Vietnam: HCMC, Dalat & Nha Trang

Chef John at Vietnamese Cookery School
You have to eat what you make
Graduation time

Ho Chi Minh City - City Hall
War Rememberance Museum
Rooftop Bar at Rex Hotel

Welcome basket in our room at Sofitel Palace Dalat

The classic Citroen at Sofitel for special requests

The cable car across the countryside to the hilltop temple

Thrilling coaster car to waterfalls

Dalantla Waterfalls

Crazy House

Beach at Nha Trang from our balcony at Novotel

The pool at our private villa for the day - Six Senses Hidaway

The alfresco bathroom in our private villa for the day - Six Senses Hidaway

Sofitel in Dalat, Vietnam is magnifique! When my husband, John, and I stepped off the airplane at the Dalat airport we took a deep breath of the cool fresh air. It was a wonderful relief from the heat and humidity of Ho Chi Minh City. On the 30-minute up hill drive to Dalat we passed green fields and evergreen forests before arriving at the magnifique Sofitel Palace Hotel with a view of Lake Xuan Huong. The line "We’ll all come out to meet her when she comes" from the children’s song "She’ll be coming Around the Mountain" popped into my head. Waiting on the steps of the porte-cochere was a lady in a pristine white ao dai, the elegant traditional Vietnamese dress, along with several other staff members ready to take care of our luggage and facilitate check-in. One young lady carried a long tray with a steaming selection of local artichoke, green, lotus, jasmine, and oolong teas and asked us to select a welcome drink.

Everything oozed elegance. Built in 1922 in France Colonial style there are crystal chandeliers, gold and red velvet furniture, an inlayed marble floor in the vestibule, dark highly polished wood, and paintings everywhere.

Room 205, our home for three days, was elegant with a small foyer, 12-foot ceilings, gleaming wood floors, and a crown valance above the bed. When the staff threw open the French windows the view to the lake was magnifique. Red is the color of happiness in Asia and everything on the welcome tray was red from the champagne to the cookies to the mousse. It made us very happy.

John and I love afternoon tea so we headed to Le Rabelais Restaurant stopping along the way to view the many paintings done by Vietnamese in the style of the French masters. The restaurant has a view of the expansive tree-studded lawn sloping to the water. We tried to recall where else we had enjoyed such a pleasant scene. Was it in France, or maybe Switzerland, or maybe in the Finger Lake region of New York? Possibly it was in a painting because I could envision ladies in long diaphanous white dresses playing croquette or just relaxing in one of the lawn lounge chairs.

We opted for High Tea ($15) with cucumber, egg, and smoked salmon tea sandwiches, plus waffles, pancakes, muffins, and scones with jams made from locally grown fruits along with a wide choice of teas including Dalat specialty teas. While we were relaxing I read the history of tea on the back of the menu and was surprised to find that tea was introduced into France prior to its arrival in Britain. Do the British know that? It seems that afternoon tea, called Tea Muse, appeared in the gossipy writings of Madame de Sieving in the mid-1600s prior to the arrival of tea in London with Catherine of Braganza in 1662.

There was a lot to learn about the Sofitel Dalat. It seem the Dr. Alexander Yersin, a protégé of Dr. Louis Pasteur, visited Dalat in 1893 and found the place perfect for improving ones health. A sanitarium was built which led to the growth of Dalat. In 1922 the Langbian Palace Hotel opened and much later became the Sofitel. The hotel was host to many important people and events. A gentleman’s agreement left Dalat untouched during the many wars that have occurred in Vietnam in the 20th century.

Afternoon tea left us quite sated so we decided to dine lightly at Larry’s Bar. With an outside entrance, Larry’s Bar is a wonderfully cozy hideaway with several small rooms, a low beamed ceiling, and comfy couches and chairs. While sipping our Happy Hour cocktails I was once again drawn to the story on the menu. The bar is named after Larry Hillblom, the American lawyer who co-founded DHL delivery services. In 1990, Hillblom visited Dalat, which had long been the favorite honeymoon destination for Vietnamese. He saw the tourist potential and through a joint-venture partnership spent $40 million restoring the original Langbian Palace Hotel as well as the Dalat Palace Golf Course. Other investments included the Novotel Dalat and 16 colonial villas. The hotel opened under the management of Accor in May 1995. Several days later Hillblom was killed in a private airplane crash. Hence, the name Larry’s Bar.

The last day we arranged for a city tour with the hotel car which turned out to be one wonderful adventure after another. The Dalat Cable Car gave us a panoramic view of the fields, heavily forested hillside, and a beautiful turquoise lake. At the ride’s end it was a short walk to Truc Lam Monastery. Down the hill toward Dalat we stopped at Datanla Waterfalls. And what a fun stop it was! On my personal coaster I went from one exciting curve to another until I reached the bottom of the steep hill and the beautiful Datanla Waterfalls. According to local legend it is where the fairies from heaven came to bath. Going back up on the coaster wasn’t as exciting but it was sure better than the 15-minute climb up the steps. I asked the driver to stop by The Crazy House so I could just take a couple of pictures. However, I was drawn in by its uniqueness. In a city where the French Colonial architecture has been preserved and restored Crazy House defies description. A truly phantasmagoric vision. It seems incongruous to find it in Vietnam where out-of-the-box activities are not encouraged but it becomes more understandable when one realizes that the architect’s father was the president of Vietnam in the 1980s. Our next stop was Bao Dai Palace, the summer getaway of the last emperor of Vietnam. I had expected to see a lavishly decorated house but the residence is one of simplicity and comfort. Our last request was for a drive around the lake. It was a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon. People were peddling their swan boats, the Dalat Palace Golf Course, one of the finest in Asia, was busy with people knocking around a little white ball, families were strolling along the walkway, and fishermen were trying their luck.

We had saved our coupon for a complimentary Sparkling Rose Wine Cocktail for the last night. In the coziness of the L’Atelier Du Vin Room we sipped our wine wishing we never had to leave and vowed to return someday to do all the things we did not have time to do. Hotel Sofitel Palace and Dalat are truly magnifique!

For more information check http://www.vietnamtourism.com/ and http://www.sofitel.com/. Price range: $185 (USD) for a luxury double to $400 for a suite.