"A little rain never hurts anyone, it’s just nature’s way of reminding us to pause..."
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| (A mural on the wall) |
Route: Dalat Town Tour
Hotel: Du Lys Hotel, Da LatToday, we decided to explore Da Lat on our own - on foot.
A walking city tour requires a little preparation. With plenty of walking, frequent stops, stair climbing and hours spent on our feet, we needed a breakfast that would keep us going without leaving us feeling too full. Our usual combination of bread and eggs would have to do the job.
Before setting off, we stopped at an Eximbank ATM to withdraw some Vietnamese dong for our additional expenses. Eximbank is often mentioned by travellers as a bank that does not impose a local operator fee on foreign bank cards, although our own bank back home still charges an overseas withdrawal fee.
As we made our way through the city, we passed colourful street vendors and open-air markets displaying the abundance of Da Lat's cool highland climate. The surrounding farms are famous for their crisp vegetables, sweet strawberries, avocados, passion fruit and, at this time of year, especially their persimmons. It is currently the height of the persimmon season, and the bright orange fruits were hard to miss among the many colourful displays.
Our first stop was Dalat Center, also known as the New Market. This modern multi-storey commercial complex sits directly beside the iconic Da Lat Market in the heart of the city. It combines a traditional wet market with clothing shops, local gourmet and dried-food stalls, apartments and a hotel. With the cooler season approaching, warm clothing was already making a strong appearance in the shops.
From there, we continued to the colourful mural alley, popularly known as Nha Lang Slope. This steep hillside alley is lined with dozens of vibrant paintings, colourful window boxes and portraits depicting aspects of local highland life.
The alley was given a dramatic makeover as part of the 8th Da Lat Flower Festival and the ongoing City on the Hills community art project. Domestic and international artists, architects and students came together to breathe new life into walls that had once been faded and covered in moss. It was such a photogenic little corner of Da Lat that we simply could not resist taking lots and lots of photographs.
No visit to Da Lat would feel complete without experiencing a little of its famous coffee culture.
We stopped for coffee at Thanh Thuy Bluewater, the distinctive purple-themed restaurant and café situated right beside Xuan Huong Lake. Its spacious outdoor seating overlooks the water, making it a particularly scenic place to sit and enjoy a quiet morning coffee. The lake, the cool air and the mist rising gently from the water created a lovely Da Lat atmosphere.
Even while walking, we continued admiring the beautiful Blue Salvia, sometimes called the Blue Queen, which was blooming along the city streets. Because of their colour and appearance, these flowers are sometimes mistaken for lavender. They are widely used as groundcover on central medians and traffic islands around Da Lat because they remain compact and bloom reliably.
Our next mission was a practical one - finding lunch and dinner. As it was still early, we bought takeaway meals from Sarah Halal Food Restaurant, giving us the convenience of having food ready for later. By then, the weather was beginning to change, so we headed back towards Du Lys Hotel before the forecasted rain arrived.
Back at the hotel, we had seafood fried rice for lunch, followed by a cup of Nescafé and it was time to recharge. We had been in Da Lat for several days but had not yet visited the famous night market. Since tonight was our last opportunity, we decided to venture out again later in the evening.
As the sun began to sink, we set off towards the Da Lat Night Market. We bundled ourselves up in our hoodies, prepared for the possibility of intermittent showers. The wind was already strong and the air felt chilly to the bone. Puddles from the heavy afternoon rain still covered parts of the road. Despite the wet weather, the Night Market was still lively, with groups of tourists wandering among the stalls.
Then the rain started again. As the showers became heavier, outdoor clothing and souvenir vendors quickly packed up or pulled down tarpaulins. The crowds began to thin as people searched for shelter. The food stalls, however, remained busy. Those selling hot soy milk and grilled snacks became little havens for visitors trying to escape the rain and warm themselves. Da Lat's cool highland climate can make a rain shower feel surprisingly cold, and tonight was no exception.
Fortunately, we had our rain-resistant hoodies and umbrella with us. After wandering around for a while, we decided it was time to head back. We walked through the rain towards the hotel, cold but quite happy with our little adventure.
After a hot shower, we settled down with our seafood fried meehoon for dinner. There was, however, one small inconvenience. The electric kettle in our room had stopped working, so we could not make our usual after dinner hot drink. We will inform the hotel management tomorrow.
By then, the rain had stopped. Outside, the streets were slowly coming alive again, and people were returning to their usual evening activities as if the rain had never happened.
Another day in Da Lat came to an end - a day spent mostly on foot, discovering its markets, colourful murals, flowers, coffee culture and, finally, its famous night market under the rain. Sometimes, the unexpected rain is what makes a travel memory even more memorable.
