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Destinations >> Central Highlands :> Central Highlands - Dalat Dalat is the capital of Lam Dong Province in Vietnam. The town is located 1500m above sea level on the Langbiang Plateau in the southern parts of the Central Highlands. The name of Dalat derives from the language of the local ethnic group Lat and its original meaning is “Stream of the Lat people”. Dalat is famous for its mild climate. Climatologists call Da Lat the “City of Eternal Spring”. The average temperature is 17°C and does not exceed 25°C in the hottest season. The annual average rainfall is 1,755 millimeter. The dry season starts from December to March and the rainy season is from April to November. The city enjoys the sun all year round. Its temperate climate is ideal for agricultural production. Dalat is renowned for its orchids, roses, vegetable and fruits. There is a nascent wine-making and flower growing industry in the region. The town was established in 1897 after explorers decided it would make a fine resort centre. Because of its cool climate, it soon became a popular retreat for Europeans who wanted to escape the often oppressive heat of the coastal cities and the Mekong Delta. Sometimes nicknamed the “Paris of the East,” it included all the amenities necessary for the social life of the colonial gentry. The first hotels appeared in the earlly 20th century and within a relatively short span of time, the French endowed the city with villas and boulevards, and its Swiss charms remain today. They also built boarding schools where children from the whole of Indochina were taught by French priests, nuns and expatriates. The elite Vietnam National Military Academy graduated its first class of future leaders in 1950. There was aslo an aviator schoold at Cam Ly airport. During the World War II, Dalat was the Capital of the Federation of Indochina. The Cremaillere Railway was opened in 1928 to link Dalat with the main railway at Thap Cham, near Phan Rang. Due to repeated Viet Cong attacks, the railway was closed down in 1964. Today, the line has been partially repaired, but only the first three miles are operated as a tourist attraction. Today the city of 125,000 is a popular honeymoon retreat for Asian couples. Most attractions, such as the famous Valley of Love cater to their tastes. Once named 'Valley of Peace' by Vietnam's last emperor Bao Dai, it was renamed in 1972 by university students who used to meet here for romantic rendezvous. :> Bao Dai’s Summer Palace Bao Dai ’s Summer Palace comes as a surprise, and perhaps a disappointment, for unprepared visitors expecting sumptuous luxury. The 25-room villa, built in 1933 in then modern French stlyle, is still furbished with its original decor. Both exterior and interior are modest, and the furniture, fittings and decoration are more akin to a suburban town house than the residence of an emperor. :> Crazy House The name ‘Crazy House’ invites curiosity, and deservingly so. It’s a bizarre guesthouse, the brainchild, and becoming the life’s work, of Ms. Nga, a highly qualified Vietnamese architect originally from Hanoi. It’s either a masterpiece of surrealism, or a monstrous eyesore depending on your artistic viewpoint, but very few people are indifferent towards it. :> Dalat Railway Station Dalat railway station is an attractive curiosity. Once it was linked to the main line by a cog railway, but the track was destroyed by the Viet Cong during the war. Despite a fully maintained station with a full-time booking office, all that remains is 8km of track and one train that chugs backwards and forwards from time to time. Even the steam driven tank engine has now been retired – it sits forlornly on platform 1, no doubt reminiscing about its heydays when French officers and civil servants were regular travellers. :> Lam Ty Ni Pagoda Lam Ty Ni pagoda is a small deserted monastery, built in 1961 and houses only a single monk. That is Vien Thuc, the ‘Mad Monk’. The sole monk at the Lam Ty Ni Pagoda, he has already produced over 100,000 ‘art works’ during his lifetime, and is still churning them out. However, his output has slowed in recent years as much of his time is now taken up by his commercial activities. A consummate self-publicist, he has now turned to selling his brushwork to tourists. As he does a roaring trade with prices from five dollars upwards, the epithet ‘mad’ is rapidly becoming redundant!
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