French-Colonial Villas Now House Cafe and Restaurants by John Lander
You awake to crisp, clean highland air and the sound of birds chirping just outside your balcony. The view over Xuan Huong Lake is frosted with clouds of mist, as motorbikes draped with cauliflower speed toward the central market. Downstairs, in your villa hotel, breakfast is being served. A cup of steaming coffee fresh from the hills is slowly dripping from its tiny, individual filter to start your day. Homemade strawberry jam, a local specialty, is on the table to accompany the crusty baguettes rivaling anything baked in Paris. Dalat has many nicknames: "The City of Love", "Le Petit Paris", and "City of Eternal Spring," but for most people it is simply the most pleasant town in Vietnam.
The French built Dalat as their premier hill station, a retreat from steamy Saigon. Two thousand French-colonial villas are picturesquely scattered around the lake and nearby mountains. The last Emperor of Vietnam, Bao Dai, was so enamored of the place that he had no less than three villas built for himself in Dalat. All three of Bao Dai’s villas may be visited, though Binh III is the most accessible. Luckily, many of these villas have been preserved and still serve as summer residences, while others have been converted into cafes and hotels.
The French influence in Dalat is still palpable though with a Vietnamese twist - from the French colonial architecture to the smell of baking croissants. When the Dalat Palace was first built as a hill station in the 1920s, its purpose was as a retreat for the French and their guests to enjoy hunting and the cool mountainous climate. While golf has replaced hunting, the Dalat Palace has been restored to its former grandeur. Just down the street, Café de la Poste, one of the premier French restaurants in town could just as well be in Normandy or Provence except for the low prices.
Dalat has long attracted artists, poets and creative types who have established themselves in local art galleries, cafes and villa hotels. One of the most accessible of these salons is the Stop and Go Café. While its name may conjure up visions of a gas station or a convenience store, it is anything but. The café consists of the downstairs of Mr Duy Viet’s villa and surrounding orchid gardens. Coffee, tea and cakes are served but most visitors come just to chat with Mr Viet in English, French or Vietnamese. Local regulars come to play the guitar, poets compare notes while visitors from around the world come to relax or read Mr Viet’s latest poem while he tends his orchids. Others admire the hundreds of scrolls and paintings hung on the walls of his living room. More than a café, the Stop and Go has hosted visitors from John Kennedy, Jr., to the French, British and Swedish ambassadors, but most patrons are local artists, Mr Viet’s friends and world travelers. As Mr Viet puts it, “in my house, everyone is a friend.” Female guests are treated to flowers gently placed by Mr Viet behind their ear. Everyone else receives a smile and artichoke tea on the house.
More of an outlandish sculpture than a villa, the Hang Nha House is the work-in-progress of Dr. Dang Viet Nga. Called “Crazy House” by locals, the swirl of building/sculptures is part Gaudi with slices of Disney, Steiner and sprayed with hippie whimsy. Soaring above the terrace, a giant concrete banyan tree with twisted roots extends every which way. Giant wire spider webs are suspended from branches. Stairways are made to resemble tunnels and caves. Part sightseeing spot and part hotel, the Hang Nha House captivates you with its menagerie of rooms. Nooks and crannies serve as sitting rooms. The Tiger Room and the Kangaroo Room mean just that –they are decorated with animal sculptures after their namesakes. Clearly, Hang Nha House was designed to remind you of the integration of nature within a living, breathing environment. Though locals may call her architectural wonder “Crazy House”, Dr. Hang Nga prefers to describe her work thus: “With the voice of architecture, I wish to lead men to come back to nature and love it and not make full use of it or destroy it.”
But many visitors come for the pure nature in the surrounding area, rather than architectural facsimiles of it. One of the original attractions of the area was its big game hunting. In Dalat’s heyday of the 1920s tigers, gaurs and elephants wandered around freely. Note the elevated piles on which most villas are built, thus avoiding this wildlife. Xuan Huoang Lake is circled by footpaths, making for an easy hike or bike ride. Lakeside cafes built on stilts right over the lake are noted more for their views than their food. However, these cafes are convenient stops for a rest and a drink if you wish to take the three-kilometer hike around the lake. Set next to Xuan Huong Lake, the Dalat Flower Gardens are continually being refined. Dalat is known all over Vietnam for its variety of fresh flowers and the Dalat Flower Gardens is its showcase with orchids, hydrangeas, fuchsias, ferns and other species tastefully arranged around the spacies gardens. There are also a few resident monkeys famous for throwing things at visitors. Across the road from the Flower Gardens are nurseries with various types of bonsai trees, artfully laid out around the lake.
In the surrounding hills, numerous waterfalls, hilltribe villages and hiking trails dot the area. The waterfalls, especially Pongour Falls, make great spots to trek around the rainforest or picnic with the butterflies. As Dalat is hilly and spread out, motorbikes are the transportation of choice here rather than bicycles. An interesting way to tour the area by motorbike is to hire one of the Easy Riders – a local group of seventy tour guides with large motorbikes. Almost all of them speak fluent English and French and do not operate through travel agencies. One of the older members of the group, Mr Hung explained. “We are very selective on who we invite to become an Easy Rider. We base our choices on safe driving skills as well as fluency in foreign languages. Knowledge about the surrounding area is also a must. It’s not easy to become an Easy Rider and we limit membership to seventy members.” Easy Riders can be found in front of the Blue Water Café on the lake or at the Central Market. Don’t worry about finding them. They’ll find you.
The taste of fresh strawberry jam with artichoke tea, the smells of its cool nights, friendly smiles and cauliflower vendors literally wearing their cauliflower at the market leave the visitor with gentle but strong impressions of Dalat. Unlike other cities or towns memories of Dalat will linger. You cradle your teacup and one of Mr Viet’s impromptu poems comes back to you:
“As a wind orchid
I’m living in bluish mountains
High in the highlands
Covered with clouds and fog…”
………
Sidebar:
Sinh Cafe private “open tour” buses take five hours from Nha Trang or five hours from Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City for $6. www.sinhcafetravel.com
Vietnam Airlines has daily flights to Dalat from Ho Chi Minh City taking 50 minutes. The airport now serving Dalat is one hour from town. www.vietnamairlines.com
Dalat Palace Sofitel, singles from $110 per day. 12 Tran Phu Street, Dalat Vietnam http://www.accorhotels-asia.com/1744 tel 825-444
Cafe de la Poste, across the street from the main post office behind the Sofitel Dalat Palace, French food at reasonable prices, especially the lunch set menu for $7.12 Tran Phu Street, tel 825-444 (operated by the Sofitel)
Stop and Go Cafe, A visit to Dalat would not be complete without having a coffee at the garden villa of the Stop and Go Cafe - a hangout for local and expatriate artists and writers; 2 Ly Tu Trong
Hang Nha House. 3 Huynh Thuc Khang St, tel 822-070
The French built Dalat as their premier hill station, a retreat from steamy Saigon. Two thousand French-colonial villas are picturesquely scattered around the lake and nearby mountains. The last Emperor of Vietnam, Bao Dai, was so enamored of the place that he had no less than three villas built for himself in Dalat. All three of Bao Dai’s villas may be visited, though Binh III is the most accessible. Luckily, many of these villas have been preserved and still serve as summer residences, while others have been converted into cafes and hotels.
The French influence in Dalat is still palpable though with a Vietnamese twist - from the French colonial architecture to the smell of baking croissants. When the Dalat Palace was first built as a hill station in the 1920s, its purpose was as a retreat for the French and their guests to enjoy hunting and the cool mountainous climate. While golf has replaced hunting, the Dalat Palace has been restored to its former grandeur. Just down the street, Café de la Poste, one of the premier French restaurants in town could just as well be in Normandy or Provence except for the low prices.
Dalat has long attracted artists, poets and creative types who have established themselves in local art galleries, cafes and villa hotels. One of the most accessible of these salons is the Stop and Go Café. While its name may conjure up visions of a gas station or a convenience store, it is anything but. The café consists of the downstairs of Mr Duy Viet’s villa and surrounding orchid gardens. Coffee, tea and cakes are served but most visitors come just to chat with Mr Viet in English, French or Vietnamese. Local regulars come to play the guitar, poets compare notes while visitors from around the world come to relax or read Mr Viet’s latest poem while he tends his orchids. Others admire the hundreds of scrolls and paintings hung on the walls of his living room. More than a café, the Stop and Go has hosted visitors from John Kennedy, Jr., to the French, British and Swedish ambassadors, but most patrons are local artists, Mr Viet’s friends and world travelers. As Mr Viet puts it, “in my house, everyone is a friend.” Female guests are treated to flowers gently placed by Mr Viet behind their ear. Everyone else receives a smile and artichoke tea on the house.
More of an outlandish sculpture than a villa, the Hang Nha House is the work-in-progress of Dr. Dang Viet Nga. Called “Crazy House” by locals, the swirl of building/sculptures is part Gaudi with slices of Disney, Steiner and sprayed with hippie whimsy. Soaring above the terrace, a giant concrete banyan tree with twisted roots extends every which way. Giant wire spider webs are suspended from branches. Stairways are made to resemble tunnels and caves. Part sightseeing spot and part hotel, the Hang Nha House captivates you with its menagerie of rooms. Nooks and crannies serve as sitting rooms. The Tiger Room and the Kangaroo Room mean just that –they are decorated with animal sculptures after their namesakes. Clearly, Hang Nha House was designed to remind you of the integration of nature within a living, breathing environment. Though locals may call her architectural wonder “Crazy House”, Dr. Hang Nga prefers to describe her work thus: “With the voice of architecture, I wish to lead men to come back to nature and love it and not make full use of it or destroy it.”
But many visitors come for the pure nature in the surrounding area, rather than architectural facsimiles of it. One of the original attractions of the area was its big game hunting. In Dalat’s heyday of the 1920s tigers, gaurs and elephants wandered around freely. Note the elevated piles on which most villas are built, thus avoiding this wildlife. Xuan Huoang Lake is circled by footpaths, making for an easy hike or bike ride. Lakeside cafes built on stilts right over the lake are noted more for their views than their food. However, these cafes are convenient stops for a rest and a drink if you wish to take the three-kilometer hike around the lake. Set next to Xuan Huong Lake, the Dalat Flower Gardens are continually being refined. Dalat is known all over Vietnam for its variety of fresh flowers and the Dalat Flower Gardens is its showcase with orchids, hydrangeas, fuchsias, ferns and other species tastefully arranged around the spacies gardens. There are also a few resident monkeys famous for throwing things at visitors. Across the road from the Flower Gardens are nurseries with various types of bonsai trees, artfully laid out around the lake.
In the surrounding hills, numerous waterfalls, hilltribe villages and hiking trails dot the area. The waterfalls, especially Pongour Falls, make great spots to trek around the rainforest or picnic with the butterflies. As Dalat is hilly and spread out, motorbikes are the transportation of choice here rather than bicycles. An interesting way to tour the area by motorbike is to hire one of the Easy Riders – a local group of seventy tour guides with large motorbikes. Almost all of them speak fluent English and French and do not operate through travel agencies. One of the older members of the group, Mr Hung explained. “We are very selective on who we invite to become an Easy Rider. We base our choices on safe driving skills as well as fluency in foreign languages. Knowledge about the surrounding area is also a must. It’s not easy to become an Easy Rider and we limit membership to seventy members.” Easy Riders can be found in front of the Blue Water Café on the lake or at the Central Market. Don’t worry about finding them. They’ll find you.
The taste of fresh strawberry jam with artichoke tea, the smells of its cool nights, friendly smiles and cauliflower vendors literally wearing their cauliflower at the market leave the visitor with gentle but strong impressions of Dalat. Unlike other cities or towns memories of Dalat will linger. You cradle your teacup and one of Mr Viet’s impromptu poems comes back to you:
“As a wind orchid
I’m living in bluish mountains
High in the highlands
Covered with clouds and fog…”
………
Sidebar:
Sinh Cafe private “open tour” buses take five hours from Nha Trang or five hours from Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City for $6. www.sinhcafetravel.com
Vietnam Airlines has daily flights to Dalat from Ho Chi Minh City taking 50 minutes. The airport now serving Dalat is one hour from town. www.vietnamairlines.com
Dalat Palace Sofitel, singles from $110 per day. 12 Tran Phu Street, Dalat Vietnam http://www.accorhotels-asia.com/1744 tel 825-444
Cafe de la Poste, across the street from the main post office behind the Sofitel Dalat Palace, French food at reasonable prices, especially the lunch set menu for $7.12 Tran Phu Street, tel 825-444 (operated by the Sofitel)
Stop and Go Cafe, A visit to Dalat would not be complete without having a coffee at the garden villa of the Stop and Go Cafe - a hangout for local and expatriate artists and writers; 2 Ly Tu Trong
Hang Nha House. 3 Huynh Thuc Khang St, tel 822-070
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