Chi Minh City, the biggest and wealthiest city in Vietnam, Dung came to Dalat to pursue his small but passionate dream. Coming to this land also means leaving with empty hands; he had to start everything from dust. He came to the east side of Tuyen Lam lake with a dream to create and express himself in this new land. Living with no power, no clean water and no means of transport is definitely a challenge to anybody; however, his passion and confidence in the ability to give earth a spirit have helped him overcome his difficulties. Furthermore, he has given a spirit to the lifeless clay of this land for establishing Dalat Star.

Overview of Dalat star
Passing many winding roads to find him, we are surprised by his effort in making this mountainous land to be a place to realize his dream – Dalat Star. The first surprise comes when a dyke decorated with an artwork came into view. It is a clay picture depicting the typical scenery of the Central Highlands mountains: some deer roaming on a grass land and a spring flowing nearby. The artist must be a true lover of nature to create such a spirit in this picture.
The clay house is highlight of Dalat Star
Following the path, we come to the cottage that he calls “the house of dream and love”. The house seems to express his love to the country. At the roof of the house is the map of Vietnam. “Fatherland always has The most important place in my heart. If Vietnam holds the key to my heart, it must have the top position in my work, a position that everyone can see and feel no matter how distant they are. I want everyone of us to keep Vietnam on his/her mind wherever he/she is,” Dung confides. Entering the house, we can feel the archaism and nostalgia in its decoration.
The house is small but comfortable with modern facilities. We are really impressed by its fireplace with the shape of a teapot. It reminds us of our childhood when we were sitting by the fire with the family, sipping hot tea in the coldness of Dalat winter. The most special thing in this house is the bed in the middle of a pool. Lying in bed you can watch the fish swimming in the water and the wild plants Dung brought home from the forest. lt is like lying in nature and living with nature. His table and chairs, bathtub, sink, etc. are all created from clay with his talented hands. His ”house of love” was recorded as “the first and biggest clay house with a Carved roof with Vietnam’s map” by Vietnam Record Organization in December 2012. He names this house “sweet garden”, a place for families because he wants everyone who comes here to feel the sweetness and coziness it brings and every family memberto feel happy when they stay here.
Choosing to be a “Robinson” of Dalat mountains away from a bustling city to give a spirit to the lifeless clay, Dung has spent a great deal of effort and money on this place. He has been trying to study and make his own formulas to create more clay projects. He is just beginning them and there are many things left to be completed. He is planning to build a house with frogs playing music and the longest sofa in Vietnam with specific milestones of Vietnam’s history along its length. Hopefully, his dreams will come true in the near future to give more spiritto Langbian highland and poetic Dalat.

Location
Tuyen Lam Lake, Dalat, Lam Dong, Vietnam

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Travel Dalat to enjoy garden tours

Farm stay is a new product of tourism in Dalat which attracts a large number of travelers in Vietnam tours. Owning a large scale of agricultural area which is mainly cultivated to grow vegetables, flowers and tropical fruit, Dalat people coordinate with tourism companies to develop and invest in garden tours. This gives tourists a chance to travel to dalat and experience high-tech agricultural products. The traveling form contributes to diversifying tourism product in dalat and brings economic efficiency to the city.




Lang Biang Farm

The first stopover in Dalat farm tours is Lang Biang farm, at 42 Soviet Nghe Tinh Street, has an area of 20 ha, including 3 parts of producing vegetables, flowers, and fruit with main products of flower seeds (tissue culture), flowers growing in pots, cut flowers, and floral art… This is also a place of providing growing flower advice. Coming here, tourists will have a chance to explore high-tech agricultural products. In addition, tourists will have a chance to experience on growing, taking care plants, flowers and admiring floral art. Organik Garden Organic Garden House in Xuan Tho commune is one of gardens in Dalat using European technology. Spreading over an area of about 4 ha, Organic garden is a production area where more than 100 kinds of vegetables and fruits are produced by cultivation methods without chemicals. Thus, products of Organic are hygienic. They can be eaten directly. In farm tours in Dalat, besides visiting and learning about knowledge on agricultural production, visitors have the opportunity to participate in classes of processing salad.




Thai Phien Flower Village

With a large ground, fertile soil and stream water flowing through, Thai Phien Flower Village in Ward 12 is an ideal place to plant products of cut flowers in greenhouse and grid house by workflows technology. In addition, the flower village is a place of growing atiso, the key plant of Dalat. Coming to Thai Phien Flower Village, visitors will find immense colorful flower gardens interwoven if as embellishing to the vitality of Central Highlands. Each year, Thai Phien Flower Village welcomes a large number of domestic and international tourists to visit, to study and to enjoy in Vietnam tour packages to Dalat. Van Thanh Flower Garden Van Thanh Flower Garden in Ward 5 provides more than 80% number of flower in the city. Although the village’s terrain is mostly mountainous, by dint of traditional methods, Van Thanh Village residents have created many strains of beautiful roses. Stepping into the kingdom of roses, visitors not only have the opportunity to admire colorful roses, but also enjoy the aroma of roses.

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Dalat production

Because of its history, special architecture, unique climate features and wide range of beautiful spots, Dalat is known as one of the most popular tourist destinations of Vietnam

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Overview

Dalat is a city located on Lang Biang highlands – part of the Central Highlands region of Vietnam. Because of its history, special architecture, unique climate features and wide range of beautiful spots, Dalat is known as one of the most popular tourist destinations of Vietnam

Dalat looks like a cross between Vietnam and the French Alps. Many of its hotels and houses were built in a French style during the French colonization. There are many places for tourists interested in architecture to visit, such as Dalat Railway Station, designed by French architects Moncet and Reveron, or Hang Nga guest house, a.k.a ‘Crazy house’ which is also an interesting place to stay.

The climate in Dalat is often called ‘Eternal Spring’ for its pleasantly warm temperatures during the day and quite cool at night, down to perhaps 10oC. Due to its favorable weather, Dalat is a supplier of temperate produce for all over Vietnam, for example, cabbage and cauliflower. Also, it has a nickname ‘City of Flowers’. Its flower industry is highly developed and famous for two typical flowers: hydrangea (Vietnamese: C?m tú c?u) and golden everlasting (Vietnamese: Hoa b?t t?).

Apart from architectural places of interest, Dalat also has lots of beautiful sites such as Xuan Huong Lake – center of town, Lake of Sorrow (Lake of Sighs) – 5km Northeast of town on Ho Xuan Huong Road, Valley of Love – Phu Dong Thien Vuong Street, Lang Biang Mountain – has a 1900m peak, ideal for a 3-hour hike, Prenn Falls – 10km outside the town, Pongour Falls – one of the largest and widest waterfalls in Vietnam, 30km south of town on highway 20, etc.

Tourists arriving in Dalat can enjoy the atmosphere of Vietnamese markets by visiting Dalat market, which is full of local specialties such as strawberry jam, dried fruits, avocado, artichoke.?

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Where to Sleep when traveling to Vietnam

Ana Mandara Villas, Le Lai St. 65 rooms within 17 refurbished French colonial villas. A bit far from the city centre and only recommended to those who like to walk, what with large distances between the accommodations and the other services of the resort. 

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Budget

Bon Mua Guesthouse, 1B1 Bui Thi Xuan St (Between intersection with Phan Boi Chau and Hotel Dai Loi), ☎ +84 9 1720 9530. Clean, basic guesthouse. USD5+.  

Dreams Hotel, 151 Phan Dinh Phung St, ☎ +84 6 3383 3748, e-mail: dreams@hcm.vnn.vn. Clean rooms, friendly staff and big breakfast. They also have sauna, steam, and hot tub free of charge for guests (16:00-19:00).  

Hang Nga Guest House, Bui Thi Xuan St (opposite Trung Cang Hotel), ☎ +84 9 0310 0132, e-mail: mrgentle_tour@yahoo.com. Friendly staff, clean rooms, good English spoken. USD7+.  

Mr.Peace backpacker's house, 3/8 Hai ba Trung St, ☎ +84 977 089 159, +84 633 828456, e-mail: peacebackpacker@gmail.com. Friendly, cosy, clean, good atmosphere, centrally located, excellent English speaking, crazy, may have family dinner with you. Good price. usd6+.  

Hoa Binh 1 Hotel (Peace Hotel 1), ☎ +84 6 3382 2787. It is anything but peaceful, and fills to capacity on weekends, but staff are friendly. There is a cafe next door. USD10-15.  

Mai Tam Guesthouse, 2B Le Thanh Ton St, ☎ +84 6 382 5363. Clean family-run guesthouse a little outside city centre in a Vietnamese residential area (about 1.5 km, 20 min walk). The family rents out scooters for USD5/day. They also have a convenience shop downstairs. 150,000 dong.  

My Dream Hotel, 213A Phan Đình Phùng, ☎ +84 9 1856 4472, e-mail: dalateasyrider@gmail.com. USD7-10.  

Nam Ky Hotel, 11 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, ☎ +84 6 3382 4493, +84 9 1378 9449. Nice view from the rooms.  

Ngoc My Hotel, 01 Le Thi Hong Gam St. Nice location with Xuan Huong Lake view and clean rooms, balconies facing the lake. USD25+.  

Peace Hotel. Free Wi-Fi, breakfast extra for USD1. USD7+.  

Sakura Hotel, Bui Thi Xuan St. Cheap hotel near the student centre.  

Les Sapins 60 Hotel, 60 Truong Cong Dinh St (Next door to Peace Cafe), ☎ +84 6 3383 0839. Recently renovated, clean rooms, free Wi-Fi and Internet in the lobby, breakfast for USD1 available. USD10-20.  

Thanh Huong Hotel, 02 Bui Thi Xuan St, ☎ +84 6 3382 7699, e-mail: thu_lyttkn@yahoo.com. Includes cable TV, Wi-Fi and fridge. Some rooms have balconies.  

Van Anh Hotel, Bui Thi Xuan St. The staff speak good English, rooms are clean with cable TV, free Wi-Fi. Very motorcycle-friendly. USD10+.  

Villa Vista Dalat, Ngo Thi Sy, Ward 4, Dalat (visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/villavistadalat for directions), ☎ +84 939 500 236, e-mail: villavistadalat@gmail.com. This is a brand new villa, with breathtaking views from all rooms, fabulous food, great coffee, tours, transportation options, live music and personal service. from USD30.  

Pine Hill homestay Dalat, e-mail: pinehilldalat@gmail.com. Home on top of the hill overlooking the city. 3 mins from King's summer palace, 10 mins walk from crazy house. With kitchen.  

Splurge

Ana Mandara Villas, Le Lai St. 65 rooms within 17 refurbished French colonial villas. A bit far from the city centre and only recommended to those who like to walk, what with large distances between the accommodations and the other services of the resort. Charming and for the adventurous. Must like sharing living rooms and other services, as each villa houses several rooms, hence the sharing issue.  

Dalat Du Parc Heritage Boutique Hotel. Hotel built in 1922, part of the original Dalat Palace compound, with 143 rooms and one ambassador suite. Style and glory of yesteryear, a very old fashioned lift and great views from the rooms at the back of the hotel.  

Dalat Edensee Lake Resort & Spa, Tuyen Lam Lake - Zone VII.2, ☎ +84 6 3383 1515. Mountain and garden view, Eden suite, all equipped with 32-inch LCD TV, king bed and minibar. Free Wi-Fi. Nam Xuan, Eden Lake Café, and Riesling restaurants within the compound. USD139+.  

The Dalat Palace Heritage, 12 Tran Phu St. 43 luxury rooms and suites, one presidential suite. Built in the art deco-style of the 1920s with imperial dining rooms and facilities. It has beautiful gardens. It was conceived as the very centre of the city and dominates with great views onto the Xuan Huong Lake. It also has an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, and spa.  

Empress Hotel Dalat, 5 Nguyen Thai Hoc St.   

Hoang Anh Dalat Resort. The resort covers five hectares, is comprised of six villas with 75 rooms in total.  

Binh An village (Taxi; Resort's bus), ☎ +84 63 3800 999, e-mail: dalat@binhanvillage.com. Good place to sleep, great view, but far from the city (updated Mar 2015 |  )

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Where to see when traveling in Dalat Vietnam

The tourist agency, "Trung Tam Dich Vu Lu Hanh Da Lat," located on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, is not recommended due to their unethical practice of duping tourists by reserving tickets for Sinh Cafe Open Tour bus for USD12 (240,000 dong), then contacting the tourist's hotel to change the ticket for a later Phuong Trang bus, for 120,000 dong. The tickets will have extra zeros whited-out to make it look like USD12.

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Cable ride to Thien Vien Truc Lam Monastery

Packaged day tours are easily purchased round town, which will take you to a variety of sites, it is recommended to use one of the three licensed operators, as they are registered with the tourism department, offer insurance coverage and in the event of any disputes, or grievances have to respond to the claims against them. Fair pricing policies apply to them, which might not be the case with some of more dodgy companies. ask to see the government license and get a receipt with a red invoice when contracting any services.

The tourist agency, "Trung Tam Dich Vu Lu Hanh Da Lat," located on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, is not recommended due to their unethical practice of duping tourists by reserving tickets for Sinh Cafe Open Tour bus for USD12 (240,000 dong), then contacting the tourist's hotel to change the ticket for a later Phuong Trang bus, for 120,000 dong. The tickets will have extra zeros whited-out to make it look like USD12.

Tours typically include a handful of stops like the following: colonial palaces, Crazy House, flower garden, hilltop pagoda and Langbiang Mountain.

Colonial Palaces. The three palaces and summer home of the colonial era, last emperor of Vietnam Bao Dai, which is of great interest once you visit these three heritage sites, named Palace I, II and III, the Dalat Palace Hotel being one of them, with its adjacent Dalat Du Park Hotel, all from the 1920s, together with the Dalat Palace Golf Club, which was built in 1922, to give his majesty the opportunity to practice his golf skills picked up during his years of study in France. The golf course is an awesome site, whether you enjoy the swinging and putting or not, as the coffee shop at the golf course has some wholesome meals of Asian and European food, with great view of the deep green fairways and classy environment. The Palace I is located on the same street when you walk to the Crazy House. It is about a 15-30 minute walk depending on your pace (1.1 km. from Tran Phu, 47 m elevation gain). Palace II is located on Tran Hung Dao, not far from the Xuan Huong Lake (next to Yersin Park). 

Crazy House

Crazy House, Huỳnh Thúc Kháng, Phường 4 (About 0.3 km off Duy Tan St). A striking, not-quite-finished fantasy house designed by the daughter of an independence war hero. Well worth a visit, even if you are not too interested in architecture. 40,000 dong.  

Xuan Huong Lake

Dalat Market. Filled with local specialities: strawberry jam, fruit conserves, avocado, artichokes.  

Dalat Train Station. Take the steam train through the 7 km historical line to Trai Mat district. From there you can visit the Linh Phuoc pagoda. 128,000 dong.  

Flower Garden (At the northwestern end of Xuan Huong Lake). A set of flower gardens centred around a reconstructed traditional Vietnamese teak wood house. If you go for a stroll around the lake, it can be visited as a stop. 20,000 dong.  

Golden Spring Lake (Ho Suoi Vang). Unspoiled scenery.  

Truc Lam Zen Monastery. Best to reach it via a cable car ride over the pine forest.  

The Valley of Love

Lake of Sorrow (Lake of Sighs) (5 km northeast of town on Ho Xuan Huong Rd). The Lake of Sorrow is a common destination in Dalat. The Lake of Sorrow is so-named because of a tale of two lovers, one who committed suicide after the other was called up to serve in the army.  

Langbiang Mountain 

The 1,900 m peak is reachable by a steep paved path, ideal for a 3 hour hike, or you can ride in a Jeep for 40,000 dong. Also visit the ethnic village at the foot of the mountain.  

Linh Phuoc Pagoda, Trai Mat, Da Lat (About 8 km from town). This kitschy temple is one of a kind in Vietnam. Broken porcelain is used to compose beautiful mosaics that adorn the whole of this 7-level pagoda, and it is still expanding. free.  

Nha Tho Domaine de Marie, Ngo Quyen (1 km from where Hai Thuong and Ba Trang Hai (3 Trang Hai) meet). A pink church on top of a hill, with a store selling various dried fruits and snacks from the local orchards run by the nuns of the monastery.  

Pongour Falls (30 km south of town on Hwy 20). It's one of the largest and widest waterfalls in Vietnam and during the wet season is a magnificent sight. A dam built nearby has reduced the water flow recently.  

Prenn Falls (At the foot of Prenn Pass, about 10 km outside of town). Daily until 17:00. A very common stop on a typical Dalat tour, Prenn Falls is quite beautiful, but is a lot more fun when you're hiking it than just taking pictures of it.  

Thien Vien Truc Lam Monastery (At the top of where the cable car drops you off). The monastery has a magnificent view over the dams below and its gardens are full of landscaped shrubs in animal form. Extremely peaceful. A great place to relax and soak in the tranquility. People who do not want to complete the round trip could opt for a 4.1 km walk back to Tran Phu. Be sure to bring a map. On the walk back you can go down to Tuyen Lam Lake, visit nearby Dalanta waterfall, and take the bus back to town. Free admission. The cable car to the monastery costs 50,000 dong one-way, return 70,000 dong..  

Tuyen Lam Lake (Hồ Tuyền Lâm) (5 km south of town on Hwy 20). Its clean green waters flow from the beautiful Tia Spring and from the Da Tam River, which flows down from Voi mountain. Its waters stretch over an immense 350 hectares and because of its various sources, Tuyen Lam is known as the lake where rivers, springs, and forests meet. The lake was built in the 1980s. It is one of the largest and most beautiful lakes in town. The other side of the lake is Voi Mountain which is a good place for hiking.  

Valley of Love (Thung Lũng Tình Yêu), Phu Dong Thien Vuong St (About 5 km out of town). Daily until 17:00. The Valley of Love is common stop on Dalat tours and is very popular with honeymooners. The Valley of Love is also a great spot for canyoning. USD1.  

Xuan Huong Lake (Hồ Xuân Hương) (centre of town). Public lake in the centre. Approximately 5 km in length, this lake was made after two dams on the Camly River were destroyed during a storm in the 1930s. Now, Xuan Huong Lake is one of the main draws of Da Lat, and you can see honeymooners and locals strolling its banks. Many nice hotels have a view of the lake. The lake was drained in 2010, but is now filled again. Boats can be rented on both sides of the lake. The lake was recently adorned with a blindingly bright advertising sign, aimed directly at the lakeside hotels and coffee shops.  

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Tips when travl to Dalat

From the north via the Central Highlands. Some more adventurous travellers will avoid the coastal route and head inland from Hoi An then go through the beautiful Central Highlands on the way to Dalat. Please note that permits are required to enter most of these central districts and travel with a guide and private transport is recommended.

>>> things to do in ho chi minh city.

If you wanna travel to Dalat but don’t know anythings about dalat travel guide, you can look at in this topic.

Dalat is the stepping stone to the Central Highlands of Vietnam. This former French hill station with its own mini replica of the Eiffel Towere stands at 1475 metres. It is a breath of fresh air both literally and metaphorically after the mayhem and humidity of HCMC.

There are three likely points of entry to Dalat:

From the north via Nha Trang on the coast. The most common tourist route is up and down the coast travelling by open tour buses or train. Dalat is a short detour inland from the hub at Nha Trang.
From the north via the Central Highlands. Some more adventurous travellers will avoid the coastal route and head inland from Hoi An then go through the beautiful Central Highlands on the way to Dalat. Please note that permits are required to enter most of these central districts and travel with a guide and private transport is recommended.
From HCMC to the south. This was the way we chose, travelling on the Sinh Cafe Open Tour bus. We left HCMC at 8.30am arriving in Dalat at 3.30pm. It’s only a 308km journey but the roads are slow but that’s not a problem amidst such beautiful lush scenery.

Dalat also has an airport 30km to the south of town with daily flights to and from HCMC.

Temple in Dalat VietnamDalat has long been a popular centre for domestic tourism attracting over 800,000 Vietnamese tourists a year. Average daily temperatures range from 15ºC to 24ºC so you’ll need to wrap up in the evening. We were there in November and there was a chill in the air even in daytime. The dry season is officially from December to March and the rainy season from April to November though we fortunately managed to avoid any rain at all.

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Introducing Dalat

Dalat is quite different from anywhere else you’ll visit in Vietnam. You would almost be forgiven for thinking you’d stumbled into the French Alps in springtime. This was certainly how the former colonists treated it – escaping to their chalets to enjoy the cooler climate.

The French feel is compounded by a radio mast shaped like the Eiffel Tower and the local bohemian artists’ predilection for swanning around in berets. Dalat is small enough to remain charming, and the surrounding countryside is blessed with lakes, waterfalls, evergreen forests and gardens.

Local products include silk, garden vege­tables and flowers (especially beautiful hydrangeas), which are sold all over southern Vietnam. But the biggest contribution to the economy is tourism: more than 800, 000 domestic tourists and another 80, 000 foreigners visit here every year. It’s the country’s favourite honeymoon spot and still retains the final word in Vietnamese kitsch.

The Dalat area was once famous for hunting and a 1950s brochure boasted that ‘a two-hour drive from the town leads to several game-rich areas abounding in deer, roe, peacocks, pheasants, wild boar, black bear, wild caws, panthers, tigers, gaurs and elephants’. So successful were the hunters that all of the big game is now extinct. The closest you’ll get to the formerly diverse fauna are the taxidermied specimens about town.

The city’s population includes about 5000 members of hill tribes, which make up 33 distinct communities in Lam Dong province. Traditional dress can occasionally be spotted in the market places. Hill-tribe women of this area carry their infants on their backs in a long piece of cloth worn over one shoulder and tied in the front.

The City of Eternal Spring, Dalat’s temperature hovers between a pleasant 15°C (average daily minimum) to 24°C (average daily maximum). Effectively Dalat has two seasons – dry (December to March) and wet (April to November). Despite the mild temperatures, by the end of the dry season the lush green surrounds turn to brown.

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