Preserving the unique features of Dalat

Da Lat celebrates its 130th birthday with the pride of joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of music . 130 is still very young in the development process of a city, but Da Lat has established a fairly solid position for itself. That is partly thanks to the city's unique characteristics and turning those values into development advantages.

Dalat is on its way to becoming a World Heritage city with many unique architectural works.

Right from its inception, Da Lat was identified as a different urban area from other urban areas in the region, that is, a temperate zone in the middle of the tropics, aiming to be a resort for the French in Indochina at that time. Throughout the development process, the urban resort function of Da Lat was affirmed with unique features that other urban areas in the region could not compete with. That is the cold land, the land of pine trees, the city of thousands of flowers, the city in the forest - the forest in the city... and many other romantic names.

Pine forests, cherry blossoms and ancient villas create a typical scene of Dalat

The uniqueness of Da Lat is not abstract definitions, grandiose, sublime things, but daily existence. The cool, fresh climate is perhaps the uniqueness and also the biggest advantage of this land. It is a great attraction for tourists, especially those who live and work in the bustling cities of the South. That is why there are groups of visitors who cannot remember how many times they have been to Da Lat; sometimes they take advantage of the weekend, just to breathe in the fresh air, to walk, enjoy a cup of soy milk, grilled corn at a street vendor along Xuan Huong Lake... and then go home.

Dalat with poetic natural landscape

The cold of Da Lat is not only "bestowed" by the altitude of more than 1,500 m above sea level, but also nurtured by the immense pine forests in the suburbs and right in the inner city - "city in the forest - forest in the city". On the contrary, the cool climate is also an ideal environment for pine trees to grow. These two things support and blend together naturally. That's why there are mornings covered in mist, afternoons covered in clouds on the pine hills - images that, just by glancing at them, you know that it is Da Lat, and cannot be confused with any other land.

The unique features of Da Lat are the rolling hills and winding roads that make you tired after walking. With the urban development process and the increase in vehicles, the expansion of roads is inevitable. However, the roads of Da Lat need to maintain their characteristic curves following the terrain, going uphill and downhill. So that visitors to the mountain town can also get rid of the rush and urbanity, and slow down, find balance and relaxation for themselves.

The unique feature of Da Lat is the successive flower seasons. Not to mention the sparkling, captivating beauty of cherry blossoms in early spring, the elegance of purple phoenix flowers in early summer, but sometimes simply the light pink color of the wallflowers in the small alley is enough to attract travelers. Or every winter, wild sunflowers spread a wild yellow color under the pine forests, on every slope... Wild flowers seem so ordinary because they can be found anywhere on the plateau, but when blended into the typical landscape, they also have a beauty that is "very Da Lat".

People say that time has a terrible destructive power, but time also contributes many values. For Da Lat, the value of time is the ancient villas and mansions with unique European architecture. In the journey to build Da Lat into a world heritage city, these ancient architectural works that have been screened over hundreds of years have contributed a significant part.

Da Lat has created its own brand by things that are different from other cities. These are “exclusive” values, but they are not endless. Therefore, the exploitation of those resources and values also needs to be considered appropriately. Exploit but at the same time preserve and cultivate so that the unique features do not fade away.

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