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The 7th Da Lat Flower festival is scheduled for December 23-27. It was unveiled by the People’s Committee of the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

Diverse programs are planned for the event, including a Da Lat wine festival, a flower and ornamental exhibition, and a vegetables fair and tea culture festival. An Ao Dai-Silk Fashion Week and Charming Vietnam program will also be held during the festival. 

Various activities will be held in Bao Loc city and the districts of DucTrong and Di Linh, according to the organizers.

The provincial People’s Committee has encouraged organisations, businesses and individuals to register for the event to promote their brands and products.

The opening ceremony will take place at Lam Vien Square, Da Lat City at 8pm on December 23.

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Lam Dong (VNA) – The authorities of the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong proposed opening ten more domestic and international air routes to Da Lat city on October 28. 

The proposal was made at a conference to promote domestic and international flights from/to Lien Khuong airport in Da Lat city, which jointly held by the provincial People’s Committee and the Ministry of Transport.

Accordingly, the proposed routes include domestic ones from Da Lat to Phu Quoc, Quy Nhon, Pleiku, Phu Yen and Thanh Hoa and those linking the city with international destinations such as Singapore, Bangkok (Thailand), Seoul (the Republic of Korea), Tokyo (Japan) and Phnom Penh (Cambodia). 

Lam Dong suggested the Ministry of Transport, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam and other localities create favourable conditions for the opening of the new routes in the foreseeable future. 

The Da Lat-Singapore and Da Lat-Bangkok routes are expected to be launched in the middle of 2017, with four and three flights per week, respectively, to be operated by low-cost carrier Vietjet Air. 

Vice Chairman of the Lam Dong People’s Committee Pham S said that the province will devise policies to support domestic and foreign airlines to open flights to Da Lat, thus meeting the travel demand of local people and tourists as well as contributing to local socio-economic development. 

Lien Khuong Airport is 30km away from the centre of Da Lat city, which can receive up to 2 million passengers per year. 

Currently, Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air and Jetstar Pacific Airlines are operating domestic flights from/to Da Lat with 103 flights per week.

In the first nine months of this year, 7,400 flights from and to the airport carried 929,000 passengers and 2,900 tonnes of cargo.-VNA

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Top 10 things to do in Dalat city was wrote by a tourist who have experienced in Dalat city for 1 week. This is the personal opinion for reference.

1.      Take cable car

Da Lat cable car from the Robin hill to the Truc Lam Zen Monastery. It is length 2.300m, at an altitude of 1600m above sea level. From the top of Robin hill you can see all  the view of Da Lat city.  Da Lat cable car system is starting construction on February 3rd, 2002, inaugurated on January 24th, 2003 and officially launched into operation on January 2nd 2003.

Cable car system by the Swiss Doppelmayr company and the Austrian design, fabrication and installation. With 50 cabin automatic full color with a maximum transport capacity of 900 turns / hour, visitors can enjoy the majestic highland mountain forest, the entire city of thousand flowers and flying above the pine forest, enjoy the fresh air of heaven Da Lat.

2.      Take Alpine coasters

Alpine coasters systems in Datanla waterfall are considered unique slides of Da Lat. It is length 1,000m winding slopes, have the brake system to slow down its sensor speed of the car going too fast to keep a safe distance between vehicles. Slide in the tube trough the cars for 2 people, with hand brake to adjust the speed. The average speed is 10-20 km, maximum 40 km. Previously wanted to go down Datanla waterfall struggled overcome hundreds of meters steep road and the only way is only walking time from 10 to 15 minutes, now we can be up or down very quickly from 1.5 to 2 minutes.

3.      Elephant riding

You can ride an elephant in the Da Tien area or Prenn waterfall. In Da Tien area, at the end of Tuyen Lam Lake, where visitors can paddle fishing, stroll the forest elephant riding, enjoying wine and specialties of highland mountains in the floating on the lake or ethnic stilt houses on the hillsides stretching through, and admire the beautiful landscape.

4.      Ostrich riding

You can rides ostrich in Prenn waterfall, 10 km from Da Lat city. The ostriches are lined up neatly like the horses awaiting command. Once in place, just a pat, ostriches will give you the feeling of euphoria over long distances of several tens of meters. The adult ostriches were trained with boldness, on their belts a quiet certainty, with handles. Guests sitting on the back ostriches walk around and see the beautiful nature of Da Lat.

5.      Take Jeep or  Trek to Langbiang Mountain

If you want to go to top of the mountain you can chose a Jeep car or walk. Because the terrain is mainly steep, very pass, so many corners. they usually use jeep car, it made by the former Soviet Union. you sit in the car you are constrained vision and scenic overlook. Some tourist chooses conquer Langbiang on foot to enjoy the romantic scenery, is also an opportunity to try the slopes, moreover, the long road to the top only 5km.

6.      Take a boat in Tuyen Lam lake

From a desolate valley at an altitude of more than 1,000m above sea level, Tuyen Lam lake has been converted into an ideal point of the highlands, 5km from Da Lat city, neatly between the vast pine forests and streams legendary. The dry season in the region lasts 6 months, not a speck of rain, but the lake is still full of water. Blue lake surface year round, rarely have big waves. The pine forests covering the mountains, the hills around it, experiencing untouched sight. All blended together, paint a picture of nature, quiet, serene and strangely poetic. Some tourists spend all the day take a boat on the lake, enjoy the fresh air, cool and calm precious.

7.      Visit Crazy house and Linh Phuoc Pagoda

 

Hang Nga villa also calls Crazy house consists of several buildings and guest houses, cafes and art galleries with special style. The interior of the building includes caves, winding corridors, winding staircases, furniture quirky and animal statues with big size. There are no straight lines and corners. May give the impression that space, corridors, staircases, windows or furniture – everything seems to have been cooked at high temperatures melted and then frozen in grotesque shapes. Between the buildings is the tree line, gnarled roots made of concrete and huge spider webs made from a wire.

Linh Phuoc Pagoda located at 120 Tu Phuoc, in the area of Trai Mat, 8 km from Da Lat city, on Highway 20. The temple is also known as Chua Ve Chai because the yard with 49 m long dragon made 12,000 bottles of beer. Linh Phuoc Pagoda is an architectural mosaic of an excellent connoisseur of Da Lat.  The main hall length 33 m, width 12 m with two terracotta mosaic dragon pillars, above the many reliefs mosaic faience introduces historical Buddha Shakyamuni and the historical references in the Lotus Sutra of Amitabha.

8.      Da Lat Canyoning Tour

 

Are you a spider? Do you like water? If so! Please join adventurous rafting trip right away – exploring for you! The professional guides will show you the equipment and help you stay beyond the rapids. No experience necessary, you can also join rope climbing, swimming and cross-slide down the waterfall.

9.      Walk around the night market

 

If you love Korean culture you will know Dongdaemun Market,  the famous in Seoul. Da Lat night market is the same Dongdaemun. Coming to Da Lat Market, walk the night market area with a cool climate, fresh air to breathe mixed smell of food, the night fog crept across the shops with yellow street lights vague. One scene “Dongdaemun” very romantic style Viet Nam.

10.  Take old train

 

The Da Lat Railway Station is considered unique station with many records: the highest station, the oldest station (together with the Hai Phong station), steam locomotives only (only in Da Lat), stations the most unique and most beautiful…

Da Lat Railway Station now still trains on a route – and only one – it is route Da Lat – Trai Mat length 7 km.

The train takes around 30 minutes, on the train you can see a nice view, the fare is 124,000 VND. So the average speed is 14 km / hour. So more 3 record again: the shortest train route, the most expensive and slowest Viet Nam!

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Đà Lạt – Lâm Đồng collects people from the North – Central region – South to settle down on this land. Therefore Đà Lạt cuisine has a unique blend of the cuisine of the regions in the country. From these dishes, the food of the mountain city people has become richer and more diverse. With the chilly air of the cold season in Đà Lạt, finding some hot, spicy dishes for breakfast in the morning is really very exciting.

Huế – style beef rice noodle

Huế – style beef rice noodle in Đà Lạt consists of the main ingredients of fresh rice noodle, beef muscle meat and pig’s feet, shrimp paste, citronella, through the skilled hands of the cook, you’ll have a bowl of beef rice noodle with special Đà Lạt aroma, a combination of the smell of shrimp paste, citronella and beef taste. Lying above the noodles are chewy steak and slices of cooked beef muscle meat. When you eat just add a little shrimp sauce, sliced chili or chili well suited to the chilly air of the early morning. The difference in Đà Lạt beef rice noodle is that it is eaten with sliced lettuce and mints of Đà Lạt, very unique, making the food more appealing. To enjoy the Huế – style beef rice noodle, do come to Công restaurant on Phù Đổng thiên Vương street, Hương on Nguyễn Đình chiểu street, Loan on Quang Trung street, Thiên Trang 2 on Hồ Tùng Mậu street and some eating stalls at Hòa Bình square….

Mì Quảng – style noodle

This a is a special dish of the central region in general but when imported to Đà Lạt, it assumes a very private style. Quảng style noodle is made from the golden rice flour, combined with a variety of ingredients such as dried shrimp, pork rib, pork cutlet, with stewed bone broth. People add roasted peanuts, chopped spring onions, mint, red chili on the surface of the bowl of Quảng – style noodle to make the dish more appealing and attract appetite from eaters…

To enjoy the Quảng – style noodle, you can come to some restaurants on Nhà Chung street , Ánh Sáng hamlet, with lots of choices for you to make decisions

Phở Noodle soup

Phở noodle soup here is the same in other regions, the main material is rice noodle, the broth is made from stewed pork bone, beef muscle meat, served with lettuce, mints with assorted flavors. The difference in Đà Lạt phở noodle soup is not in the dish itself but the space to enjoy Phở, the bowl of steamed noodle soup in the chilly air of the mountain city warms diners up in the early morning in Đà Lạt.

Đà Lạt has many phở noodle soup restaurants , but oldest and most famous is phở Bằng on Nguyễn Văn Trỗi street, phở Vy on Trần Quý Cáp street, phở Phố Núi on Nguyễn Đình Chiểu street, phở Trung on Nguyễn Trãi street, phở Hiếu on Tăng Bạt Hổ street….

Kuy Teav

Main ingredients are dried thin rice noodles, the broth is made from pig’s feet combined with minced meat, bean sprouts, chive. Unlike the kuy teav in other regions, kuy teav in Đà Lạt has a sweet taste from the broth combined with pork bone, chicken, beef bone, quail egg, eaten with Đà Lạt lettuce. .
To enjoy this food, do come to the following restaurants: Tàu Cao Kuy Teav on Phan Đình Phùng street, several kuy teav restaurants on Bà Triệu, Phan Chu Trinh streets….

Bánh căn

 

Bánh căn is a rather popular food in the south central provinces. Over times it was imported to Đà Lạt and was promptly changed by the mountain city residents to suit the taste of the local people and tourists.

Bánh căn Đà Lạt is very simple but attracts lots of diners. The ingredients to make bánh căn mainly come from normal grains like other rice cakes. But to have crispy bánh căn, the seller must focus on the preparation stage. Rice flour is prepared following a special recipe: Rice is soaked in water, then finely ground with some dry rice, flour is poured in molds and baked directly on the brazier. According to one’s taste, diners can choose stuffing for bánh căn, chicken’s egg, duck’s egg, quail egg poured on the surface of bánh căn, when bánh căn is cooked it is presented in pairs on the plate and eaten with fish sauce.

Bánh căn is sold in the morning at several sidewalks on Tăng Bạt Hổ, Phan Đình Phùng, Bùi Thị Xuân, Nguyễn Công Trứ streets.When you have an opportunity to visit Đà Lạt, try to discover simple dishes of the local residents and recognize the difference of each dish.

by Hong Thao

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1. CLIMATE

Surrounded by mountains and pine forests, Dalat has many characteristics of a temperate climate. The average temperature here is 18-21oC, with highest temperature 30°C and lowest 5°C. Dalat also has the two season climate typical of South Vietnam, with a monsoon season from May to October and a dry season from November to April. Dalat is never stormy and only has occasional heavy winds from the ocean through the mountain-less East side of the city. Dalat is in the temperate region and has pleasant weather year-round, even sunny during much of the rainy season. During the winter months, the average temperature is 10 C while during summer it is around 20 C. Ideal weather is from November to March, when the air is fresh and cool.

2. COST OF LIVING

 

Dalat in particular, and Vietnam in general, are very cost effective destinations. The prices of most purchases are significantly lower than at home. So the holiday basics such as food, drink and accommodation are not going to make such dent in the pocket. Luxury goods such as jewelry and crocodile skin items can also be picked up at very affordable prices. For real bargains, hit the markets but make sure to haggle. You might not quite get the local price but you’ll still get a great deal and have some fun as well What would be out of reach at home is affordable here and Dalat is a bargain hunter’s dream Be sure to take advantage of it!

3. THE PEOPLE

 

Vietnamese people are, by nature, extremely friendly and welcoming. For example, if you are walking down the street and make eye contact, nine times out of ten you will be greeted by a smile. How often does that happen in the West? Locals in Dalat are used to visitors and are quick to help if you are lost or looking for something or somewhere in particular A good rule of thumb is that if you are friendly to locals you will get 110% return on your investment! Why not try to pick up a couple of words of the local language. You will find that a friendly xin chao (hello) or cam an’ (thank you) are very much appreciated even if your pronunciation does cause few giggles!

4. LOCAL FOOD

 

Vietnamese is recognized as one of the world’s great cuisines and Dalat, due to its Alpine like climate and local produce is arguably the best city in the country to partake of the exceptional range available. Dalat is known as the food bowl of Vietnam, and you can get some amazing fruit, vegetables and exceptional coffee here. For a real Vietnamese experience, be sure to try the local food either on the street or in more upmarket locations plus there is a huge range of international cuisines available.

5. LOCATION

 

Dalat is easily accessible from all major centers in Vietnam with regular air, and bus services. Flight time from Saigon is less than one hour and just over an hour from Hanoi, so a visitor can leave these cities and still have time to look around and explore in a single day Being on the southern central coast highlands it avoids the intense heat of the south in summer. With its breathtaking mountain scenery, lakes and waterfalls, pine forests, and climate, you will be hard-pushed to find a more beautiful city.

6. THINGS TO DO

No matter how long your stay, you will have plenty to see and do. Dalat, recognized as the home of adventure sports in Vietnam offers such a wide variety of activities, such as canyoning, white water rafting, trekking, mountain biking, overnight camping, and for the less adventurous, there are some beautiful areas to casually explore at your own pace. here’s cooking classes, cultural, and religious sites, stunning waterfalls, and guided tours of all types. Why not simply hire a motor bike or bicycle and go exploring. You will only be limited by your imagination.

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The big farm producing the famed weasel coffee in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong has opened its door for visitors to see the entire process of making the coffee with the help of domesticated animals.

Location & Area of weasel coffee farm

The two-hectare farm at 135E Hoang Hoa Tham Street, Da Lat city, is keeping as many as 120 weasels (a type of civet) with the permission of the local forest management agency, and can produce an average of 500 kilograms of weasel coffee every year.

The place for tourists are interested in coffee

Visitors to the farm can see the entire process of making the coffee with the help of the domesticated animals which are under supervision of the local forest management agency.

Meeting the owner of farm

“For every coffee crop, the weasels, a type of civet, are fed with highest quality Arabica coffee berries. The coffee beans which are relatively undigested and intact in their droppings were then collected, cleaned and processed for sale,” the farm’s owner Mr. Nguyen Quoc Minh said.

Experts say the enzymes inside weasels’ stomach give the undigested coffee beans delightful taste and distinctive aroma. Mr. Minh said, the coffee has been checked and recognised by the Pasteur Institute of Da Lat and the Nuclear Research Institute for good quality and hygiene.

The publicizing of weasel coffee production process at the farm contributes to popularising the quality and trademark of Vietnamese coffee, as well as creating a new sight-seeing spot for tourists in Da Lat city.

ABOUT WEASEL COFFEE – CIVET COFFEE

Weasel coffee is the name of a special coffee, the rarest drink in the world. This kind of coffee exists only in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. It is collected from coffee farms, which is the feces discarded by wild weasels after eating mature coffee beans. Thus, it is really rare.

Trai Ham Weasel Coffee is produced under closed process. Clean Moka coffee farm and Weasel farm. Weasels eat mature coffee beans and discard feces, then people collect it and process.

Weasel Coffee

In Indonesia, the word Kopi Luwak is used to refer to this Weasel Coffee. However, the material of Moka coffee from Cau Dat, Trai Ham in Dalat with the height of over 1500m is the best.

In Weasel’s digestive system, with the fermentation of enzymes in stomach, the taste of this coffee is changed and becomes more tasteful mixed with the smell of mold. John Cleese, a Bristish actor stated: “It has the buttery taste of soil, immature taste of mold, solf sweet, also like the taste of syrup, like that it brings the harmony of jungle and chocolate”.

Weasel Coffee

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