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 Travel News |
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Da Lat- city of eternal Spring |
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Da Lat city is probably one of
Vietnam's most well known vacation destinations. Since the turn of the century,
Da Lat has been the vacation spot for well-to-do
Vietnamese and foreigners. It is the unofficial honeymoon mecca of
Vietnam. Located on Lam Vien (Langbian) high lands, part of the greater Central highlands of Vietnam (Cao Nguyen Trung Phan), the city is 1500 m above sea level and is 305 km from
Saigon. The name Da Lat originates from the hill tribe people in this region. It literally means Stream of the Lat people. |
Da Lat's
history
The first person to explore this region was Mr.
Nguyen Thong. Approximately 25 years later, in
1893, Dr. Yersin, a French immunologist
discovered Dankia high lands while on an
expedition to the Langbian high lands. Dankia is
10 km from the city of Da Lat. This region
reminded Dr. Yersin of his homeland, and
particularly the similarities between Da Lat's
evergreen forests and those in the Swiss Alps.
He made the recommendation to the government to
form a resort town with health spas for
government officials and foreign dignitaries in
Dankia.
Not long after, Dr. Tardiff, also a French
citizen, had an expedition through this region
and visited Dankia and Da Lat. He recommended Da
Lat to the government due to the favorable water
source and locale. At the time, South Vietnam
was under French rule, and was known as
Cochinchina. The Governor of Cochinchina
personally visited Dangkia and Da Lat and
decided to take Dr. Tardiff's recommendation.
Travel to Da Lat
The first hotel was built in Da Lat around 1907
(hotels
in Dalat). It was made completely out of
wood and was called Khach san Ho (Lakeside Hotel
- Hotel du Lac). In 1916, work commenced on the
Palace hotel. In 1922, the hotel opened to the
public. It was the largest and most elegant
hotel in this region.
Da Lat has many homes built of wood much like
the Swiss chalets found in the Alps. It also has
many grand villas built by French officials
during the early part of the century. Many more
villas were built by the South Vietnamese
officials in the 60s and 70s.
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