Vietnam, Dalat: attractions. A statue of the Golden Buddha. Crazy House. Flower gardens

Vietnam is known to the Russian tourist mainly as a beach holiday country. But believe me, there is a warm sea in any tropical region. But the sights in every country are different. And not always they are located on the shore. Among them is the city of Dalat. This article is for those who want to see the real Vietnam. Dalat, whose attractions we describe here, will surprise the traveler. Here there are not only natural beauties, but also architectural monuments. So strange that to see them, here come the tour groups. You can, of course, join them. But they only pay a visit to Dalat for a day, while the list of the city's attractions is so great that it is necessary to spend at least two days on it. In this article, we will tell not only about the sights of Dalat, but also give some practical tips and advice for self-travelers. We hope that the information provided will be useful to you.

Where is located and how to get there

The city of Dalat is located in South Vietnam and is the capital of Lam Dong province. The French colonialists built it in order to have, where to escape the tropical heat. The uniqueness of Dalat in its high altitude location. It is located on the top of the Long Bian Plateau. The height of almost one and a half kilometers above sea level makes the climate of Dalang comfortable for a European. And nature is able to smash with its beauty any. The surrounding mountains are very similar to the Alps. Therefore, there is nothing surprising in the fact that Dalat very quickly developed into an elite mountain resort. He even got his own airport in Lienkhuong, where planes from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City land. From the former Saigon, the largest city of South Vietnam, you can get to Dalat by shuttle bus. The journey will cost about two hundred thousand VND, and the journey will take seven and a half hours. All flights depart from Mieng Dong Bus Station. The way by taxi along the mountain road with serpentines (30 kilometers) will cost three million dong. On intercity buses you can come here from the popular seaside resorts of Phan Thiet, Nha Trang, Danang.

Where to stay in Dalat

The best opportunity to see, slowly, all the attractions of the mountain resort - an independent two-day excursion to Dalat. Many tourists, including Vietnamese, come here for a longer period. Budget accommodation is worth looking east of the Central Market. Hotels with three stars are pleased with the cleanliness and comfort. But the rooms often do not have air conditioning. But in this climate, in truth, he is not needed. The number for backpackers in hotels 1-2 stars will cost 220 thousand VND. Accommodation in the "troika" for two costs from six hundred thousand to a million. The local "quartet" is not inferior to the "five" in terms of service, but they do not have spa salons and other signs of chic. The price of a double room in a luxury hotel starts from two and a half million VND per night. More expensive housing is located to the west of the Central Market. Hostels and budget hotels should be searched on the outskirts of the city.

What to see in Dalat

This resort conquers with its cozy colonial atmosphere. Houses in the French style, the "alpine" landscape around - you seem to be transported thousands of miles, somewhere to Savoy. But there is a special color here that you will not find in any corner of the world. This - a certain recklessness, if not to say - "chudinka". And this originality begins to appear for the guests of the city already at the railway station. To this sight of Dalat (Vietnam), the locals are with special trepidation. The station was built by the French, and for a model they took the railway station of the city of Deauville in Normandy. The colonialists planned that Dalat would become the largest transport hub. Fortunately, this did not happen. Without exaggeration, we can say that the local station is the most beautiful in Vietnam. From his platform are sent only two compositions per day. These ancient trains are also the slowest in the world. Trains leave when 15-20 passengers are typed. It is better to make a trip in the morning, for hours to nine the public is going to. The train ride of the construction of the 30s of the last century also has the plus, that the final station will be Ga Trai Mat. And at this point is the famous Lin Fouoc pagoda. The train waits for its passengers for half an hour. This time is enough to examine the pagoda. A round trip costs 120 thousand VND, and in time (taking into account a stop in thirty minutes) it takes two hours.

Lin Fawok Pagoda

Attractions in Dalat (Vietnam) are known for their originality and even scandal. But Lin Fouoc pagoda is an ambiguous monument. On the one hand, this is a real sacral structure. They come here to pray and bring donations to the Buddha. But on the other hand, the construction material from which the Lin Fouoc pagoda is built is surprising. It was built at the end of World War II, more precisely, in 1949. Then many countries lay in ruins, and they somehow had to be cleared. This idea of cleaning up old rubbish and building a new world was adopted by architects who created this original temple. All of it is made up of pottery and broken glass of all kinds. And this concerns not only the exterior, but also interior decoration, statues, other decor. As in many other Buddhist temples, the Lin Phuoc pagoda has its own garden with a pond. There is amazing imagination 49-meter dragon made of glass, cozy rustling rings by the pool. Even in the pagoda you need to see the 27-meter tower, decorated with statues of dragons, the Prayer Hall and the five-meter sculpture of the Buddha sitting on a lotus flower. The Lin Fawok Pagoda is only fifty meters from the station.

"Crazy House"

In fact, this building has the official name of Han Nga, which translates as "Moon Villa". But the locals gave him a more accurate name - "Crazy House" or Crazy House. Dalat is not the only city in the world where there are such "drunken" buildings. The architect of this house (and part-time daughter of the former General Secretary of the Communist Party of the country) Dang Viet Nga once said: "I am an adventurous person, and I always follow my intuition." Already approaching the house, you can marvel at the flexibility of the female "sixth sense." Not one sharp corner. The house does not just look like melted ice cream. Everything in it flows and passes one into another. Corridor-tunnels, stairs in the form of bridges - you have the impression that you are in the school of the magic of Harry Potter or the Looking Glass. The house itself from afar resembles a large old tree, in the hollow of which the hotel has settled. The hotel, by the way, is operational. It is possible to book a room there. Near the hotel you will see a "giraffe". This is a tea house. But you can just put a visit to the hotel Hang Nga (from 9 to 18 hours). An excursion to Crazy House (Dalat) will cost only forty thousand dong.

Mountain Long Bian

An excursion to Dalat (Vietnam) will be incomplete if you do not see this natural sight. The mountain is the highest point of the plateau, but this does not attract tourists here. Its top is composed of five steep peaks of volcanic origin. You can only get to the top on foot. But you can confine yourself to climbing to the observation deck. It has restaurants, binoculars for viewing the surrounding area, toilets. For especially lazy tourists or those who can not handle a two-hour walk, there is an option - an access to the observation deck Radar Station on the all-wheel drive jeep (four thousand dong). The best way to climb is in the early morning. Then you can catch a swirling over the forest mist and make charming pictures. Mount Long Bian is a twenty-minute drive from the center of Dalat. You can get to the foot of the mountain by the city bus. Entrance to the natural park itself is paid, one thousand dongs per person. The road is not tiring, the road mostly passes through a shady forest. But tourists recommend taking drinking water with them - on the way you do not buy it anywhere.

Waterfalls

This is another attraction of the mountain resort of Dalat. Waterfalls are located far from the city, and near it. Through Dalat, the Kamly River flows. Just two kilometers from the city center - you can walk there - it forms several cascades fifteen meters high. Passage to the Kamly waterfalls is for a fee. And there tourists are waiting for photographers, offering to star in cowboy costumes. Reviews of tourists recommend that, with a shortage of time, cross out the Camli cascades from the list of "mast si". It will be much more interesting to visit Dalat, if you combine it with a visit to one of the distant waterfalls. And there are a lot of them in the resort district. Particularly famous for its beauty is the 30-meter waterfall Pangur, which is 40 km south of the city. Also beautiful is Datanla (6 km from the center), flowing among the protected forest, and Lieng Rovoah. The name of the last is translated as the Elephant Waterfall. Extremely popular excursions to Prenna. Travel to this waterfall should be planned at least for half a day. Since, in addition to admiring water jets, it offers elephant riding, tasting of coffee "Luvak" and other pleasures. All trips to the waterfall should be planned for the rainy season, which in this part of Vietnam falls on the summer months.

Dalat Museums

Natural attractions and contemplation of beauty should alternate with cognitive excursions. In order to better get acquainted with the history and culture of the region, you should go to the Lam Dong Museum. It is located on the outskirts of Dalat, on Hung Vuong Street, 4. It will be a long way off, and the city transport network bypasses this area. The museum can be reached by taking a taxi or trishaw. The exposition of Lam Dong is very diverse and is divided into thematic halls. Here, even artifacts confiscated by the police from "black archaeologists" are on display. In the museum you can get acquainted with the costumes, tools of labor and life of local people. There is also a hall dedicated to the history of Dalat. The museum is located in a beautiful building, which the townspeople respectfully call "Nguyen Nuu Hao Palace". Another museum, which is included in the program of almost all excursions to Dalat, is called the Summer Palace of Bao Dai. The last emperor of Vietnam really lived here. Everything remained the same here, as in the distant 1933. It is possible to call the Summer Palace building with a big stretch. The emperor was very modest in his way of life, and his summer palace looks like an ordinary villa. But the numerous underground passages dug in the event of a coup d'état testify that there was a statesman of the first magnitude who lived here.

Buddhist shrines

In communist Vietnam, tolerant of religious cults. In Dalat, there are Buddhist shrines, and (as a colonial legacy) Christian. The latter is the beautiful neo-Gothic church of St. Nicholas. It is located in the center, near the "Madhouse". The main Buddhist shrine is Lin Sean pagoda. It's pretty new. The time of its construction was 1936-40. In contrast to other "scandalous" buildings of Dalat, this pagoda is very canonic. It will interest those who want to get acquainted with the traditional Vietnamese religious architecture. Also, reviews of tourists recommend visiting the suburban Buddhist monastery Chuk Lam. The abode is on the next mountain, and to reach it is best by cable car (one way fifty, back and forth - seventy thousand dong). Well, the entrance to the monastery is free.

Dream Park and Golden Buddha

In 2002, the city was replenished with another Buddhist shrine, which immediately became a new attraction. It's about the Temple of the Golden Buddha. For him, the highest hill in the city was chosen. On its slopes was a beautiful garden, called the Dream Park. At the foot of the hill there is a Buddhist monastery, and just above it - a temple. And at the very top, he sits on a huge lotus flower of the Golden Buddha. The height of the statue is twenty-four meters, so it can be seen from many points in the city. The park and the religious complex are constantly being built and expanded. Here you should go to at least to admire the panorama of Dalat opening from the observation deck. Visiting the temple and the park is free of charge.

Parks of Dalat

Flower gardens, Valley of Love - in the resort there are enough places where you can hide from the merciless equatorial sun under the shadow of shady trees. Some of the parks are a real attraction of Dalat. For example, the Valley of Love, although it is bypassed by bus excursion groups, is considered a favorite vacation spot for Vietnamese. This park is so huge that it takes a full day to fully inspect it. But the flower gardens are included in the mandatory program of all sightseeing tours in Dalat. If you do not want to walk around the park in a crowd, come here early, at 9 am. Reviews say that the gardens are adjacent to the city lake, so, besides walking among the flower beds and admiring the miniature trees, you can ride a catamaran. The gardens are also good because they are located almost in the center of the city, and the entrance ticket there is cheap (about one and a half US dollars).

What to try at the resort

Attractions in Dalat (Vietnam) are not limited to architectural monuments and natural beauties. There is also an intangible heritage. This is, above all, an interesting mixture of refined French and authentic Vietnamese culinary traditions. Only here you can try a croissant with coconut cream or crepes-crepes with stuffed shrimps. On the shore of Lake Xuan Huong and in the market area, there are many cafes and fast-food establishments where you can enjoy authentic Vietnamese dishes - soup with noodles, seafood and rice with chicken. Allows you to get acquainted with the "high" cuisine of Dalat (Vietnam), an excursion to one of the restaurants, of which there are many in the city center. The main dishes from the list of "mast trai" are: soup "bun boo hue", salad from lotus flowers, roast "laumum", shrimp in beer, fish stewed in coconut milk and baked in seafood pots.

What to bring

Dalat (Vietnam) reviews are called the country's coffee capital. It is in the vicinity of the resort stretch plantations Robusta and nurseries of palm marten. The result of the digestion process of these cute little animals is the famous "Luvak" coffee. This product is the main souvenir that tourists bring from Dalat. Especially since this coffee on the spot can be bought twice as cheap as the market price. Still from Dalat, tea is brought from artichoke, inlaid lacquer boxes, silk items, lamps, ceramics and crafts made of wood.