slow travel in Đà Lạt
On our trip to Việt Nam in October, George and I took my parents on a domestic trip to Đà Lạt. The trip is very special to all of us for many reasons. We spent my birthday there with my parents—marking the first time I got to celebrate my birthday with my parents since I turned 18 ten years ago. It’s the first trip we did together with my parents, just the four of us, since George and I started seeing each other. There is a strong filial sense of duty still embedded in me. In many ways, I still feel indebted to my parents and all the sacrifices they have made for me. So it brings me a tremendous amount of joy when I’m able to treat them well, make them happy and create more beautiful memories together. A trip to Đà Lạt, hence, is my proudest gift to them.
Unlike the flat and bustling city of Hà Nội, Đà Lạt is on the central highlands of southern Việt Nam where the cool climate, higher altitude and lush countryside make it the perfect retreat. Only less than two hours on the plane from Hà Nội, we arrived in Đà Lạt just after 5pm and it was fully dark already. The fog was so thick it made the whole place felt quite spooky but in a beautiful way.
Đà Lạt city surrounds Xuân Hương lake which is referenced in many poems and literature I had to learn at school. I could now understand why.
Đà Lạt is also lovingly named the “Flower Capital of Vietnam” because of the abundance of pretty bloom regardless of the season. We were there in October which is the start of Autumn. Yet I still managed to capture lots of beautiful hydrangeas and other blossoms that caught my eyes even though I don’t know what they’re called.
Where we stay - Zen Valley Dalat
I was sold at the name of the hotel and fortunately the place didn’t disappoint. It’s located on the hill, overlooking some flower farm and is surrounded by rolling hills and lush greenery, but is only a 5-minute drive from the city centre, making it secluded yet convenience. We got two rooms next to each other, and every morning I would find my dad out on the balcony sipping on a cup of coffee - something that he never gets to do back in the busy life in Hà Nội.
Visit a persimmons farm
Vietnamese has this tradition — if you go on a holiday somewhere, you need to buy souvenirs or gifts for your family back home. I had forgotten about this custom until this trip seeing my parents’ number one priority was to get some air-dried persimmons (a unique treats from Da Lat) as gifts. It was a coincidence that a small family-owned persimmon farm was 15-minute walk from our hotel. So on the first morning, we headed to the farm and got to see how they grow, harvest, clean and dry the persimmons. This place was truly a treat, both for the eyes and the stomach.
“Gà nướng cơm lam” for lunch
One of the things we love to do when visiting a new place is trying the local food. My love for food definitely stems from my parents. What they lacked in material stuff, they made up for with delicacies. Food has always been our love language.
Our first lunch in Da Lat was a huge success. We got there after the lunch hour rush so we had the whole place to ourselves which added to the whole experience. Food vendors in Viet Nam often specialise in one dish only, and they do it really well. Even with a simple dish — grilled chicken and rice cooked in bamboo sticks, if you do it over and over again for a long time, you can also make it taste pretty out of this world.
An excursion to “Thiền Viện Trúc Lâm”
When George asked me how I wanted to spend my birthday, I could only picture being somewhere peaceful and surrounded by nature. I decided to check out Tuyen Lam lake and Truc Lam temple. From Tuyen Lam lake, it was a pleasantly uphill walk through a pine forest to visit True Lam temple - a beautiful Buddhist monastery. Their gardens had one of the biggest and prettiest hydrangeas I have ever seen. There were poems about life carved on stones. It started to rain and because we didn’t dress for the rain, we had no choice but to sit in a hut and wait it out. I used to find the rain so annoying (mostly due to my curls). But that moment sitting with the three people I love most, fully in the present, watching the rain drop, is something I hope I’ll never forget.
“Lẩu gà lá é” for dinner
It’s hard to beat having chicken hotpot on a cold, rainy night where we sat around a boiling pot of chicken broth with the rich aroma from the mushroom and bamboo shoots filled our nose. I love hotpot so much because it’s more of a bonding experience with loved ones than simply a dish. It’s a dish that is meant to be shared and cannot be eaten alone, symbolises harmony and community.
Before I went to Da Lat, I had an expectation of checking out all the popular hip spots that everyone seems to check-in on social media. Funnily enough, when I was actually there with my parents and George, it didn’t matter where we went as long as we’re together. We had no agenda or in any rush. Even when it rained, we simply just waited and enjoyed each other’s company — something that is so rare nowadays.
