Story: Huong Quyng
Photos: Phan Tan Dat, Vo Trang

In late winter and early spring, Dalat is enveloped in inviting blooms. Join Heritage Magazine in discovering the vibrant floral spaces and festive atmosphere of the Dalat Flower Festival in this dreamy highland city.

Flowers bloom brightly around Xuan Huong Lake

Flowers on mountains and in gardens

Dalat is renowned as “the city of a thousand flowers”. Blossoms flourish on mountain slopes and hillsides and fill vast gardens, meticulously tended by human hands. Visitors love to explore farms and flower gardens in the Van Thanh flower village, where they can bask in the blooms’ natural fragrances and colors. Highlights include the gentle purple lavender in Pibo Lavender Farm; colorful flower beds that wind like graceful silk ribbons in Fresh Garden Dalat; and the flower gardens of Dalat Fairytale Land, which evoke scenes from a fairytale.

Slightly further afield, about 20 kilometers from the city center toward Ta Nung lies The Florest – Hoa Trong Rừng (Flowers in the Forest), the largest flower garden in Dalat, covering up to 60 hectares and surrounded by ancient pine forests. Here, each type of flower is planted in clusters on dreamy hillsides. The cherry blossom forest at the foot of legendary Lang Biang Mountain is a coveted spot to admire Dalat’s muse, where everyone hopes to “feel the chill seep into their soul as spring clouds leisurely drift by“, as in the song “Ai len xu hoa dao” by Hoang Nguyen.

A lively streetside floral display

Flowers and festival joy

In December, Dalat stirs many emotions in visitors. The lake remains veiled in mist, and the whispering pines stir cherished memories, but joyous excitement is mixed with the nostalgia, kindled by the vibrant colors of flowers and foliage adorning every street. From December 5, 2024, to January 5, 2025, the efforts of the Dalat Flower Festival’s organizing committee delight visitors’ eyes with floral spaces in the heart of the city.

Some steps along the pedestrian streets near Xuan Huong Lake, you will be surrounded by flower-lined pathways. Visiting parks like Tao Dan, Bich Cau, Tran Hung Dao, Tran Quoc Toan, and Yersin, you can admire lively floral arrangements and models, perfect for taking photos. Don’t miss the area opposite Quan The Am Pagoda on Tran Quoc Toan Street, where the Dalat Flower Association will decorate both outdoor and indoor spaces with blooms, under the theme “Melodies of Dalat’s Floral Colors”, enhanced by impressive sound and light effects.

A feast of flowers awaits you. Why hesitate any longer? Head to Dalat right now!

Details of the Dalat Flower Festival program can be found at https://festivalhoa.lamdong.gov.vn/.