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Da Lat, or Dalat (; ), is a city in Vietnam and was formerly the capital of Lâm Đồng Province. It is the largest city of the Central Highlands region in Vietnam but ceased to exist as a municipal city on 1 July 2025, following the elimination of district level units in Vietnam. . The city is located above sea level on the Langbiang Plateau. Da Lat is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Vietnam.
Da Lat's specific sights are pine woods and twisting roads full of tree marigold () and acacia dealbata blossom in the winter. The city's temperate weather stands in contrast to Vietnam's otherwise tropical climate. Mist covering the valleys almost year-round leads to its name "City of Eternal Spring". Residents and tourists have often said that Da Lat has all four seasons in one day: spring in the morning, summer at noon, autumn in the afternoon and winter at night, from the sunset to the sunrise.
With its year-round cool weather, Da Lat supplied huge amounts of temperate agriculture products for all over Vietnam, for example: cabbage, cauliflower, artichoke, tea, wine, persimmon, and coffee. Its flower industry produces three characteristic flowers: hydrangea (), rose, and golden everlasting (). The confectionery industry offers a wide range of mứt, a kind of fruit preserve that closely resembles varenie, made from strawberry, mulberry, sweet potato, and roselle.
Da Lat is also known as an area for scientific research in the fields of biotechnology and nuclear physics. Da Lat is known regionally for avocado ice-cream, bánh tráng nướng, and its large garment market, with a broad selection of cool-weather clothing.
Many Europeans used to travel up to Da Lat to escape the heat of the lower coastal areas and Mekong delta.
The French endowed the city with villas and boulevards, and its Swiss charms remain today. Hébrard included the requisite health complex, golf course, parks, schools, and homes but no industry. The legacy of boarding schools where children from the whole of Indochina were taught by French priests, nuns, and still existed as late as 1969. In 1929, the Christian and Missionary Alliance established a school which later shortly relocated to Bangkok, Thailand, due to the Vietnam War and has been located in Penang, Malaysia, since the 1970s. There were seminaries of (such as Pius X Pontifical College) as well as other orders.
In the 1920s and 1930s, there were ideas of making Da Lat the 'summer capital', 'administrative capital', and 'federal capital' of French Indochina. During the World War II, Governor-general Jean Decoux (r. 1940–1945) supported this project.
In the mid-1950s, the Vietnamese Scout Association established their national training grounds at Da Lat.
The South Vietnamese National Military Academy took control of the former French Far East Expeditionary Corps academy in Da Lat in 1954. In spite of this, the city was not heavily affected by the Vietnam War. The only major involvement Da Lat had during the Vietnam War was during the 1968 Tet Offensive. Fierce battles raged from January 31 to February 9, 1968. Most of the fighting took place between the South Vietnamese/American MP units stationed in Da Lat and the Viet Cong (VC) forces. Another brief attack targeted the military academy on 30 May 1970 before being repelled by South Vietnamese forces.Sterba, James. Enemy assualts mountain resort in South Vietnam, 31 May 1970, The New York Times
During the communist era of Vietnam (the Socialist Republic of Vietnam), places like Da Lat as well as Hoi An and Da Nang were regularly regarded as amongst the most romantic tourist places in Vietnam. Da Lat has also become a hub for nuclear research and biotechnology.
Da Lat's year-round temperate weather, standing in contrast to central & southern Vietnam's otherwise-tropical climate, has led it to be nicknamed the "City of Eternal Spring".Lonely Planet Vietnam, (Lonely Planet, 2007), , pp. 290–305. The average temperature is . The highest temperature ever in Da Lat was , and the lowest was . Mist covers the adjoining valleys almost year-round. Its temperate climate also makes it ideal for agriculture. Indeed, Da Lat is renowned for its , , vegetables, and fruits. There are nascent wine-making and flower-growing industries in the region.
There are two separate seasons in Da Lat. The rainy season lasts from May to October, and the dry season lasts from November through April of the next year. The average annual precipitation is 1,750 mm.
Of particular note is the unconventional architecture of the Hằng Nga guesthouse, popularly known as the "Crazy House". Described as a "fairy tale house", its overall design resembles a giant banyan tree, incorporating sculptured design elements representing natural forms such as animals, mushrooms, spider webs and caves. Its architecture, consisting of complex, organic, non-rectilinear shapes, has been described as expressionist. Its creator, Vietnamese architect Dang Viet Nga (also known as Hằng Nga), who holds a PhD in architecture from Moscow State University, has acknowledged the inspiration of Catalan people Spanish people architect Antoni Gaudí in the building's design. Visitors have variously drawn parallels between the guesthouse and the works of artists such as Salvador Dalí and Walt Disney. Madame Hang Nga's Crazy House. Maggie Huff-Rousselle. The Globe and Mail. Since its opening in 1990, the building has gained recognition for its unique architecture, having been highlighted in numerous guidebooks and listed as one of the world's ten most "bizarre" buildings in the Chinese People's Daily.
Da Lat is also well known for a series of three Mansions of the Vietnamese Last Emperor. The First Mansion was built in 1940 by the French millionaire Robert Clément Bourgery and was bought by Emperor Bao Dai in 1949. It was used as a summer mansion for President Ngo Dinh Diem and following presidents of the Republic of Vietnam until 1975. The Second Mansion was built in 1933 as the summer mansion for the Governor of French Indochina Jean Decoux. Built in 1933–1938, the Third Mansion was the residence of Emperor Bao Dai; his wife, Queen Nam Phuong; and his family. The mansion, now a museum for tourists, has attributes typical European style since both its front and backyard have flower gardens.
Hoa Binh Area or officially known as Hoa Binh Central Area ( Khu Hòa Bình or K hu Trung tâm Hòa Bình), is a quarter in the downtown Da Lat and attracts numerous visitors. Some popular sites located in the Hoa Binh Area are Hoa Binh Hall (formerly Hoa Binh Theatre), Coi Xay Gio bakery, Lien Hoa bakery, Windmills coffeehouse and Tung coffeehouse. Coi Xay Gio was known as a perfect selfie spot thanks to its remarkable yellow wall, though in 2021 the wall was repainted to discourage selfies due to danger from road vehicles.
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