Da Lat village harks back to French times

A bunch of old villas in a village in the Central Highlands town of Da Lat enables tourists to experience how French lived 100 years ago.

Built by the French in 1920 to accommodate the French community in the colonial time, the villas lie on a pine hill to the northwest of Da Lat, 2.5 kilometers from the main market. It spreads over 17 hectares, and has been made into a resort, Ana Villas Dalat.

The village initially had 15 mansions. Two more villas were built later.

Each has a unique design though all have a large common area. The furniture is French-style, with much of it arranged in the original style.

Each room in the mansions has a unique do-not-disturb sign resembling a human face. If the ‘eyes’ are covered, it means the occupants do not want to be disturbed.

One of them has a large lobby, which has now become the resort’s restaurant, Le Petit.

Tourists can stay at the resort or visit to see the villas. For the latter, western-style afternoon tea with cakes and fruits is available at VND170,000 ($7) and Asian-style lunch at VND320,000 ($14).

A villa has three to seven guest bedrooms, all preserved in almost their original state from floors and fireplace to electric plugs.

Visitors can tour the place from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. or 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and tour guides are available.

Anyone interested in the tour should contact the resort in advance. With over 1,300 structures built by the French, Da Lat is dubbed the ‘French Architectural Museum.’ The most renowned ones include the Con Ga Church, Da Lat Train Station, Pedagogical College of Dalat, and villas.

Photos by Tam Linh and Ana Villas Dalat/ vnexpress

Đăng bởi: Đạt Nguyễn Hữu