Before I forget again, let me explain the title of my last blog, Nha Trang the old Saigon. I was transported back to the Saigon I grew up in when we arrived in Nha Trang. The streets were still laid back with some few cars, mostly motorbikes and yes, bicycles. Believe it or not, bicycles. In Saigon, they are fast disappearing , all you see there is a sea of noisy Hondas. The atmosphere in Nha Trang reminded me of the old Saigon, more relax and easy-going; I did not feel rush or hurried. Don’t take me wrong, I appreciate the new Saigon with the non-stop actions, the convenience of shopping for anything from 25 cents knick-knacks to 4000 USD Gucci handbags, choices of places to eat from street sidestands to upscale dining establishments that rival those of New York city or Washington DC ( both in term of price and decor). But gone are the lazy tree-lined streets where you could walk or bike lost in your thoughts, gone are the exclusive villas that I often peered through the gates to catch a glimpse of the inside. Oh sure, some of those villas are still there, they are just hidden behind the many shops that push themselves onto the streets. But that is the price of progress, I guess.

We drove from Nha Trang to Da Lat after a wonderful stay at VinPearlresort. It was a 5 hours scenic drive that wound around mountains and valleys taking us from sea level to 1500 meters ( 4500 feet ), from hot muggy weather to cool comfortable climate. We passed by many waterfalls, wild orchids with gigantic red flowers and tall pine tree forests. Surely I was in upstate New York or the mountains of Vermont, not Vietnam, I thought. It was just simply breathtaking ! With a bus load of 17 passengers and full of luggages the climb up the mountain was slow with air-conditioning turned off to save power.

The bus dropped us off at the Novotel hotel which was a sneeze away ( shorter than a stone throw) from its more upscale sister hotel, Sofitel Dalat. The area was essentially unchanged from the French colonial time with beautiful French architectures, stately villas and wide boulevards. The Novotel and Sofitel hotels underwent renovations several years ago and now under the management of Accor, a French company. The Sofitel hotel was bought over 10 years ago by a wealthy American who died shortly after that from a plane crash. The Novotelhotel was more laid back with a friendly staff, nice high ceilings and large windows. The rooms were just a tad small so we upgraded to a two room suite with a connecting door for 126 USD a night ( breakfast included).

Novotel hotel from Cafe de la Poste across the street ( part of the Novotel, Sofitel family)

Cafe de la Poste ( downstairs) and restaurant Y Nhu Y’ ( upstairs)

 A sign commemorating the 115 year anniversary of Dalat, posted near Xuan Huong lake, just across the street from the Sofitel Dalat.

The Sofitel Dalat situated on a rolling hill with well manicured lawns overlooking the Xuan Huong lake. The inside of the hotel was decorated in an American colonial style ( an influence of the deceased American owner) with darkwood panelings and tall ceilings. It seemed a little bit too formal for us who traveled with a contigent of noisy and active kids, besides the steep price ( over 300 USD a night). We went to visit the Sofitel for the million-dollar view. My sister C. and my daughter P. were appreciating the view before laboring up the 40-plus steps at the Sofitel Dalat.

My first cup of coffee in Dalat was at the Cafe de la Poste across the street from the Novotelhotel. It was smooth and delicious ! I am a coffee addict and always appreciate a good cup. It was a sign of better things to come as we dined there later at the restaurant Y Nhu Y’ ( Just the way you want) which served Vietnamese foods upstairs at Cafe de la Poste ( Poste for post office which was across the street from the hotel). The foods were good, not great, but the service was excellent and personal. The price was comparable to an average American restaurant. It was not cheap in Vietnamese standard but not outrageous for hotel foods.

For breakfast, Cafe de la Poste served a buffet of French croissants, pate, ham, fruits in addition to banh cuon and bun bo Hue. The croissants were made light and flaky, Parisien-quality stuff. The beef ragu tasted deliciously with tender meat and flavorful vegetables cooked in just the right amount of saltiness. We could not believe how good they were. Simply heaven! The other dishes, including the Vietnamese foods, were not bad either, but the croissants and ragu just stole the show.

We did manage to explore Dalat including the market, seen below at the traffic circle during the daytime and further down at the night market, as well as Truc Lam temple and the XQ Center.

The night market was teeming with people selling and eating mostly steaming hot foods from soy milk to shellfish. Plastic tables and chairs were set up everywhere, including the steps, with customers happily devouring their foods totally oblivious to the mass of people milling around and the flashes of my camera. We were just simply too full after dinner to try any of the night market’s offerings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 TrucLam temple, above, with view of the distant lake and mountains, was indescribable in terms of its beauty and vastness with several buildings, sculpture gardens, meandering paths leading down to the lake. We went there the day after the Vu Lan festival (15thof July, lunar calendar) so it was packed with worshippers and tourists.

We got back on our tour bus and headed to the XQ center where hand-made embroidery arts were made. Once again, we were blown away by the beautiful buildings and well maintained grounds. I was more impressed with that than the embroideries eventhough they were exquisite. The complex stretched on and on forever with building after building surrounded by lush gardens and water features. It even had its own restaurant with mainly central Vietnamese specialties ( Hue ). The foods were quite good and reasonably priced, for example, a bowl of piping hot bun bo Hue went for 20000 VND.

I snapped the picture below not realizing that there were 3 young ladies there but I was glad I did. There is something that is just so gentle and beautiful about them in their ao dai walking up the steps.

This is the only picture I took inside the gallery before I was reminded that no picture was allowed as if I could actually reproduce these embroideries !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My wife had been on the hunt for banh khot the moment we landed at Tan Son Nhat airport so when we spotted this restaurant, Banh khot co Ba Vung Tau, in… Dalat we just had to stop for a quick bite. Not so sure of this person co Ba or how good her banh khot could be, we gingerly set foot inside this restaurant and took a chance. Rewarded we were for our bravery since the banh khot were served hot and crunchy with plenty of herbs. Since I never had it before, I could only took my wife’s and my sister’s words that these were very good, just like the way they made it in Vung Tau. At 28000 VND ( 1.75 USD) a plate ( more than what you see in the picture) we were just loving life. The service was also quite good; they did not charge any extra fee for the additional plates of herbs and lettuce.

 

 

 

                                                                                   

Going from cheap dining to a 5-star restaurant later that day required a little bit of adjustment since we did not pack any nice clothes for the occasion. My big sister decided to treat us to a fine dinner at Le Rabelais, an elegant French restaurant at the Sofitel Dalat. Walking in there in my cargo pants ( and shirt) and Timberland flip-flops ( I dressed quite appropriately, I know), I was strucked with the warm soothing aroma of a woodburning fireplace. Instantly, I was back in the fall season in New Hampshire when the air was cool enough for a light sweater and the nights were chilly enough to start the fireplace. With the view of Xuan Huonglake from our table ( the chef’s table), we dined in the pleasure of live piano and violin music. The menu was limited with a mostly meat and a few seafood dishes. We all opted for the beef, wild boar, venison, foie gras dishes since we had our shares of seafoods in Nha Trang with the exception of my mother who ordered shrimp and fish. The meats were tender but not as well seasoned to my taste and the portions were typical of a French restaurant, small. But with a glass of Chilean red wine, it went down fine. For the entire dinner, I did not think for a moment that we were actually in Vietnam, the ambience was just that beautiful.

Overall, we just adore Dalat, a mini Europe with a relaxingly cool climate, georgous landscapes, excellent French foods, and beautiful architectures. The folks we met there were honest and simple. We did not realize Dalat could be all that and probably more. We just have to find out the rest in our next trip there.