That is until 50 years ago, on 30 January , when it found itself part of the Tet offensive — a series of surprise attacks undertaken by communist north Vietnamese forces across the country during its traditional New Year celebrations. Over 10 days, south Vietnamese and US forces stationed in Dalat were able to withstand Viet Cong raids and even rocket attacks.
The brief Tet offensive was snuffed out on 9 February. The scars of the war are all but invisible now, for which Dalat can thank its rarified place in Vietnamese culture. Now this city of , is grappling with a second invasion, albeit a friendlier one: the 3 million tourists who visit annually.
Unlike the nearby coastal resort of Nha Trang, where overseas investment has transformed it into a south-east Asian Costa del Sol, land is at a premium, and what makes Dalat so unique — its farms, flora and fauna — is under threat. After about 14 hours on the road, finally arrived in Dalat from Can Tho at midnight. This is the view I woke up to.
Established by French colonialists including noted bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin in the s, Dalat began life as an agricultural research station and later an Alpine-style retreat, replete with hotels, spas and boarding schools for the offspring of the ruling classes. It is also a significant source of vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus and artichokes, and probably its most enduring export, a wide variety of European flowers.
The people of Dalat know how to throw a garish party, particularly when it comes to flowers. The biennial flower festival has become a huge tourist draw since it began 13 years ago. In an article for the Vietnam Heritage website, Nguyen Hang Tinh paints a sorry picture of villas being squatted, broken up into condos and even used to house farm animals. The lack of aesthetic concern makes the political outrage directed at the Hang Nga guesthouse quite breathtaking in its hypocrisy.
