Montagnard mother and child

High above Saigon and the heat of the Mekong Delta lies the mountaintop town of Dalat. From the fields around this cool and misty City of Eternal Spring come many of the fruits and vegetables that feed Vietnam. Pineapple plantations, pine forests mirrored in lakes, and an abundance of waterfalls make this a favorite spot for honeymooners. French architecture, bread, berets and gladioli lend a certain charm and act as reminders of the town's colonial heritage that extends back a hundred years. Vietnamese, French and montagnards (mountain folk) are the farmers, shopkeepers, artists and poets that define Dalat's unique personality. Zen Buddhists commune with sky and mist, Catholics attend their beautiful stone cathedral, and jikers from distant places search out smoky, guitar thumping cafes. Here are some of the faces of Dalat.

(Text by Sabin Geyman)

---

Links://

• Don V. Ho's Vietnam