𝓣𝓮☕️𝓽𝓪 𝓘𝓬𝓮

Every Christmas Holiday, the company I am working for grants us a continued and uninterrupted break from Christmas to New Year. Since then, the year-end has been an “out of town” season for me.

Vietnam as what they called the land of “Ascending Dragon” is where I chose to spend my holidays with and (didn’t know COViD-19 is spreading around that time)

I did my research on what are the popular spots in Vietnam, Hanoi and Da Lat were among the top recommended places to visit. I decided to explore Da Lat since it’s nearer to Saigon compared to Hanoi. It’s a 5-7 hours drive away via limousines van while it’s 30-35 hours away via bus to Hanoi. If you are not on a tight budget, well the quickest way is to book a flight this will save you from taking hours of the bus ride.

Da Lat is the largest city in the Central Highlands region in Vietnam and is known for its flowers, coffee, and cold weather. If you are looking for where to spend your honeymoon, this romantic city is perfect for you and your sweety.

Hydrangea – I used to like sunflowers before I met these iconic “snowball” shaped blooms. They usually bloom in shades of blue, purple, and pink, with some selections in white, green, or red. Blue Hydrangeas is the most appealing to my eyes maybe because blue is my favorite hue. You can see a lot of hydrangeas in the alleys of Da Lat.

Weather – As for the Philippines, the summer capital is Baguio, for Vietnam is Da Lat. Da Lat has cold weather, especially in December. The temperature in daytime averages from 16-20 degrees Celcius, at night temperatures, tend to hover at around 10 degrees Celcius. A lightweight sweater might be a reasonable thing to add to your packing list.

Coffee – Drip filter is the common way of serving coffee in Vietnam. Watching the coffee being made drip by drip, forces you to sit for a few minutes while the coffee gets made. Vietnamese coffee isn’t for people who just want a caffeine hit. It’s for everyone who understands that good things take time. 😄

4 Days trip to Da Lat

I spent 4 days exploring this gorgeous “Little France” part of the country and here is the list of my itinerary, accommodations, and budget.

Day 1:

I just strolled around the streets since I arrived late in the afternoon. I went to St. Nicholas of Bari Cathedral and Da Lat Palace. These spots are just a few minute’s walk away from the hostel where I’m staying at.

I had my dinner at Bun Bho Tho Da- my hostel’s restaurant. They are famous for Beef Noodle. I do recommend you to try their Bato Tho Beef Noodle or Vietnamese Beef Vermuceli (Sorry I forgot how much I paid for the noodles but its not over 200 pesos or 4 dollars)

Day 2

TOUR 01: NEW DESTINATIONS OF DA LAT DISCOVERING TOUR

1. Dalat Fairytale Land ( Cordyceps factory tour, Wine Cellar,…)
2. Dalat View
3. Hoa Son Dien Trang tourist site – Lonely tree
4. Cau Dat Green Tea Hill
5. Hydrangea Hortensia Flower Field – Stairway to heaven
6. Fresh Da Lat complex Da Lat Pedagogical Junior College or Van Thanh Flower Garden

Price: 350.000vnd / 1 tourist
Travel Duration: 8:00AM to 4:00PM

Day 3

TOUR 02 : FOREST SPIRITS INN – CU LAN VILLAGE – CLAY VILLAGE TOUR 1 DAY
Tour Details

1. Dalat Old Railway Station
2. Gold Stream – Gold Silver
3. Cu Lan Village
4. Sculpture Tunnel (Clay Village)
5. Lunch at restaurant ( self- sufficient)
6. Puppy Farm – the hottest destination with over 36 precious breeds among over 100 puppies living on the farm. On-site, visit also have access to different kinds of bio agricultural products which are plantel directly on the farm.
7. Domaine De Marie Church

Price: 370.000vnd / 1 tourist
Travel Duration: 8:00AM to 4:00PM

Day 4 Travel back to Ho Chi Minh.

Accommodation :

I stayed at 2 different hostels in Da Lat. I originally booked at Lacasa Homestay II for 3 nights but something got mixed up with their system and recommended me to another hostel and so I ended up staying at An An House on my first and second night.

You can book at Lacasa Home Stay II through booking.com or you may also check out their page on Facebook.

Address: Lacasa Homestay II, 2 Hồ Tùng Mậu 2 B hồ tùng Mậu – Phường 3 – Đalat, Dalat, Vietnam

An An House where I stayed on my first night is just a few minutes walk away from Lacasa Home Stay II. You may check out their page on Facebook.

Address : An An House, 19 Nha Chung, Da Lat, 67000, Lam Dong, Vietnam

I was happy that I got to stay in 2 different hostels. Both hostels have a nice exterior and instagrammable plus offer free breakfast.

Package Tour

Travel Agencies usually accommodate a minimum of 2 pax, luckily I found Happy Day Travel that fits a solo traveler like me. You can check out their package tour on their website or Facebook page. They have 7 types of Tour destinations you can choose from. I picked Tour Numbers 1 and 2.

Transportation

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh are the only 2 available direct flights from Manila to Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh is the nearest stop to reach Da Lat. You can reach Da Lat from Ho Chi Minh by taking a plane, bus, train, or van. As for me, I booked a limousine van/bus via baolau.com. This fancy limousine has 9 cushioned reclined seats, USB sockets, and wifi on board. I had a comfortable ride and a smoother experience than taking local buses. Worth an experience though. 😉

Expenses:

Two Day Tour : 370.000 + 370.000 = 740.000 Accommodation : An An House – 600.000 per night. Stayed for 2 nights = 1.200.000 Dalat Lacasa Homestay II – 1.350.000 per night Transportation: Going to Da Lat from Ho Chi Minh and vise versa – 723.000 Food: 800.000-900.00 for 4 days.

Total Expenses : 4.913.000VND or 10,250Php or 213USD

I didn’t do much research and have few expectations before I went to Da lat but surprisingly Da lat has become one of my favorite cities, as a second top list, next to Jeju.

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You might be looking for a hotel in Saigon, I stayed at Cititel Central Saigon Hotel via Agoda.com. I paid around 1,800 plus Pesos for one night with breakfast. It’s walking distance to Ben Thanh Market and close to restaurants, convenience stores, and pretty much everything else. The room is tidy and the bathroom has a bidet which is extra 10 points for me. The staff are friendly and even assist me in getting a cab. They also allow me to leave my luggage in their storage room after my check-out time since I will be out for a whole day tour.

My 5 days trip to Vietnam cost me around 22,000 pesos, this includes flight, accommodation, tour, transportation, and meals. Overall, Vietnam is a solo-friendly destination and definitely will be visiting again. Next destination… Hanoi…