Things to do in Central Highlands
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V Cafe
A travellers’ favourite, this cute bistro hung with Chinese lanterns serves a mix of Asian and Western mains. Service is very good and you can choose dessert from the small spread on the counter.
reviewed
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Phat Tire Ventures
Phat Tire Ventures is a reputable operator, with trekking programs from US$20 as well as adventure programs from US$30. It also has one-day (US$72) or two-day (US$155) rides to Mui Ne and Nha Trang.
reviewed
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Art Cafe
Owned by an artist whose work adorns the walls, this elegant, bamboo-accented eatery has intimate tables and soothing soft lighting. Linger over a glass of wine to admire the artwork. The menu features Vietnamese dishes with a twist, including plenty of vegetarian options.
reviewed
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Thanh Thuy Blue Water Restaurant
With an unbeatable location right on the lake, this restaurant serves a mixed-up menu of mostly Cantonese fare, with some Vietnamese and Western dishes as well (fancy some pizza with your dim sum?). The food is all right but the view and vibe are what people come for.
reviewed
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Stop & Go Cafe
This little bohemian oasis is run by a beret-wearing poet in the front room of his house. He’ll happily recite his poetry while serving you home-made cake or (if you’re female) proffering a flower from his abundant garden.
reviewed
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An Lac (on Phan Dinh Phung)
Just as on Bui Thi Xuan, this An Lac has an English menu, with options ranging from noodle soups to rice and banh bao (steamed rice-flour dumplings stuffed with a savoury filling).
reviewed
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Youth Action Travel
Youth Action Travel has individual adventure activities (biking from US$20, adventure activities from US$28) as well as team-building activities and paragliding (US$80).
reviewed
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Cable Car
Dalat's newest attraction, the Cable Car, dangles along a 2.3km wire to Quang Trung Reservoir. Needless to say, the views are stunning but it's not for the faint-hearted.
reviewed
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My Tam
A hole-in-the-wall joint where the house speciality is roasted chicken, crisped to perfection and served with rice cooked with tomato and garlic.
reviewed
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Nem Ninh Hoa
A casual eatery that serves freshly grilled pork for roll-your-own spring rolls.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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Lotus Restaurant
Right by Hoa Binh Square, this restaurant has rooftop terrace seating as well as an enclosed dining area with Chinese-influenced decor; the former is better for people-watching; the latter is a warmer option in winter. The food is excellent and service is prompt, though they don’t speak much English.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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Le Rabelais
For fine French dining, the signature restaurant at the Sofitel is the place to go. The impressive dining room oozes gentility at every turn. Leave the kids at home if they’re under 12, and while away the night like the French might have, with a digestif and live piano music.
reviewed
