Da Lat

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Da Lat or Dalat

Da Lat is also known as an area for scientific research in the fields of biotechnology^[5] and nuclear physics.^[6]

With its year-round cool weather, Da Lat supplies huge amounts of temperate agriculture products for all over Vietnam, for example:

Da Lat is known regionally for avocado ice-cream, bánh tráng nướng, and its large garment market, with a broad selection of cool-weather clothing.

Name

According to some sources, the name is derived from the acronym of the Latin phrase 'Dat Aliis Laetitiam Aliis Temperiem' ("It Gives Pleasure to Some, Freshness to Others"), which the French colonial government used in their official emblem of Da Lat. In reality, however, the name Đà Lạt is derived from the language of the local ethnic group

French era

During the 1890s, explorers in the area (including the noted bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin, protégé of the renowned French chemist Louis Pasteur), which was then part of the French colony of Cochinchina, asked the French governor-general, Paul Doumer, to create a resort center in the highlands, and the governor agreed. The original intended site for the hill station was Dankia, but Étienne Tardif, a member of the road-building expedition of 1898–99, proposed the current site instead. In 1907, the first hotel was built. Urban planning was carried out by Ernest Hébrard.^[8]

Many Europeans used to travel up to Da Lat to escape the heat of the lower coastal areas and Mekong delta.

The French endowed the city with villas and boulevards, and its Swiss charms remain today. Hébrard included the requisite health complex, golf course, parks, schools, and homes but no industry. The legacy of boarding schools where children from the whole of Indochina were taught by French priests, nuns, and

In the 1920s and 1930s, there were ideas of making Da Lat the 'summer capital', 'administrative capital', and 'federal capital' of French Indochina. During the World War II, Governor-general Jean Decoux (r. 1940–1945) supported this project.^[9]

South Vietnamese era

The South Vietnamese National Military Academy graduated its first class of future leaders in 1950. There was also an aviation school at Cam Ly Airport.

In the mid-1950s, the Vietnamese Scout Association established their national training grounds at Da Lat.

The only major involvement Da Lat had during the Vietnam War was during the 1968 Tet Offensive. Fierce battles raged from January 31 to February 9, 1968. Most of the fighting took place between the South Vietnamese/American MP units stationed in Da Lat and the Việt Cộng (VC) forces. Defeats and victories alternated between the two during the sporadic-yet-intense battles.

Communist Vietnam

South Vietnam eventually fell under communist rule and was merged with the

During the communist era of Vietnam (the Socialist Republic of Vietnam), places like Da Lat as well as Hoi An and Da Nang were regularly regarded as amongst the most romantic tourist places in Vietnam.^[10] Da Lat has also become the hub of nuclear research and biotechnology.

Geography

Da Lat is located 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above sea level on the

Xuan Huong Lake in the morning

Geology

Da Lat is a source area for pyroxene from meteorites from the Australasian strewnfield.^[11]

Administrative

Da Lat is divided into 11 wards numbered from 1 to 11, and 4 communes: Tà Nung, Xuân Trường, Xuân Thọ and Trạm Hành.^[12]

Climate

Da Lat features a

Da Lat's year-round temperate weather, standing in contrast to central & southern Vietnam's otherwise-tropical climate, has led it to be nicknamed the “City of Eternal Spring”.[13] The average temperature is 14 to 23 °C (57 to 73 °F). The highest temperature ever in Da Lat was 32.1 °C (89.8 °F), and the lowest was −0.6 °C (30.9 °F).^[14] Mist covers the adjoining valleys almost year-round. Its temperate climate also makes it ideal for agriculture. Indeed, Da Lat is renowned for its orchids, roses, vegetables, and fruits. There are nascent wine-making and flower-growing industries in the region.

There are two separate seasons in Da Lat. The rainy season lasts from May to October, and the dry season lasts from November through April of the next year. The average annual precipitation is 1,750 mm.^[15][16]

Education

• Dalat University (Trường Đại học Đà Lạt)
• Yersin University (Trường Đại học Yersin Đà Lạt)
• The Pedagogical College of Da Lat (Trường Cao đẳng Sư phạm Đà Lạt)
• Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture – Đà Lạt Campus (Trường Đại học Kiến trúc TP.HCM – Phân hiệu Đà Lạt)

Architecture

It has been suggested that this section be split out into another article titled Architecture of Da Lat. (Discuss) (April 2019)

The

Of particular note is the unconventional architecture of the

Da Lat is also well known for a series of three Mansions of the Vietnamese Last Emperor. The First Mansion was built in 1940 by the French millionaire Robert Clément Bourgery and was bought by Emperor

Festivals

• Dalat Flower Festival (Festival Hoa Đà Lạt)
• Dalat Tea Culture Week (Tuần lễ văn hóa Trà Đà Lạt)
• Cherry Blossom Festival (Lễ hội Hoa Anh Đào)
• "Đồi cỏ hồng" Festival
• Rain Festival (Lễ hội Mưa)
• Gong Festival (Lễ hội Cồng chiêng)

Tourism

Da Lat is one of the famous tourist cities of Vietnam which was included in the list of Asia's most overlooked places by CNN in 2017. ^[29] Da Lat attracts both domestic tourists and foreign tourists, with more than 1,500,000 tourists and about 300,000 foreign tourists visiting the city every year. It is also the most favorite honeymoon location in Vietnam.^[30]

Hoa Binh Area is in the center downtown of Da Lat and attracts numerous visitors. Some popular sites located in the Hoa Binh Area are Coi Xay Gio bakery, Lien Hoa bakery, Windmills coffeehouse and Tung coffeehouse. Coi Xay Gio was known as a perfect selfie spot thanks to its remarkable yellow wall, though in 2021 the wall was repainted to discourage selfies due to danger from road vehicles.^[31]

Popular tourist places

Gallery

See also

• Da Lat–Thap Cham Railway
• Dalat Palace Hotel

References

• Jennings, Eric T. (2011). Imperial Heights: Dalat and the Making and Undoing of French Indochina. University of California Press.
  ISBN 9780520948440
  .

External links

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• Media related to Da Lat at Wikimedia Commons
• Da Lat travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Official website of the provincial government (Vietnamese)