Buzz
Ever thought about exploring Dalat for just 658,000 dong? Well, follow along with Lan Anh, a 9X friend, on her journey with Mytour for 3 days and 2 nights with just that amount.
Embark on a 3-day, 2-night adventure to Dalat for only 658,000 dong with my 9X friend!
Day 1: Departure from Ho Chi Minh City to Dalat
At 5:30 am, we set off from Ho Chi Minh City. The journey from Ho Chi Minh City to Dalat takes approximately 6 - 8 hours on average. Take your time, stop for breaks, take photos, enjoy the scenery, and grab a coffee. Along the way, we stopped by a coffee shop in Di Linh where we had the unique experience of watching the owner roast and grind coffee beans right on the spot, which was absolutely amazing.
Accommodation: I booked a Dorm room at Dalat Note Hostel, located at 3r/2 Thong Thien Hoc, Ward 2, Dalat City, for 80,000 dong per day per person. Note Hostel is charmingly designed and has plenty of picturesque spots for you to capture memorable photos.
After checking into the hotel, I took a stroll around Dalat. First stop was the Dalat market to enjoy soy milk and pastries (1 soy milk + 1 pastry = 12,000 dong). A walk around the market allows you to buy fruits and warm clothes at Am Phu market behind.
After finishing eating, I took the opportunity to visit Lam Vien square next to Xuan Huong Lake for some photos.
At the end of the first day, I managed to stop by the bookstore to buy a map of Dalat and enjoyed a hot cup of coffee.
Total expenses for day 1 amounted to 257,000 dong including: hotel 70,000 dong (discounted rate) + petrol 60,000 dong + food 117,000 dong.
Day 2: Exploring Dalat
If you're in Dalat, don't waste time sleeping in. Take advantage of the cool weather and explore the beautiful surroundings. In the morning, I checked out of the hotel and continued to explore this charming land.
After breakfast, I visited the Chicken Church (or the Cathedral of Dalat) for some photo opportunities. Located at 15 Tran Phu Street, the Chicken Church is the largest church in Dalat. The roof is adorned with 70 stained glass panels, adding to the European Gothic architectural charm of the place.
Apart from exploring the strawberry gardens in Dalat, you should also visit other gardens such as the Pepino Watermelon Garden - Da Thien, Ward 8, Dalat City, or the black tomato garden.
Around 2:30 pm, I began my journey back to the mountains and my destination was Ma Rung Inn, which is one of the popular spots for backpackers visiting Dalat.
However, since I didn't book in advance, initially the owner didn't allow me to stay, but because it was getting dark, she kindly agreed to let me stay for 1 night at 100,000 dong/ dorm room. In the evening, I enjoyed coffee while listening to the sound of flowing streams and the chirping of frogs, feeling incredibly relaxed.
Total expenses for day 2 amounted to 277,000 dong.
Day 3: Return Journey Dalat – QL20 – QL55 – QL1A – Hanoi Highway
The section of QL20 near Di Linh is not too bad, the road conditions are decent, and passing through Bao Loc city, you can smell the fragrant tea. QL55 is currently undergoing construction at the Lam Dong - Binh Thuan border, about 2km long. QL55 is a road for those who love beautiful routes and high speeds like myself.
The total cost for the 3-day, 2-night motorbike adventure in Dalat is 658,000 dong, very cheap, right? With this price, even students who are not yet working can plan their trips freely and enjoy to the fullest on weekends.
Some things to note when traveling to Dalat:
- Bring a full-face helmet, protective gear, and if possible, get a dashcam.
- Pack enough jackets, sneakers, flip-flops, cold medicine, snacks like milk, sausages, energy drinks,...
- When buying strawberries in Dalat, avoid buying at the market and opt for Nguyen Cong Tru Street, where there's a whole street filled with strawberry vendors to choose from.
- Have a travel map handy for easy orientation and navigation (phone battery might die, weak 3G signal).
Some solo travel tips for exploring Dalat
1. Preparation
Documents
Take photos of your personal documents and email them to yourself, write down personal information, family contact numbers and put them in your wallet or backpack, set a family member's number as your phone wallpaper. In case of emergency, if someone finds your lost items, they can easily contact you, call your family when your phone is locked.
How to protect important documents and money: Buy a waist pouch (wear it around your waist), put documents in a plastic bag, then put them in the pouch with large denomination bills (only keep 100, 200,000 dong in the wallet, 50,000 dong in the pocket). Remember to wear this pouch 24/7, even when sleeping, bathing... keep it close (wear it under your clothes and overcoat).
Attire
- 1 jacket, 1 long dress, 2 t-shirts, 2 shorts, 2 long jeans, 2 pairs of socks...
- Scarf, face towel, multi-purpose towel, large shawl, gloves, sun protection gloves, ankle wrap, reflective jacket, waist pouch.
- 1 pair of sneakers, 1 pair of flip-flops (the smaller and lighter, the better).
- Protective gear, ¾ helmet, full-face helmet, reflective gear: not mandatory but since we're going to return, safety should be our top priority. Don't compromise on wearing a helmet because many have paid the price for this mistake.
Personal Items
- Toothbrush, toothpaste, face wash, body wash, shampoo sachet, small knife, lighter, tissue paper, cotton swabs.
- 2 backpacks: 1 for clothes, food and 1 for essential items, 5 plastic bags (for dirty laundry, trash...).
- Fever medicine, cold medicine, cotton balls, personal adhesive bandages, aromatic oil.
- Raincoat.
Food Items
- Milk, sausages, redbull, instant noodles... Prioritize soy milk as it doesn't cause stomach discomfort like fresh milk.
- Water: 1 bottle of mineral water, 1 bottle of iced water – redbull/ tea extract.
Vehicle
- Service maintenance before departure.
- Toolbox for vehicle repairs.
- Fill up the gas tank, apply some reflective decals, hang a dangling coke bottle filled with gas.
2. Driving Techniques
On the road, countless situations can arise. However, you need to master the following techniques to handle them.
+ Speed: At any speed, maintain a 3-second rule with the vehicle in front. If they suddenly stop, you need those 3 seconds to brake. If you leave yourself only 2 or 1 second, the consequences can be easily noticeable.
+ Attracting attention: Whether day or night, you still need to stand out on the road because that's an advantage. Turning on lights and wearing reflective clothing are always encouraged. Daytime lights are not penalized in Vietnam.
+ Cornering: Absolutely do not look close to the front of the car. Look far ahead and focus on the corner to avoid dizziness. Your instinct will tell you how to slow down and cut the corner at which angle to accelerate forward.
+ Sand roads, muddy trails: Let the vehicle follow its inertia. If you go through a sandy desert, deflate the tires to 1/3, you can easily pass without sinking.
+ Uphill, downhill: Stick to the principle of using the appropriate gear. Both manual and automatic vehicles have speed control mechanisms when reducing throttle. If you intentionally turn off the engine to coast downhill, you risk never being able to turn the switch on again.
+ Larger vehicles honking behind: especially on narrow, unlaned roads, just ignore and signal right to let the driver know you've understood the signal, then gradually shift to the right lane if safe. Don't hesitate to take control of the situation if you feel it's dangerous. If the roadside asphalt curb is higher than the dirt road, decisively move onto the dirt road.
3. Evasive Techniques
+ Rain: When you see someone wearing a raincoat traveling in the opposite direction or car windows are wet, put on your raincoat immediately.
+ Road spikes: Find a truck and maintain a safe distance, then move into the lane of the right wheel track. That wheel will flatten various spikes, clearing the way for you. Following a truck can also help avoid sudden vehicles emerging from intersections, or evade bandits setting up wire traps across the road to rob (a scarf around the neck can also disrupt this trick).
+ Speed traps: Two-wheelers are mostly targeted within town limits. Try to maintain a speed of 50km/h when you see a blue sign with a house picture, and a red circle with the number 50. Resume speed after the sign with the house or the number 50 is crossed out. Adhering to this principle, you can cross Vietnam on a two-wheeler without falling into speed traps, except in Dong Nai.
+ Oncoming headlights: Looking directly into the oncoming headlights blinds you temporarily for at least 2 seconds. So, when faced with this situation, look to the right to locate white paint or tree dust, stakes,... as a reference point to maintain your position, then gently glide through the situation.
+ Fog: The brighter the headlights, the less visible the road. Apply a third of the mud on the upper part of the windshield, you'll feel a bit more comfortable.
+ Group travel from 2 people onwards: travel in single file and staggered. The weaker driver should lead ahead to the right, while the more experienced driver follows behind to the left to cover the road. Turn on your headlights even during the day, you'll greatly enhance safety.
4. Navigational Methods
Google Maps, look for milestones, directional signs, addresses on roadside billboards, vehicle signs, buses (Phuong Trang, Thanh Buoi), maps, or ask local residents.
By Lan Anh
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Reference: Travel Guide from Mytour
MytourMay 20, 2016
