Dalat was established as a hill resort at the beginning of the last century by homesick French colonials who were attracted to its cool, spring-like weather, pine forests, waterfalls and lakes. Many reminders of Dalat's colonial past can be seen in the hundreds of European style 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. Another slightly more grand example of Dalat s colonial architecture is the superbly restored Dalat Palace Hotel overlooking the central Xuan Huong Lake. On the opposite side of Xuan Huong Lake is Vietnam s first golf course, originally built for Emperor Bao Dai and recently restored, it is now one of the top courses in the region.

The traditional thatched, wooden stilt-houses of the Ede, Jarai, Bahnar and others are a feature of the region and an overnight stay in one of the villages is a memorable experience. One such village is Jun village on the shore of Lak Lake about 50km from Buon Ma Thuot. Here visitors can have a real Central Highlands experience with an elephant ride through the countryside, a cruise on the lake in a hollowed-out tree trunk known as a pirogue and spend the night in a village longhouse.

Apart from its colonial heritage Dalat is known in Vietnam for its market gardens growing everything from carrots and cauliflowers to avocados and bananas as well as many varieties of flowers. For Vietnamese, Dalat means romance, and with attractions like the Valley of Love it is the destination of choice for local honeymooners. A few kilometres from Dalat, at the base of Mount Langbian is the village of the Lat ethnic minority from whom Dalat takes part of its name. The rugged country around Mount Langbian offers some good opportunities for outdoor activities like hiking and rock climbing.

During recent decades the region has seen an influx of settlers from the more densely populated areas of Vietnam and much of the original forest cover has been cleared to make way for coffee plantations. There are however still many places of interest in the Central Highlands and although the main towns of the Buon Ma Thuot, Pleiku and Kontum don't have a great deal to offer there are many authentic minority villages throughout the countryside.

Dalat (pop. 120,000 as of 1999, spelled Đà Lạt in Vietnamese) is the capital of Lâm Đồng Province in Vietnam. The town is located 1500 m (4,920 ft) above sea level on the Langbian Plateau in the southern parts of the Central Highlands (in Vietnamese - Tây Nguyên). According to a myth from the French colonial era, the name derives from the acronym of the Latin phrase 'Dat Aliis Laetitiam Aliis Temperiem’ ("Giving Pleasure to Some, Freshness to Others"), which the French colonial government used in their official emblem of Đà Lạt. In reality the name derives from the language of the local ethnic group Lạt and its original meaning is "Stream of the Lạt". In Vietnam, Đà Lạt is a popular tourist destination - highly appreciated for its temperate climate, beautiful sights such as waterfalls and lakes and its abundance of flowers and vegetables. It is the location of the Novotel Dalat (formerly Dalat Hotel) and Sofitel Dalat (formerly Dalat Palace built in 1922). Early history During the 1890s, explorers in the area (including the noted bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin, protégé of the renowned French chemist Louis Pasteur), which was then part of the French territory of Cochinchina, asked the territorial governor to create a resort center in the highlands. The governor agreed, and, in 1907, the first hotel was built. The French endowed the city with villas and boulevards, and its Swiss charms remain today. They also built boarding schools where children from the whole of Indochina were taught by French priests, nuns and expatriates. There were seminaries of Jesuit and other orders. The elite Vietnamese National Military Academy graduated its first class of future leaders in 1950. There was also an aviator school at Cam Ly airport. During World War II, Đà Lạt was the Capital of Federation of Indochina (1939-1945). Environmental features Đà Lạt is home to the manmade, 5 km² Xuan Huong Lake. The average temperature is 17°C, and does not exceed 19°C in the hottest season. Early mornings, the city arises to mystic fog over the lake. Its temperate climate is ideal for agricultural production. Đà Lạt is renowned for its orchids, roses, vegetables and fruits. There is a nascent wine-making industry. Western investment has not been kind to Dalat's beauty. San Cu, the land mass of rolling hills occupying fully half of the city and where couples frolicked, was turned into a golf course without access for the average citizen with limited means or interest in golf. Wikipedia