Dalat - City of Eternal Spring

Da Lat, or Dalat, is in Lam Dong Province, southeastern Vietnam, in the Lang Bian Mountains. Linked by road and rail with the coast at Phan Rang, the city is a market center for locally grown vegetables and for nearby coffee, tea, and rubber plantations. It is an upland resort founded in 1920 by a French physician as a therapeutic retreat from the tropical heat of the lowlands. There are pine forests, lakes, and waterfalls on the plateau and a 2135-m (7000-ft) mountain north of the city. Da Lat was once the summer capital and there are many villas in the city, including those of the former Emperor Bao Dai, and the governors of Cochin China and Annam. The city has a university and a sanatorium. 

The first hotel was built in Da Lat around 1907. It was made completely out of wood and was called khach san Ho (Lakeside Hotel - Hotel du Lac). In 1916, work commenced on the Palace hotel. In 1922, the hotel opened to the public. It was the largest and most elegant hotel in this region.

Da Lat has many homes built of wood much like the Swiss chalets found in the Alps. It also has many grand villas built by French officials during the early part of the century. Many more villas were built by the South Vietnamese officials in the 60s and 70s.