Recommended for your second trip to Ho Chi Minh City! The charm of Da Lat, the coffee town

Xin chào! We are Yuki, a Japanese husband, and Ngoc, his Vietnamese wife, living in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This is the first time I'm writing a travel-related article on Ameba Blog. I, Yuki, the Japanese husband, currently work in an IT-related job, but before getting married, I was active in Vietnam as a travel writer (work such as writing guidebooks and special features for travel writers).   That's why I have a bit of a particular preference when it comes to travel destinations within Vietnam (lol). What I'd like to introduce today is "Da Lat." It's in the Highlands region, about 6 hours from Ho Chi Minh City by night bus. If it's your first trip to Vietnam, you'll probably want to visit the classic tourist spots, so I'd recommend Da Lat for your second or later trip to Ho Chi Minh City. 6 hours by night bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Lat

Getting there is easy. Just arrange an overnight bus to Da Lat through a travel agency in Ho Chi Minh City (the tour desks you find around town). It costs around 1,500 yen one way. (The pickup location varies depending on the bus company, so be sure to check with the tour desk.) In Japan, overnight buses are legally required to use seat-type seating, but in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, it's normal to have bed-style seats arranged in two rows like this. I'm 170cm tall, but I can still stretch my legs out fully, and the seats are even wide enough that I could sleep side by side with my second-grade child — so surprisingly, it's quite comfortable. So what kind of town is Da Lat in Vietnam, anyway?

Da Lat is a highland area located in the south-central highlands of Vietnam, at an altitude of 1,500 meters. Originally, the indigenous K'Ho ethnic minority people lived there, but Vietnam's modern history with the city began when French military officers developed it as a health resort during the French colonial period. For this reason, although it is considered a rural area of Southeast Asia, its scenery is beautifully Western in style, and it is characterized by rows of colonial-style houses lining the streets.Charmed by the slow-flowing pace of time in Da Lat, quite a few French people have relocated there to live (there are many French-owned restaurants). Yuki's top recommendation for spending time in Da Lat, from someone who has traveled there more than 10 times.

Perhaps Da Lat is the destination my wife and I have visited the most within Vietnam. I wonder why... Da Lat doesn't have that many entertainment-style tourist spots, and it might not even be a place that gets heavily featured in guidebooks. And yet, whenever we get worn out from work, we suddenly find ourselves longing for Da Lat.   Below, I'll introduce the rituals I always stop by and experience whenever I go to Da Lat. If seeing this makes you think, "I'd love to spend time like that too," then please go ahead and plan it into your next trip. 1. Drink Highlands coffee at a barista café

Whenever we plan a trip to Da Lat, the very first thing we search for on Google is "local barista cafés." Da Lat is known not only as a coffee bean production area, but also for having many barista cafés where skilled baristas brew your coffee for you. Coffee beans grown at high altitudes are characterized by their acidity and fruity flavor.   When ordering coffee, you can also specify the coffee's origin and extraction method, so you can enjoy a coffee experience like nothing you've ever tasted before. I drink coffee every day, but I'm not particular about it at all, and I even tend to avoid Starbucks coffee because it's expensive — yet for some reason, whenever I come to Dalat, I pretend to be a coffee connoisseur (lol) During my stay, at least once a day, barbecue

And you mustn't miss this either when you come to Da Lat. When it comes to Da Lat, it's all about "barbecue while gazing at the natural scenery"! Sinking your teeth into the famous wild boar or rabbit meat by the lakeside, or tending a shichirin grill on a small hill while taking in the pastoral scenery — this is the real charm of Da Lat!

Da Lat has no World Heritage sites or beaches, and it doesn't have the kind of high-quality entertainment facilities that would satisfy Japanese visitors. In Da Lat, the greatest charm lies in being able to experience time spent blending in with nature just like this. Stay at a stylish hotel

This photo shows the "Swiss-Belresort" where we always stay at least one night whenever we go to Da Lat. It's a 4-star resort hotel complete with outdoor and indoor pools, a spa, restaurants, and a golf course, yet the room rate is only about 7,000 yen — incredibly cheap! Da Lat has many stylish hotels like this one, and being able to stay so affordably is one of its big appeals.Da Lat was originally known as a honeymoon destination for Vietnamese couples, but in recent years its popularity among foreign visitors has grown as well, and thanks to that, more hotels offering high-quality service have appeared. People who can enjoy Da Lat, and people who might find it boring In Da Lat, you can also enjoy other activities such as "strawberry picking," "animal farms," "scenic spots," and "train ride experiences.I believe my spouse and I have visited most of the tourist spots, so I'd like to share a travel report about it soon. However, Da Lat is not the kind of destination where you rush through sightseeing spots one after another. It's a place I'd recommend to anyone who wants to fully savor quiet, peaceful time to their heart's content. If you don't mind having plenty of free time on your hands, please do visit Da Lat on your next trip to Ho Chi Minh City.   For example, if you could arrange a 5-day itinerary with 2 nights in Da Lat and 3 nights in Ho Chi Minh City (or a 7-day itinerary including the round-trip travel between Japan and Vietnam), you could enjoy a two-city trip combining the nature resort town of Da Lat with the big city of Ho Chi Minh City!