Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [139]
Just a couple of hundred metres further south is a turning for Datanla Falls (daily 7am–5pm; small entrance fee), signposted on the right of the road as “Thac Datanla”. In Koho, datanla means “water under leaves”, and that pretty much sums up the place: from the car park, it’s a steep fifteen-minute clamber down to the falls, probing some splendidly lush forest. The falls themselves are unthrilling, their muddy waters cascading onto a plateau spanned by a wooden footbridge that provides a hackneyed photo opportunity.
The Prenn Waterfall (daily 6.30am–5.30pm; small entrance fee) is about another 6km down Highway 20 on the left. A major attraction for Vietnamese tourists, the fall sees a convoy of buses roll into its car park, harried by a stampede of cigarette and chewing-gum vendors. Unlike Datanla, the attraction here is the waterfall itself, which thunders (or trickles, depending on the season) over a wide overhang and into a broad pool below. By following the path that circles the pool, you can walk right behind the fall. Surrounding Prenn Waterfall are a host of tacky diversions: mock-up rope bridges and tree houses, souvenir shops and the chance to take a photo with an elephant or camel. If you’re too lazy to walk down the few steps to the base of the falls, you can hop in a cable car for 5000đ. Back up at the car park, the Prenn Restaurant is on hand to cater for hungry visitors, overlooked by a modern, octagonal pagoda.
Chicken Village (ask for Lang Con Ga), 18km south of Da Lat and just west of Highway 20, is just like any other Vietnamese village, apart from the bizarre, five-metre-high cement cockerel that stands proudly on a plinth in the centre, its mouth open in mid-squawk. The local Koho women can be found weaving in many makeshift stalls around. Whether you’re a potential buyer of textiles or not, it’s interesting to take a look at the rudimentary looms that the women need to strap themselves into to operate. It’s also possible to go rambling through the nearby fields and foothills without a permit.
The central highlands | Into the highlands | Da Lat and around | Around Da Lat |
East of Da Lat
Seven kilometres east of Da Lat and accessible by road or by rail (see "Around Lake Xuan Huong"), the orbital village of TRAI MAT is ideally placed for a short excursion. The journey there takes you past a sweep of some of the region’s most splendid countryside. Terraced fields crammed full of crops and immaculately tended market gardens escort you for most of the way, and the elevated road provides an excellent vantage point.
The highlight of Trai Mat is Linh Phuoc Pagoda, an incredibly ornate building which showcases the art of tessellation, whereby small pieces of broken china or glass are painstakingly arranged in cement. The first thing to catch the eye is the huge dragon in the courtyard to the right of the main building, constructed from over 12,000 carefully broken beer bottles. Artwork inside the pagoda is more intricate, with mosaic dragons entwined around the main hall’s pillars, while stairs lead up on the left to colourfully inlaid galleries, shrines and good views. The main hall is very atmospheric, with the deep sound of bells rung by devotees resonating around.
About 4km beyond Trai Mat, a left turn points the way to Tiger Falls (daily 7.30am–5pm; small entrance fee), though you still need to descend a few more kilometres on a precarious switchback road to reach them. Above the falls are a couple of restaurants, as well as a statue of a primitive hunter and another of a huge hollow tiger, whose mouth you can climb into for a photo. A steep concrete stairway leads down to the base of the falls, which tumble from a great height and offer good photo opportunities. The falls are a very popular