The Central Highlands city of Da Lat is one such place that keeps drawing people back in to find new surprises to explore.

Bui Le Thanh, a 20-something woman residing in HCM City, loves going to Da Lat.

Though she visits Da Lat twice a year, upon her return home she immediately plans her next trip to the city.

“People say spring is the best season in Da Lat, but I think Da Lat is beautiful and romantic in every season,” she said. “Da Lat always has attractions to lure people for their first time or many times later.”

Its cool weather, lines of green pines swinging in fading sunlight and flowers of various colours bring the city a romantic air.

“I decided to take this trip to Da Lat quite suddenly and accidentally,” she told Việt Nam News. “I just saw a photo of cherry blossoms on my friend’s Facebook. I felt as if I had a date with the flower and had to go. I hurried to book a flight and packed my luggage.”

“It’s like a date, and I had to go,” she said.

Mai Anh Đào, or cherry blossoms, are the typical flower of this land. Their stems look like peach and plum trees in the north while their flowers have five petals like ochna blossoms.

Cherry blossoms in Da Lat are a combination between peach and ochna blossoms. VNS Photo Le Huong

The pink flower always comes into full bloom in spring around January.

The tree has been planted on main roads in the city centre like Le Dai Hanh, Tran Hung Dao, Hung Vuong and Pho Duc Chinh. It is also popular around Tuyen Lam Lake, some 7km away from the city centre.

Cherry blossoms season in the city. VNS Photo Doan Tung

Cold winter days in Da Lat make the city more romantic.

“The blue colour of sky, grass and trees is quite relaxing,” Thanh said. “In general, I like everything in Da Lat, especially its weather and scenery.”

Morning sunlight in Xuan Huong Lake in downtown Da Lat City. Photo vietgotravel.vn

A visitor to Da Lat for the first time tends to visit popular tourism hubs like Xuan Huong Lake, Love Valley and Than Tho Lake, yet having been to Da Lat twice, Thanh did not spend too much time in the city.

She hired a bike to check out the outskirts like Thien Phuc Duc hill, Secret Garden, Tuyen Lam Lake and Cu Lan Village.

One may not find any traffic light at junctions in the city yet vehicles flow smoothly.

“It sounds impossible but that’s true as there are plenty of slopes in the city,” she said. “It is difficult for vehicles to stop in the middle of a slope. I found Da Lat warm due to such small, interesting features.”
Lam Manh Hai, another tourist from HCM City, said locals are open and honest.

“Just ask them whatever you want to know, like a good restaurant or some beautiful places and they will enthusiastically show you the way to the places,” he said.

Hai said Da Lat entertains visitors’ souls with its peaceful charm. VNS

Here is the list of flower seasons for those interested in nature, especially flowers:

January-March: Da Lat is decorated with Mai Anh Đào or cherry blossoms

February – March: White ban flowers will appear nearly at the same time as cherry blossoms.

The trees are popular on Quang Trung, Tran Hung Dao, Tran Phu and Phu Dong Thien Vuong streets.

March-April: Mimosa and jacaranda flowers are highlights in Da Lat’s streets.

Yellow mimosa flowers grow wild in Mimosa Pass and the Gold Valley tourism site.

Violet jacaranda is another speciality of the are, which can be found around Xuan Huong Lake, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Doc Da, Bui Thi Xuan streets and Anh Sang Village.

Violet Jacaranda in Da Lat street. VNA/VNS Photo Hoang Ha

April-June: Sunflowers bloom along the road from Van Thanh flower village to the end of Ta Nung Pass.

September-November: Lavender and buckwheat flowers are common at this time.

Lavender is grown in gardens open to the public like Flower Dalat, while buckwheat flowers can be found inside Van Duc Pagoda, in Dalat Milk Farm and Anh Sang Village.

Da Lat weather is suitable for raising lavender VNS Photo Doan Tung

October-December: Wild sunflowers bloom in every corner in the city. People say the flower is most beautiful in the early morning when fog still remains on the petals and leaves and reflects the early sunlight.

Wild sunflower blooms in every corner in the city in winter. VNS Photo Manh Hoang

November-December: The city is peaceful with yellow rapeseed flowers at the foot of Ta Nung Pass (National Road 725).

Da Lat, the capital of the central province of Lam Dong, is located 1,500m above sea level on the Langbian Plateau. At the end of 19th century, the French governor-general Paul Doumer decided to create a resort centre for the French in the highlands taking suggestions of bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin, who explored the area in 1893. The French in the first half of 20th century, allocated and built here a city with villas, offices, hotels and schools, a centre for tourism and education of Indochina at that time. With cool weather year-round and an average temperature of 14 - 23 degrees Celsius, Da Lat has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Vietnam.

 Le Huong

Cherry blossoms in full bloom brighten the streets of Da Lat city

With Da Lat City in the central highlands province of Lam Dong being hit by warm weather following the Christmas period, thousands of cherry trees can be seen in full bloom on every corner of the city’s streets.

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