Kepfram & Ellie's Travel Journal

Da Lat is a sprawling agricultural mountain town/city of about 200,000 residents. Here we cooled down, ate some good food, got vaccinated, saw some beautiful landscapes, visited some avant-garde architects' creations, got soaked in the rain, enjoyed Mid-Autumn Festival's celebrations, and met some cool people (shout out to Zoe, Stevie, and everyone at Socialhouse Dalat!):

Rabies Vaccine - after Kepfram got denied at a clinic in Nha Trang (didn't like his resting HR <60 bmp) we were successful here and got our first 2 shots (1 more after 2 more weeks and we'll have some level of lifetime protection)!

More Vegetarian food (yum) - Quan Chay Bo De on the same block as our homestay is a hole-in-the-wall restaurant out the front of someone's home with a choice of either a soup or rice dish  with vegetables and a selection of tofu different ways (for ₫30,000 / $1.15 per plate)! And then there's Vegan Heaven near the center of town which has an incredible delicious menu of all sorts of Vietnamese dishes prepared vegan - so good ! I also enjoy a cup of hot soya milk at a night market & the Vietnamese style tofu on everyone's menu...

Crazy House - more my thing than Kepfram's (he didn't like the vertigo-inducing stairways to nowhere over the curving rooftops of the buildings) - the architect's house and working hotel is also one of the largest tourist attractions in the city - architect Dang Viet Nga (aka Hang Nga - referencing the Moon Goddess), who holds a PhD in architecture from Moscow State University, and notes her main inspiration is Antoni Gaudi, has been creating this outrageous network of buildings and gardens since 1990. Absolutely inspiring!

Maze Bar - starting underground & built up through a 5 story townhouse backing onto a hillside, the structure features tunnels, winding stairways, various ladders, art-filled walls, and at the top, beautiful gardens - Lu Truc Phuong, architect (1941-2016), born in Cambodia, but moved to Vietnam in his 20s, whose previous creation, the 100 Roof House, was ordered destroyed by Vietnamese authorities in 1993 before it was completed - a drink on entry is your price of admission to this one-of-a-kind creation.

Da Lat Cable Car - runs from Robin Hill on the south edge of the city to the Truc Lam Zen Monastery a few km further south near the scenic Tuyen Lam Lake - we managed to find a lovely sunny day to enjoy the ride over the pine forest and a leisurely morning exploring the grounds of the monastery.

Mid-Autumn Festival - mostly a children's festival in Vietnam, and here in Da Lat: "The 2026 Mid-Autumn Festival will provide children with a healthy and enriching recreational environment, while helping strengthen national unity and reinforce public confidence following the administrative restructuring. It also reflects the attention given by the Party, the State and society to the protection, care and education of children." The rain actually cleared enough to allow outdoor performances, including lighted floats, lion dancers on pillars, dance performances by children of various ages, as well as a parade the next night with lighted floats and more lion dancers performing around the city

Labels: Vietnam