Often dubbed as Le Petit Paris (Little Paris), the highland resort city of Dalat has ‘romance’ written all over, thanks to the elegant colonial buildings and breathtaking lookouts found in and around it. The young locals are very much aware of this, making full use of the endless photo opportunities around this city made for romance. Follow their lead and be inspired by our list of romantic things to do in Dalat that will rekindle the spark in your relationship (and up your Instagram game at the same time).
1. Profess Your Undying Love at a Buckwheat Flower Field
If a bouquet of flowers says “I love you,” imagine what kind of message you’d be conveying with a field full of them. Your date would totally freak out! According to one of our Vietnamese friends, buckwheat flowers symbolise an unchanging love. Though we know for a fact that her only source of knowledge are K-dramas, we’re glad that we followed her suggestion to visit a buckwheat flower field all the same. Seen from afar, the field looked as if it was covered with fluffy, pinkish cotton candy.
Take note that the flowers bloom from August to September. We went to Cau Dat Tea Hill, which is lovely to visit in any season, but you can also see the flowers in bloom at Van Duc pagoda and Dalat Milk Farm.
Cau Dat Tea Hill (Đồi Trà Cầu Đất), Xuân Trường, Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam
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Van Duc Pagoda (Chùa Vạn Đức), Tà Nung, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam
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Dalat Milk Farm (Công Ty Cổ phần Sữa Đà Lạt), Tu Tra, Đơn Dương District, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam
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2. Take a Nostalgic Train Ride from Dalat Old Railway Station
Built in 1943, Dalat Railway Station (or Crémaillère Railway Station) is one of the city’s most iconic monuments from the French colonial time. The small building exudes Old World charm with its Art Deco style, making it popular for pre-wedding photo shoots. Vintage is the way to dress, as it would go well with your Murder on the Orient Express shots and the steam train.
You can also take a 30-minute scenic ride to the village of Trai Mat where you can visit a small market and a host of temples.
Dalat Old Railway Station (Ga Đà Lạt), Quang Trung, Phường 10, Tp. Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam
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3. Cruise Down Tuyen Lam Lake
If you’re looking for a quick getaway from the hectic city life, Tuyen Lam Lake is the place to go for a little peace and quiet. Dalat’s largest freshwater lake is a sight for sore eyes with its mirror-like surface and its surroundings of undulating pine forests.
Try your best to navigate your rented boat without hitting your significant other with your paddles (like we did), and then stop for a while in the middle of the lake to take in the dreamlike scenery as chilly wisps of mist dance above the water.
Tuyen Lam Lake (Hồ Tuyền Lâm), Phường 4, Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam
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4. Get Awesomely Corny at the Valley of Love
The park is chock-full of statues of random cartoon characters and love-themed monuments, so saccharine you’d think they built the park in incongruity. Our fellow cynics can go to the park to get their toes curled, but should definitely stay for the beautiful view of the lake and the valley below.
And what better way to find out if he/she is the one than by paddling an old-school floating swan together? If your date is game for all the cheesy things, he/she is a keeper!
Valley of Love (Thung Lũng Tình Yêu), Phường 8, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng 670000, Vietnam
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5. Let Your Romance Bloom at Dalat Flower Garden
For a less-cringey park experience, go to Dalat Flower Garden instead. The City of Thousand Flowers has year-round cool climate and fertile soil that is ideal to grow flowers, it’s little wonder that Dalat is home to what is said to be Vietnam’s largest flower garden.
For lovers, it’s a magical place to frolic among the garden’s myriad flowers (everything from roses and daffodils to orchids and tulips), and if you catch your date stomping on flowers to get a perfect selfie, know that he/she is the kind of person who would also steal lollipops from children and kick baby unicorns in their nether regions!
Dalat Flower Garden (Vườn Hoa Đà Lạt), Trần Quốc Toản, Phường 8, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam
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6. Get Admitted Into the Crazy House
The actual name of this building is Hang Nga Villa, but it’s aptly nicknamed Crazy House for its quirky design choices (think melting walls and twisted staircases). We personally likened the villa to Sagrada Familia and a Salvador Dali painting rolled into one weird and wonderful place, but others might feel like they’re at a haunted house instead.
For a full-blown experience, book a room here. Yes, it’s actually a guesthouse! Each room is unique in design and might induce an acid trip kind of dream for your partner and you, which is all kinds of romantic!
Crazy House (Biệt thự Hằng Nga), Số 3 Huỳnh Thúc Kháng, Phường 4, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam
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7. Wine and Dine at Dalat Night Walking Town
Here’s a budget-proof date night out idea for you: Dalat Night Walking Town. It might look like your regular roundabout by day, but come evening, the streets around it transform into a boisterous market and the whole area is lined with all sorts of stalls.
They have everything here, including street performers, secondhand goods, woolen apparel, fresh produce and most important of all, food! Our favourite is bánh tráng nướng, also known as ‘Vietnamese pizza’ among tourists, which is grilled fresh right in front of you. It can get a little messy, so no, not a good choice for your first date! To wash it down, choose from the many colours of chè (Vietnamese dessert soups) or a selection of local wine.
Dalat Night Market (Chợ đêm Đà Lạt), 1 Phường, Phường 1, Tp. Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam
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8. Go Chasing Waterfalls
There are several waterfalls around Dalat for you to visit, like Elephant Waterfall (Thác Voi) with its impressive cascades, and Datanla Waterfall (Thác Datanla) with its adventure fun park. If you have the time and energy, make your way to Pongour Waterfall, located 45 kilometres southwest of the city.
With fewer tourists to compete with, you can climb up all the levels of the multi-tiered waterfall and cool off in their shallow pools. Just don’t try to swim here as it’s no longer allowed and there’s no chesty lifeguards around to save you.
Pongour Waterfall (Thác Pongour), Đức Trọng District, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam
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9. Take a Breather at Linh Son Pagoda
Most tourists flock Linh Phuoc Pagoda, an eccentric temple adorned with bright-colored mosaics, and don’t get us wrong, it is quite an interesting place to visit for its eclectic charm. But if you want to have a quiet moment with your date, you’re better off going to Linh Son Pagoda.
Built on a hill and surrounded by pine trees, Linh Son is a small but elegant temple compound where you can walk hand-in-hand across the immaculate gardens, accompanied by the birds singing among the trees. The temple’s large bell, apparently made of bronze alloyed with gold, was purposely made extra heavy (around 450kg) to prevent thieves from stealing it.
Linh Son Pagoda (Chùa Linh Sơn), 120 Nguyễn Văn Trỗi, Phường 2, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam
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10. Pay Your Respects to a Legendary Couple
Named after star-crossed lovers K’Lang and H’Biang (sort of a local version of Romeo and Juliet), Lang Biang Mountain is considered the rooftop of Dalat. Adventurous couples can go on a scenic hiking trail through a lush pine forest all the way to the peak at 2,617 metres.
But if you just want to get Instagramming without all the hustling, you can rent an old Russian jeep to take you there instead. Either way, you’ll be rewarded with a fantastic view of the surrounding hills and lakes. Totally worth the two to three-hour hike (or the 300,000 – 400,000 VND jeep rental money).
Lang Biang Peak, Thị trấn Lạc Dương, Lạc Dương District, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam
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