Places
Every card says why to go, what to know before you do, and what catches people out.
94 Lu Gia St, Lam Vien (old Ward 9)
10M₫
$380
checked
The one long-stay listing we have with a price straight from the owner: a room in a new building with a balcony, 10M ₫ a month.
Worth knowing. Monthly rate, booked by phone — the booking sites sell it by the night and dearer. Fifteen minutes to the centre by motorbike, GO! hypermarket is nearby.
Photos · 3
Utilities — what you actually pay
City-wide
600–700k₫
$23–27
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Da Lat needs no air conditioning, so bills are far below Da Nang or Saigon. Fibre internet at 300 Mbps is 190–195k a month.
Careful. The state electricity tariff is 1,984–3,460₫/kWh, but landlords commonly charge a flat 3,500–4,000₫. Agree the rate in writing before you move in.
Le Lai St, Cam Ly ward
1.82–3.12M₫
$71–122
checked
Seventeen restored 1920s French villas on cobbled lanes in a pine valley. Rated the number one property in the province and the single most Da Lat thing you can book.
2 Tran Phu, Xuan Huong ward
2.23–3.35M₫
$87–131
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The 1922 grande dame looking over Xuan Huong Lake, with Le Rabelais downstairs for the best French dinner in the highlands.
Worth knowing. Preserved rather than renovated — expect period charm and period plumbing. Reviews confirm it is open and trading through mid-2026.
Tuyen Lam Lake
845k–1.02M₫
$33–40
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The best value of the lake resorts: 4-star, golf course views, indoor and outdoor pools, and a kids club. Scores 8.8 from over 1,200 reviews.
Worth knowing. 20–25 min from town. If you have small children this is the easiest single booking in Da Lat.
Du Parc Hotel Dalat
15 Tran Phu
922k–2.43M₫
$36–95
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A 1932 building with its original French lift, sister hotel to the Palace across the road, at roughly half the price.
Worth knowing. Rooms are small. The location and the building are the point.
3 Nguyen Du
2.43–4.17M₫
$95–163
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131 villa-style rooms in French-chateau styling with real gardens. Rates 4.9 on TripAdvisor, fourth of 295 hotels.
Worth knowing. The property is split across two sites separated by a public road — ask which side your room is on.
Mr Rot's Secret Stay pick
0.8 km from centre
130–230k₫
$5–9
checked
Rated 9.8 and consistently the top-scoring hostel in Da Lat. Small, sociable, and the owner actually helps you plan.
Careful. Never book canyoning through a hostel desk, here or anywhere. See the Adventure section.
1.4 km from centre
130–260k₫
$5–10
checked
Family-run with a shared dinner most nights — the fastest way to meet other travellers in a city with no real backpacker street.
1.4 km from centre
130–230k₫
$5–9
checked
9.7-rated homestay in a quiet residential pocket, with a garden and proper breakfast. Calmer than the party hostels.
Worth knowing. Advertised dorm rates below $3 anywhere in Da Lat are teaser pricing. Budget $5–9 for a dorm and $12–25 for a private room.
Automatic scooter
Rental shops city-wide
120–160k₫
$4.70–6.25
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The default way to get around. A month works out at about 1,800,000 ₫, and most rentals deliver the bike to your hotel for free.
Worth knowing. Da Lat is steep, foggy and often wet. Check the brakes before you take the bike, not after.
Careful. Film a 60-second walkaround of the bike before you touch it. Da Lat is a national hotspot for fake damage claims. Never hand over your passport — offer a cash deposit or a photocopy.
Semi-automatic (Wave, Sirius) value
Rental shops city-wide
70–130k₫
$2.75–5
checked
Cheapest option and better on Da Lat's hills than a small automatic, because you can hold a gear on a long climb.
Licence rules for foreigners must
Nationwide
2–8M₫
$78–313
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Vietnam recognises the 1968 Vienna Convention IDP, with an A or A1 motorcycle endorsement, carried together with your home licence.
Worth knowing. Since Jan 2025 A1 covers up to 125cc. Helmets are compulsory for rider and passenger: 400–600k₫ fine. Enforcement has visibly tightened.
Careful. IDPs issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention are NOT valid here — that covers the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and China. Riding unlicensed voids your travel insurance, which costs far more than the fine.
1.8M₫
$68
checked
Where we rent ourselves: a recent Air Blade for 1.8M₫ a month on a monthly deal. When the battery died, they came out the same day and sorted it on the spot.
Worth knowing. They speak English. The same number works on WhatsApp — writing is easier than calling.
Grab, Be and InDrive must
App · city-wide
25–75k₫
$1–2.85
approx.
Works with foreign cards, needs no Vietnamese phone number, and the app is fully in English. It removes every taxi argument.
Worth knowing. Grab is the default: cars and bikes arrive in minutes and the price is fixed in the app. InDrive works differently — you name your own price and wait longer for someone to take it, which pays off on long runs: people get to Nha Trang for around 500,000 ₫ and order a seven-seat minivan for under a million.
Street taxis — Mai Linh & Lado
City-wide
12–18k₫
$0.45–0.68
checked
If you must flag one on the street, use only Mai Linh (green) or Lado. Mai Linh 0263 3838 3838, Lado 02633 666 777.
Careful. The classic Da Lat scam: a driver tells you your hotel is closed or full and takes you to a commission property. It is never true. Use Grab.
Xanh SM (electric)
App · city-wide
12.5–20k₫
$0.48–0.77
approx.
VinFast's all-electric fleet — silent, clean cars and drivers who do not haggle. A good second app when Grab is surging.
Worth knowing. Card support is still patchy; carry cash. A Vietnamese number helps but is not always required.
Da Lat ⇄ Ho Chi Minh City must
Phuong Trang (FUTA), 2 Le Quy Don
200–450k₫
$8–18
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With the airport closed this is the main way in and out. Phuong Trang runs 41-seat sleepers with wifi and a free hotel shuttle at both ends.
Worth knowing. Book on Vexere or 12Go two or three days ahead. Ask for the lower deck, berths 4–12 — much steadier on the mountain passes.
Careful. Thanh Buoi has been running this route as contract buses rather than a licensed fixed route since early 2025. Prefer Phuong Trang.
Da Lat ⇄ Nha Trang
Limousine vans, 11 departures daily
170–300k₫
$6.50–11.50
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The fast escape to the sea, and right now also the route to the nearest open airport, Cam Ranh (CXR).
Worth knowing. Runs as daytime vans with hotel pickup, not overnight sleepers. The Khanh Le pass is spectacular — sit on the right going down.
Da Lat ⇄ Mui Ne
Limousine vans, 3 departures daily
250–490k₫
$9.60–19
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The sand dunes. Since the 2025 merger Mui Ne is technically the same province as Da Lat, and it is one of Vietnam's two Russian-speaking hubs.
Worth knowing. Not a day trip — the dunes are a sunrise and sunset thing. Plan at least one night.
Lien Khuong Airport (DLI) heads-up
28–30 km south, ~45 min
50–300k₫
$2–11.50
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Reopens 19 August 2026 after a full runway rebuild — the new strip is 3,250 m. Vietjet restores five domestic routes; Hanoi gets 28 return flights a week.
Worth knowing. The Phuong Trang shuttle is 50k and ends at 2 Le Quy Don in town. A taxi or Grab is 250–300k.
Careful. The August restart is domestic only. Pre-closure routes to Seoul, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur have not been announced as returning — check before booking an international connection.
72 Yersin · 05:00–18:30
10–20k₫
$0.40–0.75
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The Da Lat breakfast. Pork meatballs in hot broth with a baguette to dip — it is a bowl, not a sandwich, and it is what the whole city eats at 7am.
Worth knowing. Cheapest genuinely great meal in the city. Cash only, and it can sell out.
Lau Ga La E Tao Ngo must
5 Duong 3/4
~200k₫
~$7.60
checked
Chicken hotpot with la e, a basil-like highland herb that grows nowhere else. The original branch, and the correct thing to eat on a cold Da Lat night.
Phan Dinh Phung (several branches) · 11:00–21:00
30–66k₫
$1.15–2.50
approx.
Grilled pork sausage you roll yourself in rice paper with herbs and green banana. They take cards, which is rare for street food at this price.
Worth knowing. Sources list three different addresses. Search the name in Grab rather than trusting a street number.
27/44 Yersin (down an alley) · 07:00–10:30, 15:30–18:00
30–40k₫
$1.15–1.50
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Mini rice pancakes cooked with quail egg in clay moulds. The classic address, and the alley location is part of it.
Worth knowing. Two short windows only. If you want banh can at another time, Banh Can Nha Chung by the cathedral runs 07:00–21:30.
112 Nguyen Van Troi · 12:00–23:00
15–25k₫
$0.55–0.95
checked
Grilled rice paper with egg, dried shrimp and spring onion — the so-called Vietnamese pizza, invented here and best eaten standing up.
Sua dau nanh Hoa Sua
Tang Bat Ho, beside the market
10–20k₫
$0.40–0.75
approx.
Hot soy milk with fried dough sticks, sold from the same corner for forty years. Evenings only, and there is always a queue.
La Viet Coffee must
200 Nguyen Cong Tru · 07:00–22:00
30–60k₫
$1.15–2.30
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The biggest roastery-café in town, with the roasting floor open to the room. Da Lat and Cau Dat grow arabica, not the robusta you get everywhere else in Vietnam — this is where you taste the difference.
Worth knowing. The walk through the roasting workshop is free, no booking. Americano 25,000 ₫, cappuccino 35,000, latte 40,000. A farm day with picking and roasting runs about 1,000,000 ₫.
6 Nguyen Van Troi · 35-3 Yersin · 07:00–18:00
40–70k₫
$1.50–2.65
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A farmer cooperative covering roughly 120 hectares and 60-plus partner farms, roasting multiple origins. Beans run 145–450k a bag if you want to take Da Lat home.
Worth knowing. The Yersin site is the workspace branch — the closest thing Da Lat has to a coworking café.
K'Ho Coffee pick
Bonneur'C village, Lang Biang · 10 km · 08:00–16:00, Mon–Sat
700k₫
$26.60
checked
An ethnic K'Ho family farm growing organic arabica from 1940s seed stock, with fifty families in the cooperative. The most substantial coffee experience near Da Lat and the money stays in the village.
Worth knowing. Lunch is included. Book ahead — it is a working farm, not a walk-in café.
Ta Nung, 20 km southwest · 07:00–18:00
40–110k₫
$1.50–4.20
ask
Terraces over a coffee valley — the photograph everyone comes to Da Lat for. Entry is free; you pay through the cup.
Careful. A bill of 870,000 ₫ for eight coffees here started a national row in August 2025: 90,000–120,000 ₫ a cup. The prices are on the menu and inspectors found no breach, but the cheap end starts near 40,000 ₫ — read the menu and order by name, not by pointing.
6 Khu Hoa Binh
30–45k₫
$1.15–1.70
checked
A 1950s literary café with its interior essentially untouched. Writers and musicians have sat in these booths for seventy years.
7 Nguyen Chi Thanh · 07:00–22:30
45–75k₫
$1.70–2.85
checked
An oolong-and-coffee brand that was actually born in Da Lat and then spread nationwide. Syphon, V60 and French press all done properly.
One More Cafe must
77 Hai Ba Trung
45–120k₫
$1.70–4.60
checked
The expat living room. Australian-run brunch, burgers and pasta, and the third floor doubles as the nearest thing Da Lat has to a coworking space.
Worth knowing. The upstairs floor works as the town's de facto coworking: wifi measures 25–35 Mbps, no day pass, you just order. Busiest between ten and two.
Le Rabelais
Dalat Palace, 2 Tran Phu
300–600k₫
$11–23+
checked
Fine-dining French in a colonial-era grand room. Da Lat was built as a French hill station and this is where that history is still on the plate.
24 Truong Cong Dinh
110–150k₫
$4.20–5.70
checked
Long-running and genuinely Italian — wood-fired pizza and hand-made ravioli, not a Vietnamese approximation of them.
Anna's Coffee House
9B Dong Da, Robin Hill
40–120k₫
$1.50–4.60
checked
Western food with a mountain view and the second expat gathering point in town. Real power outlets and 35 Mbps.
39/15 Ngo Quyen, Cam Ly · 07:00–21:00
45–215k₫
$1.70–8.20
checked
European breakfast and its own pastries: eggs your way, pancakes, French toast, croissants. Italian and Vietnamese coffee, ice cream.
Worth knowing. The full menu is in the photos below, taken 5 August 2026: pastries 79–125k₫, breakfasts 79–215k₫, coffee 45–95k₫, ice cream 75–85k₫. Open until 22:00 at weekends.
Photos · 3
1 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai + branches · 11:00–14:00, 17:00–22:00
150–350k₫
$5.70–13.30
checked
Billed as the first Korean grill in Da Lat, now with several branches. Gimbap and tteokbokki alongside the barbecue, right by the night market.
5 Nguyen Chi Thanh
150–300k₫
$5.70–11.40
checked
The reliable national Korean BBQ chain, with Korean and English menus. When you want no surprises, this is it.
Bukchon Dalat
121–123 Bui Thi Xuan
150–300k₫
$5.70–11.40
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Korean set meals rather than barbecue — closer to home cooking, and Bui Thi Xuan is the street with the densest Korean cluster in the city.
Leguda vegetable buffet value
Prenn Pass / Robin Hill
59k₫
$2.25
checked
Twenty-plus Da Lat vegetables in one buffet for the price of a coffee. Da Lat supplies most of Vietnam's temperate produce and this is the cheapest way to see why.
43 Nguyen Van Cu
50–100k₫
$1.90–3.80
checked
Fully vegan hotpots and stir-fries, not a vegetarian menu with fish sauce hidden in it. Rare and worth knowing about.
Nha Tam vegan buffet
38 Tran Phu
100–150k₫
$3.80–5.70
approx.
An all-you-can-eat vegan buffet on the main colonial street. Da Lat's Buddhist food tradition is strong and the vegan scene here beats most Vietnamese cities.
Maze Bar (100 Roofs) must
57 Phan Boi Chau · 14:00–23:00
40–60k₫
$1.50–2.30
checked
A multi-storey concrete labyrinth you crawl and climb through to reach the rooftop. Not really a bar, more a building you drink inside. Free to enter.
Worth knowing. Wear shoes you can climb in and do not bring a large bag. Confirmed still operating in 2026.
Larry's Bar
Basement, Dalat Palace, 2 Tran Phu
50–120k₫
$1.90–4.60
checked
A stone cellar bar under the old Palace hotel, unchanged for decades. The most civilised drink in the highlands.
Da Lat Night Market must
Nguyen Thi Minh Khai + the stairs · 17:00–22:00
15–60k₫
$0.55–2.30
checked
The city's evening centre of gravity. Grilled rice paper, hot soy milk, snails and skewers, plus sweaters at 150–350k because Da Lat is the one place in Vietnam you actually need one.
Worth knowing. Do not haggle over food — prices are fixed. Do haggle on clothes and souvenirs; aim for 60–70% of the first quote.
Careful. Always ask the price before you sit down at a street hotpot stall. Setups charging 350k for what costs 120k two blocks away are the main local complaint.
Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Xuan Huong ward · 06:00–17:00
—
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Built in 1929, about a thousand businesses across several floors. Artichoke tea, strawberry jam, dried persimmon, arabica beans, macadamia, wool.
Worth knowing. 06:00–09:00 for produce and flowers, 15:00–17:00 for souvenirs. Check expiry dates on jam, tea and dried fruit — repackaged goods are common.
Lam Vien Square, Lam Vien ward
—
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The main hypermarket and the only realistic one-stop for imported food. Cards accepted, about 57 tenants in the building.
Worth knowing. Be honest with yourself: Da Lat has no dedicated Western grocer. For cheese, cold cuts and imported wine the range stops here. Many expats bulk-order from Saigon.
QnC Mart (Korean goods)
264 Bui Thi Xuan
—
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The closest thing Da Lat has to a Korean grocery — gochujang, ramyeon, banchan basics. On the same street as the Korean restaurant cluster.
L'angfarm value
48 Khu Hoa Binh + branches · 07:30–22:30
—
checked
The trusted fixed-price chain for tea, jam, dried fruit, nuts, honey, coffee and wine. If haggling is not your sport, buy your gifts here instead of the market.
Xuan Huong Lake must
City centre · 24h
—
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The 5 km shoreline loop is the city's spine — 45 to 60 minutes on foot, and it is at its best in the mist between 05:30 and 08:00.
Worth knowing. Swan pedal boats and bicycle hire at 30–50k an hour along the north shore.
1.5 km from centre · 08:30–19:00
60k₫
$2.30
checked
A guesthouse shaped like a fungal forest, designed by the daughter of a former Vietnamese president. You can climb the whole structure and you can also sleep in it.
Worth knowing. Narrow, high, unrailed walkways. Fine for confident children, not for toddlers or anyone unsteady.
Da Lat Railway Station, 2 km · 07:50, 09:55, 12:00, 14:05, 16:10
150k₫
$5.75
checked
The only working stretch of the old cog railway, running from a 1938 art-deco station. At the far end, a pagoda with a 49-metre dragon built from 12,000 bottles.
Worth knowing. About 30–45 minutes each way. The pagoda is 400 m from Trai Mat station.
Da Lat Cathedral (Chicken Church)
Tran Phu, 1 km
—
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A 1931 Romanesque church with a 47-metre tower, seventy stained-glass panels and a rooster weathervane that gave it its nickname.
Worth knowing. English-language Catholic Mass runs Sunday 19:00 at Sacred Heart church — the only regular English service in the city.
7–10 km, 15–20 min · 07:15–17:00
50–80k₫
$1.90–3.10
checked
The one-kilometre gravity coaster down through the pines is the single most-booked activity in Da Lat, and it deserves it.
Worth knowing. Expect 45-minute queues at weekends. Children ride tandem with an adult.
Pongour Falls pick
45–50 km south, ~1 hour · 07:00–17:00
20–30k₫
$0.75–1.15
checked
Seven tiers, a hundred metres wide, and by a distance the most photogenic waterfall in the province. Worth the hour each way.
25–30 km southwest, 45 min · 07:00–17:00
20–50k₫
$0.75–1.90
approx.
A loud thirty-metre curtain you can walk behind, with a 24-metre laughing Buddha twenty metres from the gate.
Careful. The rock stairs down to the base are steep, unrailed and genuinely dangerous when wet. In rainy season, look from the top.
12 km north, 30 min · 07:00–17:00
50k₫
$1.90
checked
The mountain the city looks at. Radar Peak is a 2.5 km trail, an hour and a half up; the true summit at 2,167 m is a 7 km, 4–5 hour commitment.
Careful. The hiking window officially closes at 13:00 because of afternoon fog. Treat that as the rule for every mountain road here.
5 km, 15–20 min · 05:00–21:00
—
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A working Zen monastery above Tuyen Lam Lake with the best-kept gardens in Da Lat. The 2.3 km cable car over pine forest takes twelve minutes and lands at the gate.
Worth knowing. Shoulders and knees covered. Historically the cable car pauses over lunch, roughly 11:30–13:30.
Cau Dat Tea Farm must
20–25 km southeast, 40–50 min · 07:00–17:00
—
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A 1920s French tea estate at 1,650 m, with wind turbines standing over the rows. This is the best public spot in Vietnam for san may — cloud hunting.
Worth knowing. Cloud-hunting tours arrive 04:30–05:30 and the clouds burn off by about 07:00. The viral wooden sky-bridge has been closed after overcrowding damage — the hills themselves are still open and free.
Dalat Milk Farm value
Tu Tra, 30–40 km, ~1 hour · 07:30–17:00
—
approx.
A Dutch-style dairy where children feed the cows and everyone gets free fresh milk. The best free family outing near Da Lat.
Cam Ly road, 3–10 km · 08:00–17:00
100–120k₫
$3.80–4.60
approx.
Over a hundred dogs across 36 breeds, plus strawberry and tomato fields and a 400-metre dry slide. Closest and cheapest of the kid farms.
3–10 km from centre · 07:00–17:00
—
approx.
Hydroponic tunnels where you pick your own strawberries. Da Lat is the only part of Vietnam cool enough to grow them properly.
Canyoning at Datanla heads-up
Datanla Falls, 7–10 km
1.39–2.21M₫
$53–85
checked
Rappelling 15 to 25 metres down live waterfalls, plus slides and a jump. Da Lat's signature adventure, and genuinely world-class when it is run properly.
Worth knowing. Book direct on the operator's own website — Viet Challenge, Phat Tire Ventures, Dalat Canyoning or Dalattrip. Copycat firms reuse these names and near-identical logos. Never book at a hostel desk.
Careful. Three separate fatal accidents here — three Britons in 2016, a Polish tourist and guide in 2017, a South Korean visitor in 2018 — all involved unlicensed guides. If a hostel offers canyoning under 1,000,000₫, refuse: that price only works without insurance or certified guides.
Paragliding from Langbiang new
Take-off 1,900 m, Langbiang
2.2–2.5M₫
$85–96
checked
Brand new — the first legal paragliding in Da Lat, launched around April 2026. Take off at 1,900 m on Langbiang and land near the lone pine at Dan Kia.
Worth knowing. Eight to fifteen minutes airborne, one to two hours in total. Only 10–20 flights a day and it is wind-dependent, so online booking is prioritised. Insurance is included and it runs under a Ministry of Defence flight permit.
Mountain biking to the coast
Phat Tire Ventures
1.2–2.3M₫
$45–90
checked
Da Lat sits on a plateau, so almost every ride out of it is downhill. The one-day descent to Mui Ne or Nha Trang is the signature route.
Meet at 2 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai · 08:30–13:00 / 16:30–21:30
~1.0M₫
$39
checked
Starts with a walk through Da Lat Central Market, which is where the class earns its money — you learn what the vegetables actually are before you cook them.
Worth knowing. One to eight guests, so it stays a conversation rather than a demonstration. The best rainy-afternoon booking in the city.
Three-waterfalls day tour value
Group tour, hotel pickup
~520k₫
$20
checked
Datanla, Pongour and Elephant Falls in one day, with a silk workshop, a coffee garden and lunch attached. Cheaper than doing it yourself once you count fuel and entries.
Worth knowing. Entrance fees are usually extra. Good option in the wet season when riding a motorbike 130 km is a bad idea.
International schools — the honest answer heads-up
Da Lat
—
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Da Lat has no international school. No IB, no Cambridge, no accredited English-medium school of any kind. We would rather tell you now than after you have shipped your furniture.
Worth knowing. This is about school age. At preschool level international networks and methods do exist here — the Canadian Maple Bear programme, Montessori settings, bilingual kindergartens with native speakers. What the city lacks is an accredited international school for older classes: the nearest are in Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang.
Careful. Searching "Dalat International School" returns a well-known school in Penang, Malaysia. It has nothing to do with this city.
Sunshine Village School
L4, KQH An Son, old Ward 4
7–11M₫
$265–420
approx.
Ages 18 months to 5 years. The most expensive preschool in Da Lat and the closest thing to an international-style early-years setting.
18 Suong Nguyet Anh, old Ward 9
5–5.8M₫
$190–220
approx.
A bilingual preschool and school for ages one to six, running the American FasTrack English programme with the emphasis on speaking and reasoning rather than memorisation. Mid-range by Da Lat standards.
Worth knowing. Ages 12 months to 6 years. Address: 18 Suong Nguyet Anh, Lam Vien (old Ward 9).
8 Bui Thi Xuan St, Xuan Huong (old Ward 2)
A private bilingual school covering primary and lower-secondary years: the Vietnamese national curriculum runs alongside the American Common Core standard. English, STEAM projects and creative subjects get their own slots. Classes mix Vietnamese and foreign children rather than separating them.
Worth knowing. The school sits in the centre on Bui Thi Xuan, a few minutes' walk from Xuan Huong lake. Ask the school directly about admission and fees.
1 Le Hong Phong St, Xuan Huong (old Ward 4)
A language centre and a bilingual school in one place: English courses plus preschool and primary years. Teaching is built around an English-speaking environment with native speakers involved. Useful when a child needs both the language and a school without commuting across town.
Worth knowing. The address is 1 Le Hong Phong in old Ward 4, in the centre. Course timetables and school hours differ — check each separately.
27 Hung Vuong St, Xuan Huong (old Ward 10)
An international kindergarten with primary classes, run on the Montessori method with full English immersion. A child who attended a Montessori setting before the move lands in a familiar format: free work with materials rather than lessons by the bell.
Worth knowing. Preschool and early primary ages. The address is 27 Hung Vuong, old Ward 10.
Kangaroo Montessori
33 Tran Binh Trong, old Ward 5
~5M₫
~$190
approx.
Ages 15 months to 5 years, with an explicit Montessori programme rather than the label used loosely. Bilingual.
Golf Valley villas, B5-01, Xuan Huong (old Ward 2)
A boutique-format private kindergarten: small groups, classes in English and Vietnamese, its own enclosed playground and craft rooms. It sits inside the Golf Valley villa compound, where there is no through traffic — walks do not happen along a highway.
Worth knowing. The menu is balanced and includes European and dietary options. Native English speakers take part in some classes. The compound is gated — arrange the visit in advance.
106A Mai Anh Dao · 08:00–21:00
50k₫
$1.90
approx.
About 7,000 m² across five zones — ball pit, Lego, climbing and rides. The biggest indoor option in the city and the answer to a rainy afternoon.
Maple Bear Canadian Preschool
A preschool running the Canadian Maple Bear programme with two kinds of group: bilingual (English and Vietnamese) and fully English. Full immersion is not widely available in Da Lat, so having the choice between the two formats is unusual here.
Worth knowing. Address, age groups and fees are still being checked and will be added. The Da Lat site is not listed among Maple Bear Vietnam campuses, so ask the school itself under what licence it operates.
Lam Vien Square · 09:00–21:00
50–70k₫
$1.90–2.65
approx.
Painting, slides, a climbing wall and chef role-play, right on the main square so you can pair it with dinner and the lit-up artichoke sculpture.
55/8 Han Thuyen, Cam Ly ward · 08:00–19:30
—
approx.
Three pools at different depths plus a dry sauna — the most child-appropriate setup in the city.
Worth knowing. Da Lat water is cold. Wonder Da Lat (111 Nguyen Van Troi) and Phu Dong (2 Tran Nhan Tong) are heated — worth the trip in winter.
Hoan My Da Lat Hospital must
Long Tho Hill, off Mimosa St
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The main private hospital and the realistic first stop for a foreign family. Staff are listed as speaking English and it runs 24 hours.
Worth knowing. Emergency line 0263 3533 115 — save it now. Main line 0263 3577 633.
Careful. Treat Da Lat as a pay-and-claim city. No facility here appears in the April 2026 direct-billing networks of the major insurers — call your insurer and the hospital before you rely on direct billing.
Lam Dong General Hospital
1 Pham Ngoc Thach
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The highest-capability facility in the province and the default destination for a real emergency. Phone +84 263 3827 528.
Worth knowing. English is not routinely spoken. Bring a Vietnamese speaker or a translation app you have tested offline.
Nearest international-standard hospital heads-up
Vinmec Nha Trang · 137 km, 3–4 h
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Da Lat has no international hospital — no FV, no Vinmec, no Family Medical Practice. Vinmec Nha Trang at 137 km is the closest, and materially faster to reach than Saigon.
Worth knowing. For anything planned or complex, Ho Chi Minh City has FV Hospital and Vinmec Central Park, both JCI-accredited with direct billing, plus Family Medical Practice which has English, French and Russian speakers and runs medevac.
Careful. Insurance with medical evacuation cover is the single most important decision a family makes before moving here. With the airport shut until 19 August, evacuation currently means a road journey.
Nhi Dong 315 (paediatric) new
15 Hoang Dieu, old Ward 5
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Opened October 2025, part of a 170-clinic national chain. Vaccinations, paediatric consultations, labs and a play area. The newest paediatric option in the city.
Worth knowing. Hotline 0901 315 315. Lam Dong Children's Hospital is the public alternative but closes at weekends.
Long Chau pharmacy
Branches city-wide
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The biggest chain in Vietnam with roughly 2,100 stores. Paracetamol, ibuprofen, antihistamines, loperamide and omeprazole are all freely available.
Worth knowing. Bring your own supply of any chronic or specialist medication — the range in Da Lat is narrower than Saigon and pharmacists rarely speak English. Write down the generic name, not your home brand.
Dalat Pet veterinary
77bis Ba Thang Hai, old Ward 4
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approx.
Longest opening hours of any vet in town — vaccination, deworming, surgery, dental, plus food and accessories. Phone 0986 132 381.
Worth knowing. For a genuine emergency, Phong kham Thu y Da Lat at 43 Ngo Quyen advertises 24/7. There is no 24-hour veterinary hospital to Saigon standards here.
Visa-free entry — 45 days must
Russia · Korea · UK · most of the EU
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Russia, South Korea, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Japan all get 45 days visa-free for any purpose, valid to March 2028.
Worth knowing. Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland also get 45 days, but for tourism purposes only — a real difference if you are coming to work.
Careful. The USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China and India are NOT exempt and need an e-visa. Several travel sites list them wrongly. This is information, not legal advice — verify at evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn.
E-visa — up to 90 days
evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn
$25–50
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Open to every nationality since 2023, up to 90 days. Multiple entry at $50 is usually the sensible buy if you plan any regional travel.
Worth knowing. Processing takes about three working days; apply at least a week ahead. The entry port on the visa must match where you actually arrive.
Careful. The e-visa cannot be extended from inside Vietnam. The fee is non-refundable even if you are refused. There is no retirement visa in Vietnam.
Police registration (tam tru) must
Ward police · lamdong.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn
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Every foreigner's address must be declared within 12 hours of arrival. It is your landlord's or hotel's legal duty, not yours — but it is your problem if they skip it.
Worth knowing. On your first day in a new rental, ask your landlord for proof they filed it and photograph it. Undeclared residence causes problems later at extension or residence-card stage.
Careful. Since 15 Dec 2025 the fines on the accommodation provider run from 3M to 25M₫. Since May 2026 filing goes through a unified national platform. District-level police no longer exist — go to ward police.
19 Tran Phu, central Da Lat
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This is where a foreigner in Da Lat goes for anything involving their stay: extending a visa, applying for a temporary residence card, dealing with a lost passport or a registration problem. Applications are handed in and documents collected at the province's one-stop administrative centre at 19 Tran Phu, in the middle of town — you do not need to go anywhere else for ordinary matters.
Worth knowing. Bring the passport, a copy of it, the entry stamp or visa, and proof that your address was registered by the landlord. Vietnamese officials work with paper: print everything in advance rather than showing it on a screen. Come in the morning — the office breaks for lunch and the afternoon queue is longer.
Careful. Two addresses circulate online and both send you to the wrong place. The immigration department itself moved on 20 March 2026 to 210 Quoc lo 20 in Duc Trong, thirty kilometres south on the airport road — that is where documents are processed, not where you hand them in. And many sites still publish the old address at 15 Tran Hung Dao, which has not been in use for a long time. For ordinary matters go to 19 Tran Phu.
Viettel SIM card must
Official stores in town
150k₫
$5.70
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Viettel has the most consistent coverage in the highlands. On the passes and farm roads the other networks drop out and Viettel does not.
Worth knowing. 7 days is 60k, 15 days is 80k. Passport registration is legally required for a physical SIM — buy at an official store, not a phone stall, and skip the airport kiosks which charge 20–30% more. eSIM from resellers usually needs no passport.
ATMs and cash
Khu Hoa Binh · Tran Phu · GO!
0–66k₫
$0–2.50
approx.
VPBank and Eximbank are usually the cheapest for foreign cards — VPBank has been reported as free with a 10,000,000₫ per-transaction limit. Vietcombank is the most common and the worst value at 50–66k with a 2–3M cap.
Worth knowing. Always decline conversion into your card's currency and choose VND. Withdraw the maximum in one go to spread the flat fee — it is charged per transaction, not per amount. You need cash daily: street food, markets and small cafes do not take cards.
Careful. VietQR, which everyone local pays with, needs a Vietnamese bank account. Tourists cannot use it, and there is no support for European or Russian home systems. Korean visitors can pay via GLN.
Coworking — the honest answer heads-up
Da Lat
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Da Lat has no real dedicated coworking space. What exists are café hybrids: One More's third floor, The Married Beans workspace on Yersin, Trang Coworking on Pham Ngoc Thach.
Worth knowing. Best measured café wifi: Nha Long Coffee 40 Mbps, Anna's and Windmills 35, One More 25–35, La Viet 20. Home fibre at 300 Mbps is 190–195k a month.
Careful. City-wide real-world internet averages around 10 Mbps and is rated unreliable. Da Lat is excellent for two to six weeks of quiet, cool-weather focus work. It is a poor long-term nomad base — Da Nang and Hoi An have the infrastructure.
Laundry (giat ui)
Shops in every neighbourhood
10–30k₫
$0.40–1.15
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Ten to twenty thousand a kilo, and most shops collect and deliver free. Giat Say Nhanh 247 at 125 Ha Huy Tap is among the cheapest.
Worth knowing. Ask for giat say — wash and tumble dry — rather than giat ui. Da Lat is damp and air-dried clothes take days and come back smelling of it.
Barbers
City-wide
50–120k₫
$1.90–4.55
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KUN Barber Shop is the top-rated in town at 80k with nearly a thousand reviews. Bom Barber Shop starts at 50k. Most are open 08:00–19:00.
Gyms & massage
City-wide
200–500k₫
$7.60–19
approx.
No international chain operates in Da Lat — these are local gyms and they are cheap. A 60-minute massage runs 250–400k at a mid-range spa.
Phone repair
24a Nguyen Sieu
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Thanh Tung Mobile does speakers, mics, buttons, screens and charge ports in 15 to 30 minutes. Hotline 0979 307 080.
Careful. Very few shops in Da Lat can do proper smartphone repair at a fair price. Board-level or water damage is best taken to Saigon.
63Bis Ba Thang Hai, 10 min from the lake · 07:00–22:00
30–55k₫
$1.15–2.10
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The place Europeans end up at on the second morning: eggs any way you like, avocado toast, muesli and yoghurt, at local prices rather than tourist ones.
Worth knowing. Staff speak good English and the menu is in English. Several terraces on different levels; the upper one with the swing seats fills first.
53–55 Ba Thang Hai, Australian gastropub · 07:00–22:00
130k₫
$4.95
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Where you go when you have had enough rice: fish and chips, schnitzel, bangers and mash, burgers. Owned and run by an Australian, sport on the screens, English everywhere.
Worth knowing. Happy hour from four to six: two local beers or a double for the price of one. Portions are large by local standards.
2 Tran Hung Dao, above the centre · 08:00–21:00
Breakfast that looks like breakfast at home — British, American and Mexican plates — in a French villa on the quiet ridge above the centre.
Worth knowing. Ten minutes by bike from the lake, on the road where the old villas are. Prices are not published — ask before ordering.
1 Thi Sach, near the centre · 07:00–23:00
Proper Italian — pizza and pasta cooked by people who care about the dough, not a Vietnamese take on it. The one address to know when you want that specifically.
Worth knowing. Open till eleven, which is late for Da Lat — most kitchens here close at nine.
156 Pham Ngoc Thach · 08:00–22:00
French and Italian cooking away from the tourist streets — the place locals send you to for a dinner that is not street food.
Worth knowing. Prices are not published. Worth calling ahead in the evening, the room is small.
Da Lat's first dedicated coworking
A dedicated coworking rather than a cafe with wifi: proper desks, chairs you can sit in for eight hours, and a quiet room — the thing missing from every cafe in town.
Worth knowing. We have not been yet, so we do not quote prices or a verified address — check the site.
Galaxy Tulips, 5 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, by the market · 05:00–22:00
55–85k₫
$2.10–3.25
approx.
Opens at five in the morning — earlier than any other cafe in town — so it is where you wait out the gap between a night bus and check-in. Card payment, clean toilets, wifi, and coffee that tastes the same as at home.
Worth knowing. Second floor of the Galaxy Tulips building next to the central market. Prices are two to three times local ones: a latte is 75,000 ₫ where a local cafe charges 30,000.
By the central market
Useful when a child refuses local food, or when you just want a taste you know. The menu is the one you are used to, plus rice dishes and a fried chicken line.
Worth knowing. Card payment works, unlike in most local places. Prices sit above street food but below the tourist restaurants around the lake.
Cash currency exchange at a jewellery shop.
till 22:00
Ramen; an order comes with takoyaki.
Worth knowing. The room is small — groups of five and up barely fit.
Vietnamese restaurant on Phan Dinh Phung.
Barber shop on Pham Ngu Lao, in the centre.
Centre, near Hoa Binh square
Open late, and it feeds both the child who only eats familiar food and the adult who is simply hungry — in the same five minutes.
Worth knowing. Busier than the local fried-chicken places and about twice the price.
till 22:00
A coffee shop in a central alley.
Worth knowing. The cafe hides in an alley — look for the entrance off the main street.
till 21:00
Food for people counting protein: pancakes made with whey protein.
01-03 Hai Ba Trung · 07:00–23:00
The Vietnamese chain that behaves like a European one: air conditioning, sockets at every table, English menu, open till eleven. Useful when the independent cafes have closed.
Worth knowing. Prices sit between the local cafes and Starbucks. Their iced coffee with condensed milk is the safest introduction to the Vietnamese way of drinking it.
Thô's Artisan Coffee pick
Rooftop of 10 Phan Boi Chau, above the 10th floor · 06:00–22:00
50–100k₫
$1.90–3.80
approx.
The city seen from above: a rooftop over the tenth floor with the whole valley in front of you. Open from six in the morning, so the sunrise view costs the price of a coffee.
Worth knowing. The lift needs a staff member to send it to the roof — ask at the entrance rather than pressing buttons yourself. Covered seating, so rain does not cancel the visit.
Careful. Prices are two to three times a normal Da Lat cafe — you are paying for the view.
DHC Coffee Lab pick
64 Ly Tu Trong, Xuan Huong
Specialty coffee roasted on the premises — the kind of place where the barista can tell you which farm the beans came from and how they were processed. In a city built on coffee that is rarer than it sounds: most cafes here sell the view, not the cup.
Worth knowing. Ask what is on the bar today rather than ordering by the menu — a roastery rotates its lots. Prices are not published, so check before you order.
71 Hung Vuong, Lam Vien
A garden cafe with cats and a view of the old railway line — the answer to a rainy afternoon with a child who has run out of patience. Adults get coffee, the child gets cats.
Worth knowing. Call ahead on 070709007 if you are coming as a group: the garden part fills up at weekends. The cats live here, so they set the rules — do not pick them up.