Lam Vien Square
Glass buildings shaped like flowers.
Le Anh Tuan — Public domain · Damian Vo — CC BY-SA 2.0 · P. Hughes — CC BY 4.0 · Phương Huy — CC BY-SA 4.0
The crescent-shaped lake at the heart of Da Lat, about 5 km around, created by damming the Cam Ly stream: the first dam was built in 1919, and the stone dam that holds today's lake was finished in 1934-1935, after a storm broke the earlier ones in 1932. The French called it the Grand Lac; it was renamed in 1953, possibly in honour of the eighteenth-century poet Ho Xuan Huong. A path circles the water through pine woods, lawns and flower beds, past some of the city's best-known spots: the Da Lat Flower Garden at the northern end, Yersin Park, the Thuy Ta cafe on stilts over the water and, on the southern shore, Lam Vien Square with its two giant glass buildings shaped like an artichoke flower and a wild sunflower. Swan-shaped pedal boats can be hired on the water. The lake is loveliest early in the morning, when mist lies on the water, and at dusk. The air is cool all year, so bring a jacket for evening walks.
Glass buildings shaped like flowers.
On stilts over the water.
At the lake's northern end.
Central Da Lat
Da Lat Market and Night MarketThe heart of Da Lat's trade: a three-storey market built between 1958 and 1960 o7 minutes walk4.4
Crazy House (Hang Nga Guesthouse)A guesthouse and art project that looks as if a fairy-tale forest had melted: co17 minutes walk4.4
Da Lat Railway StationOne of the most beautiful railway stations in Vietnam, built by the French betwe18 minutes walk4.0
Bao Dai Summer PalaceThe summer residence of Bao Dai, Vietnam's last emperor: a two-storey villa on a22 minutes walk4.1About an hour to ninety minutes for the full circuit of roughly 5 km, with stops at Lam Vien Square and the Flower Garden.