Experience the 'railway' of Da Lat.

Taking advantage of a relatively free afternoon, our group of five decided to take a taxi to Quang Trung Street, Ward 10, Da Lat City. It was lightly raining, but as soon as the taxi pulled into the gate, we saw that the area in front of Da Lat Train Station was quite crowded. Buses ranging from 29 to 45 seats, as well as taxis, were almost continuously entering the parking area.

Despite the rain soaking their heads, the women still "innocently" took off their hats and posed for photos. It was a beautiful train station, with a flower garden in front of the platform, featuring neatly trimmed flowers and greenery (as expected of Da Lat, flowers are everywhere). The flower garden in front of the station seemed to create a "soft" feeling for those who came, while also dispelling the usual "noise" of train stations.

Designed with a "distinctive style," Da Lat Station boasts a blend of classic European architecture, often seen in French-built stations, and the traditional charm of the longhouses of the local ethnic minorities. With its three equally shaped pyramidal towers, the front of Da Lat Station immediately evokes the image of the three legendary peaks of Langbiang Mountain. The receptionist (who also sells tickets) explained, "The symbolism of the three towers representing Langbiang Mountain is also evident on the tiled roof and extends to the back. If you go to the back, you'll see that the back of the station is no different from the front." I jokingly asked, "Why not design two different sides for more architectural variety?" The receptionist immediately smiled happily: "Well, you might have noticed that whether you're standing in front or behind, you only see one shape of the train station. No matter where you are, you can get a unique photo angle. The image of the three Langbiang mountains is what makes it unique, unlike any other architectural design."

On a moving train.

It was undeniably amazing, and we happily bought tickets to fully "enjoy" the unique architectural space of Da Lat Railway Station. In the screening room, a spacious room of about 40 square meters was divided into two unequal sections. The smaller section near the entrance displayed old photographs, showcasing Da Lat Railway Station from its early days. The larger section inside had long rows of seats for visitors to sit and watch the large screen. Once we found comfortable seats, we looked up at the screen. A short film was playing, introducing Vietnam's railway system, featuring beautiful stations and breathtaking scenery along the trans-Vietnam railway line.

According to our information, Da Lat Railway Station was constructed between 1932 and 1938. It is part of the Thap Cham - Da Lat railway line, connecting the city on the Lam Vien plateau in the west with Phan Rang ( Ninh Thuan ) in the east. This railway line is 84km long, with an elevation difference of 1,500m along the entire route. Construction began in 1908 by order of the Governor-General of Indochina, Paul Doumer, and the line was put into operation in 1932. This was also the time when Da Lat Railway Station was built. This means that Da Lat Railway Station was started after the railway line had already begun transporting passengers.

The commentary on the screen further stated: The entire railway line has 12 stations and 5 tunnels. It's a special railway because it has 16km of rack railway climbing uphill, with an average gradient of 12%. We also learned that rack railways and locomotives are only found in Switzerland and Vietnam. Hearing this commentary, we looked at each other with pride. It's regrettable that this unique railway line ceased operation in 1972. After the French left Indochina and the Americans took their place in the South, the railway became a transport route for war equipment, leading to sabotage by the South Vietnamese liberation army. The Da Lat station also stopped operating in 1972.

In the movie theater.

“The Da Lat train station is no longer used for transportation but serves as a tourist station. With a 7km route, the train will take tourists to explore the mountain town. Although it runs very slowly and the locomotive is noisy, it's very interesting.” The ticket seller's persuasive invitation made us nod in agreement and quickly take out our wallets to buy tickets, each ticket costing 142,000 VND (round trip).

It is also known that in our country, coal-fired steam locomotives were replaced by diesel locomotives a long time ago, so now only Da Lat Station and a few other stations like Vinh Station still display steam locomotives for train passengers to "admire the past".

After a long wait, the time finally came for passengers to board the train. Excited, truly excited, we all boarded and orderly found our seats according to our tickets. These were wooden carriages, so as soon as we sat down, we felt a sense of anticipation. Memories of steam locomotives with wooden carriages and long rows of seats lining both sides of the train flooded back. Remembering those years, every train journey left a mark on time. Those old trains used to run slowly, so the longing for the final station came flooding back on this train ride to Da Lat.

Looking around, we easily noticed that besides Vietnamese passengers from all over the country, there were also quite a few foreign passengers. I reached out to a tour guide who was leading a group of foreign tourists. Those foreign passengers also showed the same eagerness to experience the tour as we did. They were also sitting with their heads turned, looking out the window thoughtfully. I asked, "Excuse me, are the tourists in your group Chinese or Korean?" Surprisingly, one tourist immediately said "Korean," and several others in the group also chimed in. I suspected that some of them knew Vietnamese, but my suspicion was dispelled when the tour guide explained, "They don't know Vietnamese, sir. But they understood what you were asking when you looked at them and asked questions."

The train began its journey. The familiar rumbling sound of the wheels grinding against the rails continued. Beforehand, the receptionist had explained: "This scenic route is only about 7km long and takes about 20 minutes. That is, from Da Lat Station to Trai Mat Station. At Trai Mat Station, the train will stop for the same amount of time so passengers can disembark and explore. Nearby is the beautiful and sacred Linh Phuoc Pagoda. Visiting the pagoda is also a good idea."

The train continued its steady, rumbling along. Through the glass windows, we could also roll the panes aside to peek out and admire the scenery. Bustling streets filled with people and vehicles flashed past us. At times, the train passed through vegetable and flower gardens. It was a pity that these gardens were now mostly obscured by greenhouses, so we could only see individual houses or rows of houses perched precariously on the mountainside.

After taking a few photos to help the group capture moments from our train journey, my travel companion looked far into the distance and said, "That's Da Lat. The houses nestled among the pine forests or on the mountainside create a picturesque beauty for this city of a thousand flowers." My companion's words sounded both distant and familiar; I wondered if it wasn't him speaking, but rather the "sound" of Da Lat itself.

In the blink of an eye, the 20-minute train ride was over. We got off at Trai Mat Station (Ward 11). And just like that, the time to get back on the train to Da Lat Station arrived. The train rumbled along the tracks again. Through the window, the city of Da Lat began to light up. The lights seemed to paint a moving picture of the city.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/trai-nghiem-hoa-xa-da-lat-10291022.html