Dalat Cathedral
Dalat Station
Dalat cable car view. December 2007
My elementary and junior high school memories are filled with headlines from the war in Vietnam. It was a turbulent time in the USA and even as a kid I remember how much discussion it caused. I lost a cousin to PTSD from that conflict. It was very real to me.
Brian and I were on our second tour of Vietnam, this time doing the southern half of the country. We were having a fantastic trip. The first part of our journey was dominated by old temple ruins of the Cham Empire along the central coast. We were finally tired of ancient temples and lovely beaches, so we headed inland to see Dalat, the hill-station/summer capital of the country from French colonial times. We were lucky enough to travel on a new road that cut through the mountains and reduced the travel time by several hours. We took a bus - the ride on the new road was scary/exciting with amazing views as we climbed into the central highlands of the country. We were happy we did it, but not so sure we'd do it again. The lack of sturdy guardrails and sheer drop offs made it a "once in a lifetime" journey most certainly! The mountains of Vietnam were incredibly lush and surprisingly unexplored.
The ride became less perilous and the road wound through endless fields of agriculture. The highlands had a different climate and could grow temperate fruits and vegetables. Vietnam was booming economically and people down on the coast needed their apples and coffee. In fact, Vietnam had become one of the leading world exporters of coffee and its fruits were found in supermarkets throughout Southeast Asia and beyond. The highlands around Dalat were bountiful as well as beautiful.
Dalat was set amongst cool rolling hills of agriculture instead of Vietnam's usual steaming plains. Nights especially cooled off deliciously. No wonder the French loved it there. Nowadays, the whole town was a resort serving rich folk from all over the country. There was an old, slow narrow-gauge train from the French era that still ran to Ho Ch Minh City sporadically although the travel time was punishingly long when compared to the bus ride. Dalat had its old French cathedral and a smattering of colonial buildings. Honestly, it was only "mildly pleasant" not "wow" whatsoever. We took a cable car ride which gave views over the hills. We strolled along the town lake which was lovely. Yet, Dalat simply appeared bland compared to other places in the country that had blown us away with their beauty or history. That famous mountain city may have been our only "disappointment" in Vietnam (except, of course, the climate was great)
In our wanderings in Dalat, we learned about its history during the "American War". Dalat was a "truce town". Both sides agreed - no fighting in Dalat. Not only that, both sides' generals had villas there. During the fighting in Vietnam, the high-ranking military leaders of both North and South might both have been in town, agreeing not to fight. It almost seemed like some strange science fiction episode. That actually happened. Looking back on it I think of Mt Faifa in Saudi Arabia, a resort for rich Saudis right on the border with Yemen, yet without conflict. Another agreement? We can be at war, just please don't fire mortars at Mt Faifa? Is war ever "all out" or are there always exceptions and opt-outs?
Dalat left me wondering just how serious the war in Vietnam ever was? Serious in that many innocent people died, of course, but apparently not serious enough that generals had to give up their villas in Dalat.
Hmmmm....
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