Da Lat, Vietnam Photography

Photographing Da Lat

Da Lat is Vietnam's highland escape: a cool, pine-ringed town of French villas, flower farms, and coffee plantations built around an artificial lake, with a night market that runs every evening below the central Da Lat Market.

Where to shoot

Xuan Huong Lake — the town's centerpiece, ringed by a walking path, pine trees, and swan pedal boats.
Da Lat Railway Station — the Art Deco station where the vintage train leaves for Trai Mat and Linh Phuoc Pagoda.
Da Lat Night Market — the evening market below Da Lat Market, packed with grills, sweets, and warm-clothing stalls.
Crazy House — Dang Viet Nga's surreal guesthouse of tree-trunk towers, tunnels, and rooftop walkways.
Xuan Huong Lake — a curving lake at the city's heart, ringed by gardens and reflecting the surrounding hills.
Da Lat Railway Station — a preserved art-deco French colonial station, one of the most distinctive in the country.
Linh Phuoc Pagoda — an elaborate temple decorated entirely in mosaics of broken glass and ceramic.
Datanla and Pongour Falls — multi-tiered waterfalls in the forested hills around the city.

When to go

December through March, the dry season, brings clear mornings and cool nights; come for the late-January to February cherry blossoms, but book ahead if your dates overlap Tet.

What to eat

Eat banh trang nuong, a grilled rice-paper 'pizza' topped with egg, scallion, and dried shrimp, at the night market, then warm up with banh can, small rice-flour cakes cooked in clay molds and dunked in fish sauce.

Where to stay

Stay near Xuan Huong Lake and Da Lat Market, within a short walk of the night market and the lakeside path.

Nights drop to around 15°C or lower even in the rainy season, so pack a real layer, and in May to October plan outdoor sights for the morning since the rain usually arrives in the afternoon.