Visiting Dalat City During Wet Season

Heaving rain in Dalat City. Photo from 5th Floor of La Sapinette Hotel Dalat City

Dalat is a very interesting place to visit especially for honeymooners and family who are looking for a quick escape during summer holiday. The cool weather and fresh air are the reasons for tourists to spend their time in this Little Paris of Vietnam to enjoy walking in the city, enjoy the good food and shopping for local products. However raining season which runs from May to October every year may ruin your holiday plans if there is no preparation. It is still not an excuse to enjoy the scene and the beauty of the city. Here are the tips which will make your trip more joyful.

Outdoor Activities in the Morning & Mid-Afternoon

You can plan your outdoor activity in morning and mid-afternoon time. Normally the rain will start pouring from 3.00PM onwards and it is almost everyday. Places like Botanical Garden, Love Valley, pagodas and Crazy House is very nice to visit during a clear and sunshine day. Besides, you can take a chance to cycle around the Xuan Huong Lake or photo snapping around the city before raining in the afternoon.

Vegetable and flower plantation at one of valley in Dalat city

Indoor Activities in the Afternoon

There are places which is very suitable for you to visit during raining season. The Summer Palace of King Bao Dai is good for you to pay a visit and learn about the lifestyle of Vietnamese last king. Besides you can drop by to Lam Dong Museum to find out some historical information about Dalat and you can end up your afternoon by dropping by to Dalat Market to shop for dried fruits, fruit jam, fruits candies, and also flowers.

Well Prepared with Rain Gear

Before you go out, don’t be tricked by the beautiful sky in the morning. Prepare some necessary gear in case there are any sudden downpours. Rain coat, folded umbrella are must have items in your backpack. You also have to consider to choose a suitable shoes and avoid any slippery sandals as some areas in Dalat is a bit hilly and slippery during the raining day. Wool jacket and scarf is okay if you want to put it in your “chill fighter” item.

Choose a Good Place to Stay

Normally a 3 Star and above hotel is always a good choice to stay. Normally they have a good thick blanket and feather pillow which is can warm you during raining season. You need to remember, some cheap hotel normally didn’t have a good air ventilation system and very chilly at night. Besides that, the room temperature in Dalat is lower than other hot cities in Vietnam and if you are easy to get sick you need to get used to it.

Choosing a hotel with full in house facilities is also a smart decision. Lets take an example, its raining the whole day and you really stuck in your hotel room. Good hotels normally will have in house coffee shops, restaurant with various choice of foods, gymnasium, spa and sauna. There are some hotels in Dalat also have a hot water swimming pool if you like to swim. Instead of just lazing in your hotel room and doing nothing, you may move your butt and go roaming in your hotel building.

No Picnic, No Jungle Trekking and No Mount Hiking

If you don’t want to have any disappointments during your trip, those activities are in your “No” list when travelling in Dalat. Picnic at the waterfalls, hiking LangBiang mountain and trekking at Bi Doup National Park is one of nature attraction in Dalat. But, hiking in raining season is very dangerous and even you go highland, it is very freezing and you cannot see anything from the top of the mountain during raining season because of fog. The water stream at the waterfall is also very dangerous for your kids as it is deeper and stronger.

Hunting for Hot Foods & Hot Drinks

Hot soya milk or green bean milk is very popular in Dalat
city besides delicious pastries which come with a very
reasonable price.

Google, check on tripadvisors.com or ask for a recommendation from your hotel restaurant about nice and good food in Dalat City. Vietnamese in Dalat really like to enjoy vegetarian food and goat meat. They are many good restaurants in the city for you to choose. Besides, you can have seafoods or some noodle soups as well.

Besides, you also can have Hot Soya Milk or Hot Green Bean Milk which is widely available at most corners in downtown Dalat city. Normally it will cost you around VND7000 for one glass and you can have it with some pastries which is a good combination of Vietnamese and French cuisine culture.

In short, it is not so bad to travel in Dalat during wet season you have good preparation. You still can go out for sightseeing, eating out or maybe just relaxing and have a good quality time with your love and friends.

Photo by: MRDANIAL

This articles was published in The Vietnam Guide on October 16, 2012