Paris of the East
The Central Highlands town of Dalat is a
slice of France in Asia, with historic
European-style colonial hotels and blooming
flower fields
Blooming Mexican sunflowers covered the wild
countryside in a vivid yellow. The blaze of colour was
punctuated by clusters of country cottages that emerged
in the midst of the chrysanthemums.
The scenery was stunning, the air was cool but this
perfect picture was incomplete as the reckless motoring
of my speeding Vietnamese driver made me feel
distinctly nervous.
We were close to rubbing the sides of our vehicle with cars on the opposite side of
the road.
Despite these close shaves, the madcap driver didn't seem concerned by the
excessive speed and the possibility of a head-on clash with another car.
It was probably an ordinary pace on a Vietnamese road as he seemed oblivious to my
concern.
When I spotted a cluster of houses ahead, I thought we were close to an urban area.
Then, the road continued up a mountain route
and woodland set in. A few minutes later, an
urban sign abruptly emerged behind the
mountain.
I could understand why the French were
enamoured with this place.
The fresh air and the temperate was to the
Gallic liking as they came to colonise Vietnam
and the rest of Indochina.
In 1893 French medic, Dr Yersin visited the site of Dalat. He analysed the climatic and
the geographical conditions of the region called the Langbian Plateau. He then wrote
his first outline for the development of the plateau.
Four years later in July 1897, the Governor-General of Indochina, Paul Doumer
decided to create in the Langbian plateau a sanatorium comparable to those in India.
He personally visited a place in March 1899, that was to become Dalat.
Some houses were built and a mayor was nominated. But after the departure of Mr
Doumer from Indochina in 1902, all the building projects were stopped and the
financial budget was cut.
It was only in 1915 that the development of Dalat was started again by Mr Roume,
the new Governor-General.
Roads were built to facilitate access to the
town.
In 1932, it was even possible to travel to Dalat
by train.
Today the town remains a major tourist
destination, particularly for people from Ho
Chi Minh who are seeking respite from the
heat elsewhere in the tropical country.
One of the most nostalgic buildings one can
visit today is the Sofitel Dalat.
This historic hotel recently celebrated its 80th anniversary. Just across the street
from this imposing old facility is the Novotel Dalat Hotel.
Newly-appointed general manager Antoine Sirot, who took the reigns just over six
weeks ago, is proud to be in charge of the Sofitel Dalat. One afternoon before the
grand anniversary celebrations started, he escorted me around the grand rooms of
the hotel.
We walked from a saloon to an elegant dining room decorated with paintings and
chandeliers.
`The hotel is one of a few in Vietnam where the tap water is drinkable,'' he beamed
with pride.
The guest rooms are a piece of history. High ceilings, old-fashioned furniture and a
grand old bed adorn them.
In a corner stood a fireplace and a
French-style free-standing bathtub blended in
with the brass shower fittings and railings.
We crossed over to the Novotel Dalat. An
old-fashioned lift made us feel as if we were in
an old European hotel, 100 years ago.
Right in front of the hotel lies the Xuan
Huong Lake. The slopes around the lake gave
it the impression of an Asian replica of a
Swiss town.
The next day a train pulled out of Dalat station. It was not a regular train. The bogies
were painted beige and red. We were bound for Trai Mat village, 8-km from Dalat.
In the cool morning of the blue sky, we rattled through the pleasant countryside
setting of Mexican sunflowers, village houses and vegetable farmlands, laid out over
undulating hills. We were served with a breakfast arranged by the hotel and in less
than half an hour, the train pulled to a halt at the terminal station at the village.
Chua Lin Phuoc Temple is a short walk from the Trai Mat
Train Station.
We walked on a road that went through a market.
The temple was strongly influenced with Chinese
architecture. A huge dragon and a temple made with
12,000 recycled beer bottles were a major highlight.
Returning to Dalat by train, we left the station and
followed a road that is lined with old French villas.
About 1,000 villas remain in Dalat. They were built by
the French and later the Vietnamese.
Another of the highlights is King Bao Dai's Summer
Palace.
This was built in 1913 and was the home of the last king Bao Dai and his family
before Vietnam became a socialist country.
Born as Prince Vinh Thuy, the son of King Khai Dinh was crowned when he was
nine-years-old. He became the thirteenth king in the Nguyen Dynasty and the last
Emperor of Vietnam.
In 1945, after the French lost control of
Indochina to Japan, and then Japan's
subsequent defeat in World War II, King Bao
Dai abdicated the throne in 1945 thus ending
the monarchy.
He now lives with his family in France.
The king and queen's room were painted in
yellow while the prince and princess' rooms
were painted in green.
Dalat, the ``City of Eternal Spring'', is situated at an elevation of 1,500 metres above
sea level. The climate is much cooler than the rest of Vietnam, hence the reason why
the Dalat Hasfarm, a flower growing company from the Netherlands, opted for Dalat
as a production base. An agro tour is one of the attractions when visitors arrive in
the town.
Dalat Hasfarm was initiated in June 1993 to produce cut flowers from the hilly region.
Good soil, a temperate climate, cheap labour and a convenient international airport
nearby are major reasons why they opted for Dalat.
Major crops grown in the town are roses, carnations and lilies.
Over 60% of the crops go to international markets, such as Japan, Cambodia,
Singapore and Saudi Arabia, as well as Canada and Eastern European countries.
``Handling cut flowers for export is vital as the
flowers which take three months to produce
can be damaged in three hours after cutting if
improper handling is done,'' said general
director Thomas Hooft.
``Roses are usually in high demand but their
demand slumps in summer as they wilt
rapidly,'' he said.
The farm has 260 hectares near Dalat airport
and they are experimenting on new varieties of
cut flowering plants. Walking through the rose groves under a polyethylene roofed
house, Mr Hooft said that three elements are well monitored and controlled, namely
humidity; light intensity; and temperature.
The polyethylene house protects the roses from rain and pests.
``If the humidity is too high, hot air will be sent through a pipeline that runs through
the rose groves,'' he told me.
One rose shrub can produce roses for four years, I was informed.
We then moved to visit another farmland owned by Nguyen Ba Hung and his
American partner.
They embarked on organic farming two years ago.
Mr Hung walked us past his garden vegetable furrows to a protected house that
nurtures baby vegetables.
Under the Chef's Garden label, they send their produce to major hotels in Ho Chi
Minh, Hanoi and Cambodia.
We left the farm with the sky turning a distinct colour of
grey.
The combination of a thundering sky, orange
persimmons hanging low on bare trees, and the
surrounding lush greenery made me realise that Dalat is
never devoid of the best of nature.
By Thanin Weeradet - The Bangkok Post - December 26, 2002.
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