Five tips for groups going to Dalat

1 The city of Dalat is the main centre of the southern Highlands region in Vietnam. Dalat was established as a hill resort at the beginning of the 20th century by homesick French colonists who were attracted to its cool, spring-like weather, pine forests, waterfalls and lakes.
This is changing fast as the economy booms and life speeds up, but Dalat is still definitely worth a visit and it is a good base for trips into the surrounding highlands,
which remain tranquil.

2 Accor offers two luxury hotel choices.
The Hotel Sofitel Dalat Palace has just 38 rooms and five suites and is one of the most beautiful and among the few remaining historical hotels in southeast Asia. It was built
in 1922 and restored in 1995 to its original grandeur. There are seven meeting rooms for
up to 300 people.
The Novotel Dalat, another historic hotel, was built in 1932 as the Hotel Du Parc.
The exquisite 128-room property was elegantly restored to its former glory in French colonial style in 1997.
3Many reminders of Dalat’s colonial past can be seen in the hundreds of Europeanstyle
villas, chalets and other buildings still standing around town. One fine example is the cream-coloured art-deco villa that was once the summer home of Vietnam’s last emperor, Bao Dai. On the opposite side of Xuan Huong Lake is Vietnam’s oldest golf course, also originally built for Bao Dai and recently restored. It is now one of the top 18-hole courses in the region and gently
blends into the rolling hills of Dalat.

4 Dalat has a surprising reputation for being a centre of avant-garde art, and a visit to the Hang Nga Guesthouse (nicknamed the ‘Crazy House’) is a must for groups interested in objet d’arts and quirky sculptures. It’s a counter-cultural gem created by artist and architect Dang Viet Nga (known as Hang Nga).

5 Dalat is 308km from Ho Chi Minh City and 1,505km from Hanoi. Lien Khuong Airport is 30km south of Dalat.
There are daily flights to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, and two flights a week to Danang.
Daily express buses from Ho Chi Minh City to Dalat take about four hours.