Once again, Eva and I are here to debrief the latest city we visited. We spent 6 weeks in Dalat living in an apartment complex about a mile from downtown.
What was the most surprising thing about Dalat?
Ev: TTC World. The photo opportunities. We just stumbled upon it while visiting the [XQ Dalat] Historical Village.
Ehren: Just the discovery of Dalat. We did a search for Coolest weather in Vietnam after a hot 3 months in Da Nang and stumbled upon Dalat. We booked it without much more research than that. It was hilly and green and around 70F every day.
What would you change about this trip?
Eva: Not having a shoulder injury. I’d also spend the extra money to be closer to downtown.
Ehren: I would’ve spent way less time at the hospital, although it was an eye-opening experience.
Scale of 1-10, how easy is it for a US Citizen visiting for the first time to communicate and find the things you need?
Eva: 8, we didn’t pull out our translator as much as we have here in Ho Chi Minh.
Ehren: 3, sorry to disagree with Eva, but there were way fewer English speakers in Dalat than anywhere we’ve been. And there were way fewer tourists. These things, in my mind, are good, but it does make it difficult to communicate. Also, it took us finding a supermarket to find many of the food essentials (bread, beef, chicken, pasta) that aren’t at the mini-marts.
How long would you optimally stay there (+/- how long we stayed)?
Eva: We could have stayed longer [than 6 weeks]. Getting itchy feet was more about wanting to be out of Vietnam by now, more than it was about leaving Dalat.
Ehren: I loved Dalat. I could’ve stayed longer, but I think 6 weeks was pretty perfect. I’d rather be in Dalat than much of Vietnam just because the weather was SO nice and there were a lot of interesting things to see.
Could you move/live here?
Eva: There was so much I could see enjoying as a lifestyle to live in Dalat, but… It checks off all of my personal choices, walking scenery, lake, lots of things to do. But for some reason I didn’t connect with it culturally. So I wouldn’t live there.
Ehren: I could, but wouldn’t choose to. Mostly because of the food selection. There was a lot missing in the food scene from my personal perspective. Grocery stores were inconsistent and didn’t have a great selection and we were pretty repetitive in the places we ate and grew tired of the same things.
What did you learn about travel?
Eva: Medical tourism is much less scary of a prospect now that I’ve had to have medical treatment [for a sinus infection & a neck/shoulder injury).
Ehren: Something I found odd about Dalat was that Grab [Asian Uber] was unavailable, so we had to find ways to track down or hail a taxi. After the grocery store on the first floor of our apartment closed, this often meant a 20 minute hike to the Big C SuperCenter. It was just a new experience. We also had to catch a bus leaving Dalat for Ho Chi Minh/Saigon, where almost nobody spoke English and the tally boards were illegible. Just having patience and being forced to run around, but then making it, gives me confidence if not patience. Lastly, find a reason to hang out with fellow expats. My favorite thing about Dalat was meeting Kent and Ilan and the tour we took with interesting people from interesting places.
Anything else you want to add?
Eva: It’s a great place to go for gardens, coffee shops and there are a lot of waterfalls in the area. It’s more walkable than Da Nang and Saigon, like the sidewalks are more open.
Ehren: I really enjoyed Dalat. The night market on weekends is a glorious whirlwind of vendors, food and people. Once again the people were super nice. While we were scrambling to find a taxi to get to the bus station on the last night, a gang of high school kids started yelling “hello” at us and wanted to give us a hug. It was beautiful on our last night there and a great memory.
Quick Fire Favorites:
Restaurant:
Eva: Ganesh Indian restaurant
Ehren: German House
Hang out Joint:
Eva: Artisans Desert
Ehren: Maze Cafe
Best Shopping:
Eva: Night Market
Ehren: Big C SuperCenter (for groceries)
Point of Interest:
Eva: Train Station
Ehren: XQ Dalat Historical Village
