Coffee, Kitsch, and a Nice Cool Climate in Da Lat, Vietnam

Arriving to Da Lat

From Cat Tien National Park, we boarded another local bus north four hours to the cooler mountain town of Da’Lat for a week. Da Lat is most famous for its wide variety of flowers, vegetables and fruit harvested from its surrounding farmlands. During the war, this town also became a resort destination far from the bombing and guerrilla warfare in the southern part of the country, which it remains today, particularly popular for domestic tourists. It has still-in-tact colonial villas designed at the turn of the last century by celebrated French architects, some eclectic masterpieces, hiking opportunities, a chance to meditate with monks and…oh…and a whole lotta kitsch, all of which we’ll get to.

There are three ways to get from Cat Tien to Dalat and only one of them seemed reasonably priced…the local bus which left at 6 am for 200,000 Dong or $8/each. So, we piled in with some German and Aussie backpackers, a few locals, and a whole lot of commodities, although disappointingly, no livestock.

Upon arrival, we grabbed a Grab from the bus station and headed to our homestay, which basically means small hotel owned by a family, which is called Mon Bac on the north part of the lake. Our room was $11 /night and included a private bath where you got the overachiever’s option to go to the toilet while you showered…

…a shared kitchen, which was a bit grubby, and a balcony, which looked over clusters of power lines, green houses stuffed with flowers, and the dumpsters, which were typically lined with slightly wilted flowers. Mandy’s former event coordinator persona felt a bit crushed every time she passed by.

The first night we arrived we doned some long sleeves, a welcome treat after the previous week’s heat, and went to one of Da Lat’s night markets on the lake. We immediately laughed when we saw the clothing vendors selling puffy coats, marshmallow ear muffs, and woolen hats and then started looking around and realized that the locals were actually wearing these things. (83 High & 58 Low, Americans, or 29 High/15 Celsius low, everyone else.) It was far too frigid to even consider wrapping our mittens around a $2 ice cold craft beer. Not.

And we knew we were off the beaten path because everything was finally in all Vietnamese…which meant another Google Translate, pointing and gesturing adventure.

Because we’ve now been in Asia for over six weeks, we’re starting to have cheese withdrawals so Mandy bought something called “PHOMAI SỮA NƯỚNG” which translated to “grilled milk cheese,” which sounded cheesy enough. Basically it was oozing melted cheese on a stick, covered in….very unnecessary…condensed milk.

Next we had, BÁNH TRÁNG CUỐN, which is a rice paper roll stuffed with boiled egg, crab(?) veggies and shredded papaya topped with some mystery sauces, which was actually quite tasty.

Apparently cheese is a dessert in Da Lat (kinda like in France) because we then found it atop a mango or strawberry smoothie…which was just plain weird, although the smoothie itself was yummers. (Now if it were Camembert or Brie, we might be in business) Side question : clearly baguettes are the best gift France left Vietnam but why did the good cheese and wine get booted out?

Exploring Da Lat

We wrapped up a week in Da Lat and realized there was a lot of things we really loved about the city…among those were of course, the significantly cooler highland weather, the cà phê (coffee), the avocado ice cream, the strawberries, the self-created rural walking routes, the people who seemed even warmer (if that’s possible!) in cooler climates, and even that guy who scooted by our Homestay on a regular basis yelling “Banh Bao!”

Most evenings we found ourselves in long sleeves walking about an hour into the city through various agricultural land and neighborhoods. It was here we almost always met local kids eager to practice their English and take photos with us.

There are a million (ok, that’s questionable) things you can do with avocados besides avocado toast. The non-sugary Kem Bo, or avocado ice cream, as well as smoothies are definitely some of our favorites. Four whole scoops with coconut flakes for $2.

The Banh Bao man. Bánh bao is a Vietnamese bun. It contains pork or chicken meat, onions, eggs, mushrooms and vegetables, in Vietnamese cuisine and he sells them all from the back of his moped. And yes, that’s an open flame in that box. Again, on his moped.

Picking strawberries at a local u-pick was really fun until we definitely got the foreigner rate…of $4 for 300 grams of berries. But they were really delicious!

Because of the higher elevation, jacaranda trees were everywhere which always brings us warm memories of Mexico.

The heart of Da Lat is Xuan Huong Lake which is man made and also feels very man made. Every night the trees on its perimeter show off by lighting up.

This is all part of the kitsch you have to weed through because it’s a domestic Vietnamese tourism hot spot, which we’re starting to learn the locals love. Like this giant neon honeycomb of which panting, most likely drugged Samoyeds wearing sunglasses surround the perimeter awaiting their unpaid gig of taking awkward family photos and creating the illusion that it’s actually earmuff weather outside. Ugh. Not ok.

In the meantime, paid pandas wiggle their very large bums while transformers shuffle awkwardly by.

In even worse kitsch, you can find the “Valley of Love,” a ridiculous “theme park” north of the city. Now for us, theme park usually implies roller coasters and fun rides. For the Vietnamese, (and other Asians they’re marketing to based on the tour buses), we’re learning quickly it also implies paying a lot of money to walk around and take photos in front of weird things…basically parks built for Instagram.

Of course we didn’t go in, but from what we could tell, they took a gorgeous swath of forest and plopped down things like more fake lakes with paddle boats, a glass bottom bridge, and lots of iconic world sites like the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower.

As mentioned, one of favorite things in Da Lat was our long walks to the center. They often took us by fields of artichokes, endless expanses of greenhouses full of vegetables and flowers. (Also don’t miss the Christian pagoda in the background), and innumerable strawberry fields amongst French colonial homes.

The French thing was ever prevalent in the architecture.

A scene of houses against the mountain backdrop.

One of our favorite collection of cozy cafes and restaurants we found was in the Still Cafe, where we grabbed some Gimbap (Korean sushi) and honey chicken, met a kitty friend and genuinely just enjoyed the atmosphere.

Dalat Railway Station is the oldest one in Vietnam dating from 1938. It was unfortunately destroyed in the war but has reopened as a tourist heritage train and gives them the opportunity to rides it endearing cars while visiting the Linh Phuoc pagoda, an over-the-top ostentatious looking establishment. We opted to skip both…

…although we enjoyed playing and looking around the empty railway yard and into their VIP rail cars. Definitely seems like a fun activity.

Because a ton of coffee is grown in this region, the La Viet farm-to-table coffee shop is also worth a stop, which you know if legit by the masculine tractor in its entryway.

They have a ton of coffee and coffee cocktail options. We tried to order a unique one with star anise, cinnamon and basil but it was “finished” so we stuck with an iced coconut coffee for $2 instead. Sooo delicious! And of course Greg had to snag some for take home as well. Coffee was introduced to Vietnam in 1857 by a French Catholic priest who brought an Arabica tree to the northern region. Today, 97% of the plantations produce the Robusta coffee beans, famous for their unique and bitter coffee taste.

Because we were so far from the center, we also discovered the joys of Grab food delivery where we could get two entrees brought to our doorstep for $6 or less including tip!

Locals selling veg on the street near our place.

Trying new treats at the night market. At left, a rice wrap stuffed with eggs, onions and coconut. Also, Da Lat’s version of a pizza on rice paper.

Although it was ok, while in Da Lat, we finally broke down and had to have a real pie at Pizza Chorio, which was fantastic. Two beers, and a pie was about $8.

Other meats and veggies on sticks at the night market and plump berries out the whazoo.

So many flowers!! And so many flower deliveries!!

Another thing everywhere in Da Lat was artichokes. Although we kept waiting for the locals to grill them up a la Outback Bloomin’ Onion style, this never happened. Strangely, we didn’t see them cooked in anything? 🤣 Instead we bought a box of the tea which is known to prevent cancer growing and slow down skin aging. Sign us up!

Clothes! Clothes! Clothes! And we’re talking brand names! We even saw North Face coats and backpacks for as little as $8.

Kentucky Fried Ga. And just like that…you learned Vietnamese.

Our favorite Sinh to Bo ladies…that means avocado smoothies! $.80!!

Thai Mama…two entrees of papaya salad and pad Thai cost $2.62. Died and gone to heaven.

Not to mention the craft beer. Two for $9, but very good quality.

Truc Lam Zen Buddhist Monastery & Tuyen Lam Lake

If you’re seeking some inner tranquility and peace, the Truc Lam Zen Buddhist Monastery is an idyllic place for just this. Located 5 km south of Da Lat and known for its stunning views of Tuyen Lam Lake, gorgeous architecture, and serene atmosphere, it is a spiritual destination for tourists to meditate and learn about Buddhist teachings.

When you arrive it’s a little overwhelming because you’re also there with bus loads of Korean and Chinese tourists who don’t exactly set the stage for tranquility as they cluster taking group photos in front of the temples. However, as you begin to wander into the complex, the crowds disperse and Mandy used her intuition to find the library and a serendipitously placed English-speaking monk who had lived at the facility for more than 20 years. We asked about meditation and learning opportunities and, after piling us with loads of reading materials, he said we could join the public meditation which was going on now in the main stupa, but first we would drink our tea and assume the right attire.

You can most easily access it by a $6/each cable car ride, or by Grab for $6 total, which is what we chose to do. It is divided in two main areas: the external obnoxious one and the internal peaceful one. We were content we found a way to appreciate the latter.

After finding the welcoming monk at the library, he outfitted us in our monk robes and then guided us through the restricted gates of this main golden stupa telling us we’d need to separate based on chromosomes for meditation practice. We were independently welcomed with a bright yellow meditation mat and bolster to join the other already peacefully perched meditators.

Greg’s area was unfortunately close to the entrance which meant he could still hear the giggly picture-taking riff raff from outside making it difficult to get into meditation zone. Mandy got a tucked away shaded area which was utterly silent for about 45 minutes until the entire group, minus herself, erupted into the most heavenly and melodic chanting ritual, allowing her to purge and let go of some emotions she’d been dragging around. The ladies then started shuffling about and making their way toward the golden stupa.

It was a beautiful sight. Truc Lam Zen Monastery is one of the most well-known and respected Vietnam monasteries…

…so we’re really happy we got to participate in a small part of it. It’s also whetting our appetites for a much longer and more robust meditation experience. It’s been awhile since Mandy’s yoga training and SE Asia is the perfect place to do it. If you know of any such opportunities, please do share!

Feeling at peace after our monastic experience, we continued with some meditative forest bathing through the French cultivated pine forest on the way down to the lake.

Arriving to the Lake Serenity (made up name), we had the option to take a boat ride of around $16 on the widespread glassy blanket of water, but instead we wandered into the Seen House for a lakeside lunch with an equally impressive view.

We ordered a sizable tuna salad, a heap of corn “rib” curls, and creamy pumpkin soup with garlic bread all for about $11.50.

Reviewing the reading materials given to us by the monk. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the three Buddhist universal truths include:

Everything in life is impermanent and always changing.
Because nothing is permanent, a life based on possessing things or persons doesn’t make you happy.
There is no eternal, unchanging soul and “self” is just a collection of changing characteristics or attributes.

Although Buddhism is the fourth largest world religion, many consider it more of a spiritual philosophy. Buddhists try to live their lives in a way that reduces suffering. Buddhists do not worship the Buddha as a god. They respect him as a role model and teacher.

Hiking Lang Biang Mountain

One of our favorite days in Da Lat was hiking 4.7 km up to its impressive peak called Lang Biang, which is at 2167 meters (7100 feet). It offers a unique blend of terrain amongst rich agricultural land, lush pine forests, and up, up, up a whole load of uneven stairs. Ultimately, the reward at the top is well worth the journey.

If you’re not interested in an arduous hike in some considerably sticky weather, there is also the option to take a shuttle up the mountain to a sister peak, or halfway up this peak, walking only part of the way. If you want the second two options, you need to go through the gate with the tour buses, their accompanying mega bass and their photos opps to pay your admission fee. If you prefer to avoid all of that, veer right at the entrance gate and just start heading up. (We used Mapy.cz our favorite hiking app as our guide.)

You will soon arrive upon an unsexy dirt mound with “Go Up” the mountain written at the beginning. This is where you go up. 🤣 Funnily this sign was only in English because probably only foreigners are “crazy” enough to do this route. It took us 2.5 hours up, 1.5 down and a total of 9.4 km. By the way, don’t be alarmed if you pass a pirate-esque sign clearly placed by a different kind of money grubber trying to deter you from going up the free way.

You will immediately gain some elevation and as you do, an abundance of green houses hosting flowers and vegetables will appear below you.

You will also walk through some coffee fields before it starts to get a little bit more attractive.

Here you begin your true climb of 668 meters (2100 feet) through bewitching pine forests, which serve as the gorgeous green lungs for Da Lat….and just what we needed. According to Insight Guide, the trees were planted by the French during the late 19th Century because they reminded them of home. Ok, pine trees and good bread…at least not their attempt to take over, the French left a couple nice things behind.

Up until the late morning, the breeze and shade did wonders and we didn’t get too hot. While on the first section of the hike, we saw many friendly locals in iconic Vietnamese conical hats gathering dried pine needles into massive bundles. We’re guessing they use these for burning.

This is where the trail crosses the shuttle bus. Shocking 🙄

Meandering onto the official trekking trail, we continued to be entranced by the pine forest and encounter more helpful signs, this one in Vietnamese as well. 🤣

For the last 2k of the trail or so, it narrows and turns into a proper trail with lots of gnarled roots, obstacles, and stairs to maneuver.

Until at last, after a 668-meter (2100 feet) ascent, you finally emerge to the open sky and the peak ahead. We made it!! Lang Biang Peak!

According to legend, there was a love story of K’Lang (a boy of Lach minority people) and Ho-biang (a girl of Chil minority people). Their family both lived at the foot of the mountain. They met each other by chance and then they were beloved. However, they were at different tribes, so Ho-biang couldn’t get married to K’Lang.

Finally, they decided to overcome their strict customs and got married. Then they left their hometown and came to live in a place in the top of the mountain. One day, Ho-biang was ill, K’Lang managed to cure his wife but she couldn’t get over her illness. K’Lang decided to go back Ho-biang village to inform people about her illness. However, because Chil people hated him, they prepare a bow and a poisoned arrow to kill him. Suddenly, Ho-biang went to stand before K’Lang to prevent her husband from the arrow. The arrow shot her and she died. K’Lang cried a lot and he also died. His tear turned into a scream that we call Dankia now.

After the Death of K’Lang and Ho-biang, the father of Bian realized what he did before was wrong, so he united all the hill tribes of Lach, Lang and Biang turned into two mountains standing with each other, so the local people gave the name Langbiang for the mountain. (Da Lat Trip/com)

Here we plopped our jelly legs down for some water and snacks, which included the ever pervasive and affordable cashews, finger bananas, and a pack of Pillows, a crunchy coconut treat which basically tasted like processed cereal and desperately needed some milk. But at least it was a party size to celebrate our victory.

We mostly had the peak to ourselves other than a stereotypical European girl with a Fjallraven backpack and a pasty white (like us) and smiling Aussie couple.

Beginning our journey down which was challenging in the opposite way, although definitely had its moments.

On our way down, the storm clouds began to roll in just as we were viewing Lang Biang in our rear view mirrors. Fortunately the sky never released.

On our motorbike ride 12 km back to Da Lat, we were surprised to see the uncommon sight of some pitiful looking horses in the middle of the road. 😢

For lunch we rolled our way to the Da Lat Eden Cafe & Restaurant which offered lovely gardens, a friendly English-speaking staff and menu, and terrific food. We got an appetizer, two entrees and two waters for $11. They also have tranquil-looking guest rooms at a very affordable price.

The Da Lat Crazy House

Known as Vietnam’s “City of Eternal Spring” in the south central highlands, Da Lat is a lake-laden resort town which mostly caters to domestic tourists though more backpackers and long term travelers seem to be finding their way here as well. It’s got a lot to offer everyone though it sometimes takes a bit of digging to diagnose the really kitschy stuff from the potentially kitschy stuff, some of which is actually really astonishing. One such example is its eclectic masterpiece of…the Crazy House.

Like a Grimm’s Brothers fairy tale brought to life, with shades of Gaudí, Salvador Dali and Alice in Wonderland, the Crazy House, finished in 2010, is an outlandish hotel built by the daughter of Ho Chi Minh’s right-hand man, who clearly had a need for some creative expression. The result is utterly surreal and an explorer’s absolute dream…

After completing her primary education in China, the avant garde architect Hang Nga completed a PhD in architecture in Moscow. She stated that “architecture is a product of creativity and nobility, and artists should never lose their freedom. Human beings have become used to living in compartmen-talised houses, but someday they will realise that houses should be something close to nature.” There were no blueprints used…only paintings.

This is the Crazy House as seen from the street, which very much looks like it belongs to Hansel and Gretel. We cannot believe we actually contemplated not going inside thinking it would be too touristy or cheesy. It’s top quality superior French cheese in this case. Well worth the ~$5 for two tickets to go inside.

One of the 11 hotel rooms, “The Eagle Room, with a giant eagle’s egg as a fireplace, was created to be ‘big and strong’ for the Americans.

Like Gaudí, the way she uses natural elements to whittle together concepts in concrete is simply inspiring, like tree trunk spiral staircases a la Berenstein Bears…

…a fantastic folly of twisting branches that you walk on through stalactite covered caverns. and a sea of vines, which feels like walking on roller coaster tracks as you ebb and flow through its twists and turns. It was extremely enchanting to criss cross and run freely across them. Such a fun liability would never be allowed in the States, at least not without a documented waiver. 🤣

But perhaps no area was more spellbinding than the one that took us under the sea…

It features brilliant 3D corals and marine life, a shark bar with eerie glowing eyes, and a bubble inspired chandelier over a floating floor.

The interiors are no less intriguing in their cave-like nooks with its undulating surfaces. It’s surprisingly so relaxing on the eyes to be in a place with very few rigid lines. Almost as if actually in nature.

It is clearly a huge labor of love. Greg’s turn to ride the vine roller coaster!

Come here while you’ve still got balance and coordination skills!!

We positively adore the symbolism behind this statue. If only man and nature could truly coexist this beautifully.

Although most of the property drew upon nature as its inspiration, this house of whimsy seemed plucked out of Dr. Seuss book, but with its mushroom chimneys and geometric designs it seems more likely to be tribal in some way.

It is truly one of the coolest hotels we’ve ever seen and we do wish we had stayed a night, although might be odd to have small busloads of visitors arrive at regular intervals to spill out onto the vined walkways near your personal cavern.

Speaking of which, the rooms are a reasonable $30/night.

But even the public potty, near a room in the shape of a beehive, has some seriously bewitching behaviors.

The reception desk, which can be found through a mazed cave-like entrance. Wow! Simply do not miss this place if in Vietnam, especially if you have kids or are just a kid at heart like us!

100 Roofs Cafe

If you liked the look of the Crazy House we posted the other day, grab a drink and head into an equally impressive netherworld at 100 Roofs Cafe, where dark and mysterious fairy tale meets esoteric fantasy. In fact, this just might be the coolest bar we’ve ever seen. This extraordinary inconspicuous multi-story labyrinth is located near the main market of Da Lat on a side road, and doesn’t even look like anything special from the outside. But once you get a drink, which clearly acts as more of a magic potion, you are transformed to a very different world.

This world weaves you through concealed tunnels, spiraled staircases, and mysterious oceanic undergrounds. You encounter eclectic faces, twisting bodies, camouflaged chambers, and with enough patience, to the actual night sky and city view of Da Lat as you emerge on the open roof. Perhaps this is why locals call the building Đường Lên Trăng, or “the Way to the Moon.”

It’s obvious upon entering that the same architect, Hang Nga, who created Crazy House also created 100 Roofs. The passageways meld from bright and welcoming with happy hues, to curious and vibrant, to dark and haunting. And finding your way to the top is all part of the adventure.

The tiny portal to 100 Roofs looks whimsical and Pinocchio-esque…but in place of a toymaker creating wooden puppets, you have a bartender serving affordable drinks, which serves as your admission price.

We happily traded 120,000 Dong, or about $5, for two glasses of Da Lat red wine, which is one of only a few wines produced in the country. It was…mediocre at best, but we’re also incredibly snobby after our experiences in Argentina. 🤣

Finding our way to the moon…both of them, one nestled inside the other.

A view of Da Lat beyond the 100 Roofs pin up girl drawn from an obvious storybook.

It will take at least an hour or more to explore the full bar. Because there are so many dead ends, wrong turns, dim lights and uneven surfaces, it’s very easy to get lost or confused, but it’s truly all part of the fun!