Flower farms, tea hills and the lake below the monastery

A gentle day among greenhouses and hydrangea fields, tea terraces planted a century ago, and a pine-shrouded lake below a Zen monastery.

Area

Dalat & highlands

Start from

Dalat

Distance

about 30–40 km loop

Time needed

1 day

Best season

All year; flowers peak October – March

Difficulty

Easy

Transport

Car, motorbike or taxi; cable car to the monastery

Tickets & rules

Small entry fees at some gardens and farms

Why go

Dalat is the flower garden of Vietnam. On the hills around town, rows of greenhouses glitter in the sun, and in the fields between them grow chrysanthemums, roses, lilies and hydrangeas. In the Thai Phien and Van Thanh areas you can walk among the flowers, chat with growers and buy a bunch for very little.

South of town, the tea hills of Cau Dat roll away in neat green rows, with misty valleys below. Tea has grown here since the 1920s, and the plantation now also grows coffee; a cup on a terrace above the hills is one of the great simple pleasures of the plateau.

End the day at Tuyen Lam Lake, surrounded by pine forest, and the Truc Lam monastery above it, reached by a cable car over the forest.

The story

The French brought flowers and vegetables from Europe to Dalat, and the cool climate suited them perfectly. Over the twentieth century, families from many parts of Vietnam settled here to farm, and flower growing became a mainstay of the local economy. Today Dalat flowers are sent all over the country, and every few years the city holds a flower festival.

Cau Dat tea was established in 1927, one of the oldest tea plantations in the highlands. Some of the old equipment is still there, and the hills have become a favourite place for photographers at sunrise when mist fills the valleys.

Truc Lam monastery was built in the early 1990s and follows the Trúc Lâm school of Zen, a Vietnamese tradition founded in the thirteenth century by King Trần Nhân Tông, who gave up his throne to become a monk. The grounds are calm and beautifully kept, with flower gardens and pine trees.

Tuyen Lam Lake is a reservoir created in the 1980s. Its shores are among the most peaceful places near Dalat, with pine-covered islands, small boats for hire and wooden jetties where people fish in the late afternoon.

Getting there

The flower villages are on the edges of town; Cau Dat is about 25 km south-east. The cable car to Truc Lam leaves from near the Prenn pass road; the monastery overlooks Tuyen Lam Lake.

A car with driver for the day is easiest; motorbikes work for experienced riders.

A suggested plan

1. 6:00Cau Dat tea hills at sunrise, if you like mist.
2. 9:00Flower farms at Van Thanh or Thai Phien.
3. 12:00Lunch in Dalat.
4. 2:00 pmCable car to Truc Lam monastery.
5. 4:00Walk down to Tuyen Lam Lake; sit by the water as the light fades.

Where to stay

Stay in Dalat; some lakeside resorts and homestays near Tuyen Lam offer a quieter alternative.

Good to know

• Ask before entering private greenhouses.
• Visit the monastery in modest dress and keep voices low.
• Try local artichoke tea and Dalat strawberries.
• Combine with the railway route via Trai Mat.