At an altitude of about 4,000 feet, Da Lat’s springlike cool weather was a nice change from the tropical heat of Vietnam’s coast. Considered the garden spot of Vietnam, there are farms thick with strawberries and flowers, as opposed to rice. The town is a big draw for domestic Vietnamese tourists and the three days we were there were packed with visiting families. Da Lat is Vietnam’s honeymoon capital.

We walked (four miles round-trip) to the Crémaillère Railway Station, Da Lat’s art deco train station. Since the French colonized Vietnam from 1874-1954 there is a bit of French influence on the architecture. The history of the railway station dates back to 1932. Trains for transportation no longer run out of the station. The train only makes a two-hour trip for tourist groups.

While we were there a Vietnamese film crew was working on a movie set in the 1930s. The station and vintage train make a unique movie background. It was interesting watching crew direct the actors while trying to keep the tourists out of the shot.

The Ho Tuyen Lam cable car took us over hills and valleys through a pine forest to the Truc Lam Pagoda. It’s an active monastery (visitors can do meditation retreats).  The grounds are expansive and beautifully landscaped. There are hundreds of bonsai trees cared for by the monks.

 

One of the most unique sites we have visited is the Hang Nag Crazy House.  Mike and I agreed that “Crazy House” is not a very accurate name because it is more interesting and intriguing than crazy.  This tree house, with three trees all made out of concrete, was originally a private home.  It is a monument to the creative use of concrete, with sculptured rooms (guesthouse rooms are available) connected by super-slim bridges and cascading lava flow-like shapes.  Touring it involved climbing many, many steps.

After three days of enjoying the mountain coolness, it was time to take the long, windy bus ride back to humid Nha Trang on the coast.