013. Touring Đà Lạt

Đà Lạt, Vietnam

By Ryan Harrison

October 2^nd, 2018

AUGUST 23-24, 2016 // 1:20P IN ĐÀ LẠT

After visiting a tea plantation and mushroom farm I toured a number of cultural landmarks around Đà Lạt.

french imports

Đà Lạt was a destination for French royalty during their occupation of Vietnam, and this is evidenced in the town's architecture. There were homes designed by French architects and constructed with imported materials.

LINH PHUOC PAGODA

Locally known as the Beer Bottle Pagoda due to a large dragon constructed with beer bottles that wraps around a courtyard outside the pagoda. The pagoda also features a bell tower that is adorned with the remains of clay pots, arranged in a mosaic that spirals up the stairwell. The bell itself was covered in prayers that had been written on paper and glued on.

ĐÀ LẠT RAILROAD STATION

The railroad station was designed by French architects and opened in the late 1930s. The line it housed was a frequent target for the Viet Cong during the war, so much so that it fell out of general use by 1970.