Sights in Central Highlands
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Cuong Hoan Traditional Silk Centre
A fascinating place to visit is Cuong Hoan Traditional Silk Centre in Nam Ban village, near the Elephant Falls. Here you can see every part of the miraculous process, from the live silkworms spinning out their precious cacoon, to the vats where they're boiled up and the threads separated, to the loom where the shimmery cloth is woven. You can even sample the cooked grub - they taste kinda nutty.
For those of us concerned about fair trade, the women here are paid reasonably well and work only standard government hours. There are some beautiful garments and lengths of fabric for sale, including kimono-style robes for US$10.
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Dalat University
Dalat's climate has made it something of an education centre; before air-con it was one of the few places in Vietnam where it was possible to study without working up a sweat. Dalat University was founded as a Catholic University in 1957 by Hué Archbishop Ngo Dinh Thuc (the older brother of unpopular South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem, with the help of Cardinal Spelman of New York. It was seized from the church in 1975 and reopened two years later as a state-run institution.
There are presently more than 13,000 students studying here. Foreign visitors are generally welcome.
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Domaine de Marie Convent
The pink tile-roofed structures of the hilltop Domaine de Marie Convent, constructed between 1940 and 1942, were once home to 300 nuns. Today the remaining nuns support themselves by making ginger candies and selling the fruit grown in their orchard. The French-speaking nuns are pleased to show visitors around, explaining the work they do for orphans, the homeless and handicapped children. A shop sells handicrafts made by the children and nuns. Mass is celebrated in the large chapel, Sun to Fri.
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Hang Nga Crazy House
A free-wheeling architectural exploration of surrealism, Hang Nga Crazy House defies easy definition, yet is ultimately beguiling. Architecture buffs will marvel at the echoes of Antoni Gaudi, shutter-happy tourists will pose themselves silly in the strangely decorated rooms (some with ceiling mirrors, many with creepy animal statues with glowing red eyes) and children will simply enjoy getting lost in the maze of tunnels, walkways and ladders.
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Crémaillère Railway Station
Dalat’s pretty train station is now largely decorative. The cog-railway linked Dalat and Thap Cham from 1928 to 1964, then closed because of VC attacks. A short section of the track to Trai Mat village has been running since 1997 and the government has said that it will restore the rest of the line. If completed this would provide a great tourist link to the main north–south lines.
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Gia Long Falls
Down the road from Dray Sap and Dray Nur is this shorter waterfall, named for the first emperor of the Nguyen dynasty. He wanted to have a bridge built across the river but it was never completed; remnants are still visible through the overgrowth. The falls’ future is in doubt as the new Buon Kuop Dam has been built upstream and may eventually poach the water supply.
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Seminary & Hill-Tribe Museum
This lovely old Catholic seminary wouldn’t look out of place in a provincial French village. Built in 1934, it has a chapel with beautiful wood carvings and a ‘Traditional Room’ upstairs that functions as an unofficial museum of hill-tribe life and the Kon Tum diocese. You may have to ask one of the Seminary residents to unlock the museum for you.
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Du Sinh Church
This church resembles a temple more than a traditional church and was built in 1955 by Catholic refugees from the north. The four-post, Sino-Vietnamese steeple was constructed at the insistence of a Hue-born priest of royal lineage. Look up as you pass under the entryway arch to see a statue in classical Greek style flanked by two fiercely golden Chinese dragons.
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Dak Lak Museum
This musty, little-visited museum has a small display of cultural artefacts and photographs about indigenous minority groups. The Ho Chi Minh quotation, posted boldly over a golden bust of him in the main hall, blithely declares that all ethnic minorities are ‘the children of Vietnam’ and ‘blood brothers’ to the Vietnamese.
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Lam Dong Museum
Housed in a newish pink building, this hillside museum displays ancient artefacts and pottery, as well as costumes and musical instruments of local ethnic minorities and propaganda about the government’s relations thereunto. There are informative exhibits about Alexandre Yersin and the history of Dalat on the upper level.
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Dray Sap & Dray Nur Falls
Located on the Krong Ana River, these stunning waterfalls offer good riverside trekking opportunities. From the car park, the first one is the 100m-wide Dray Sap (‘smoky falls’ in Ede). For a better view, head down the path beside the river to a suspension bridge that crosses the river.
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Yok Don National Park
The largest of Vietnam’s nature reserves, Yok Don National Park has been gradually expanded and today encompasses 112,102 hectares of mainly dry deciduous forest. The park runs all the way up to the border with Cambodia, with the beautiful Serepok River flowing through it.
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Ho Chi Minh Museum
The Ho Chi Minh Museum offers the usual paeans to Uncle Ho, with an emphasis on his affinity for hill-tribe people and their love for him. There are also displays about Bahnar hero Anh Hung Nup (1914–98), who led the hill tribes against the French and Americans.
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Dalat Flower Gardens
An unusual sight in Vietnam, these gardens were established in 1966. Flowers here include hydrangeas, fuchsias and orchids, the last in special shaded buildings to the left of the entrance. It’s a good place to see a well-kept selection of Dalat foliage.
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Dalat Cathedral
The gingerbread-style Dalat Cathedral was built between 1931 and 1942 for use by French residents and holiday-makers. The cross on the spire is topped by a weathercock, 47m above the ground. The church itself is rarely open outside of mass times.
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Dambri Falls
Dambri Falls is one of the highest (90m), most magnificent and easily accessible waterfalls in Vietnam. For some incredible views, ride the vertical cable car or trudge up the steep path to the top of the falls.
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Linh Son Pagoda
Built in 1938, the Linh Son Pagoda is a lovely ochre-coloured building that fuses French and Chinese architecture. The giant bell is said to be made of bronze mixed with gold, its great weight making it too heavy for thieves to carry off.
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Bao Dai’s Summer Palace
This art deco–influenced villa was constructed in 1933 and was one of three palaces Bao Dai kept in Dalat. The decor has not changed in decades and the place has the feel of an oversized, faded dollhouse.
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Bo Bla Waterfall
The 32m-high Bo Bla Waterfall is on the east side of Hwy 20, 16km southwest of Di Linh, near the village of Lien Dam. There’s a steep 25-minute walk down to the base of the falls.
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Gia Lai Museum
The Gia Lai Museum is at a new location, with hill-tribe artefacts and photographs about Pleiku’s role during the American War.
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Couvent des Oiseaux
The former Couvent des Oiseaux is now a teachers’ training college.
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