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| Xuan Huong Lake. Da Lat, Vietnam |
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| Lam Vien Square, Da Lat, Vietnam |
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| Da Lat Railway Station, Vietnam |
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| Ninh Thuan Museum Phan Rang, Vietnam |
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| April 16 Park Monument, Phan Rang, Vietnam |
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| Cho Dem Du Lich, Phan Rang, Vietnam |
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| Phan Rang Night Market, Vietnam |
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| Cho Phan Rang, Vietnam |
Day 15 Monday Feb 1 2026 (Da Lat & Phan Rang Thap Cham, Vietnam) - spent our early morning walking around the Xuan Hoang lake & Lam Vien Square, Da Lat & ended our visit to the iconic Da Lat Railway station before taking a MPV vehicle to our next city ie Phan Rang Thap Cham (commonly known as Phan Rang), albeit a hilly & winding car journey; Upon our arrival in Phan Rang Hotel after the hotel check-in, we took an exploratory walk to the 16 April Park Monument & Ninh Thuan Museum passing the Cho Dem Lu Dich. In the evening, I made a solo visit to Phan Rang Night Market, Cho Phan Rang & the surrounding, experiencing a night feeling of this quaint little Vietnamese coastal town before calling it a day !
Travel itinerary: Dalat > Phan Rang - Thap Cham (103km)
1) My breakfast nearby our hotel in Da Lat - savoured a plate of Vietnamese BBQ pork rice / egg (50K VND = Rm7.80), my version of BBQ pork in Vietnam simply means BaByQueen pork & I savoured them a few times while touring south Vietnam !
2) Morning walk from our hotel to Xuan Huong Lake & Lam Viem Square, Da Lat, a bright & sunny day, cool & pleasant enjoying our morning walk around the lakeside prior to taking a MPV vehicle, a comfortable drive (hotel pick up & drop off service, albeit hilly & winding) from Da Lat > Phan Rang Thap Cham.
3) Xuan Hoang Lake, Da Lat, Vietnam - an artificial freshwater lake located in the centre of Da Lat City, a scenic spot where visitors enjoying taking a stroll in the morning & evening, January / Feb is cherry blossom period hence many tourists took the opportunity to pose for pictures nearby the lake !
4) Lam Vien Square, Da Lat, Vietnam - a central square overseeing the Xuan Hoang Lake & a popular public recreation place for locals & tourists, also a major venue for cultural & tourism events including Da Lat Flower Festival, a perfect Instagram spot !
5) Continuing my morning walk from the Lam Vien Square to the iconic old Da Lat Railway Station - my target sightseeing place !
6) Ga Dalat (Dalat Railway Station), Vietnam - pay to enter, entrance fee 50K VND = Rm7.80 but ticket holder to Trai Mat is free entry !), built by French from 1932 > 1938, one of the oldest railway station in Vietnam, unique French architecture both interior & exterior; a daily tourist rail service operates from Da Lat station to Trai Mat (often referred to as Chimat or Primopat), this 7km, 20-35 minutes trip features a vintage-style diesel train with live music, offering scenic views of greenhouses, flower farms & villas, trains run 5 -7 times daily, typically serving tourists visiting the Linhn Phouc Pagoda (which we visited later but taking a long winded way !) ! Both of us were not aware of this leg of rail service & I only realised after doing my travel blog posting checking the facts in Google web ! So near yet so far !
7) Continuing our morning walk from Da Lat Railway station to a nearby temple & a Grab car ride back to our hotel for check-out (10.30) to board a MPV vehicle to Phan Rang (slightly off the beaten track), a coastal town in south Vietnam.
8) For takeaway lunch, each of us bought 700K VND = Rm11 of Vietnamese style roasted pork from a nearby food stall near our hotel ! Yummy yummy taste like that of my home country, Malaysia ! The roasted pork skin was crispy & had the "oomph" ! I ate the half portion together with cooked pasta as dinner using my mini rice cooker - KM style of cooking (a mixed of think global & act local) ! One man meat is another man's poison but in overseas travelling, I enjoy doing a little bit of cooking & eating in the comfort of the hotel room (who cares what people say, you are what you are !).
9) Boarding the MPV vehicle from our Da Lat hotel > Phan Rang Hotel (hotel pick up & drop off) so just enjoy the countryside sightseeing & relax for this 2 hours journey !
10) Hotel Accommodation: my 3 days 2 nights stay in Phan Rang Hotel, room tariff Rm60 (US$15) twin sharing.
11) Walkabout in downtown Phan Rang to get a feel of this small little coastal town in south Vietnam.
12) 16 April Park Monument, Phan Rang, Vietnam - in remembrance of the liberation of Phan Rang from the dreadful Vietnam War (1 Nov 1955 > 30 April 1975) !
13) Ninh Thuan Museum, Phan Trang, Vietnam - an iconic building & unique architecture, the compound is closed for upgrading & renovation hence the museum is closed to the public at the time of our visit ! But we enjoyed the surrounding environment ie April 16 Park.
14) April 16 Park, Phan Rang, Vietnam - a public park for recreation, user-friendly walking & jogging tracks, scenic lotus pond etc
15) Cho Dem Du Lich, Phan Rang, Vietnam - selling A > Z daily basic items, clothing, children toys, household wares, snacks & local street food etc; as for me, it was a window shopping fun !
16) A golden sunset in downtown Phan Rang, Vietnam, what a sight ! Also means when you are travelling overseas, each of your city stay is probably a short one ie 2 or 3 days & when sun sets in, it is time to move on ! When sun rises in the next morning, a new beginning & look forward for a better travel days ahead ! A gloomy & wet weather could easily dampen a traveller's spirit especially you are on a biking tour !
17) Giao Xi Phan Rang, Vietnam - built in 1946, a Catholic church in downtown Phan Rang.
18) My walking pleasure towards the Phan Trang Night Market & Cho Phan Rang.
19) Chua Phung Lam Temple, Phan Rang, Vietnam - a Chinese temple in downtown Phan Rang.
20) Phan Rang Night Market, Vietnam - finally, I found it, a traditional open market eating place offering street food, located 2.5 km from our hotel !
21) Quan Thanh De Mieu (Chua Ong Phan Rang), Vietnam - a Chinese temple located near the Phan Rang Night Market.
22) Van Trang Chinese School (Heritage Site), Phan Trang, Vietnam - a surprise sighting & a hidden gem, the beauty of free & easy travelling !
23) Cho Phan Rang, Vietnam - located next to the Phan Trang Night Market so a 2 in 1 visit for me in this evening walk !
24) Phan Rang city by Night - fully satisfied after seeing this coastal town, a little bit by day & night as I am an easy going & down to earth traveller ! I am really blessed that at age 76, I was able to undertake this solo 5km (to & fro) evening visit from my hotel to Phan Rang night market & return (thanks to GPS guidance) !
23) Dinner time for me - KM style of own cooked pasta with roasted pork - a fusion food for my eating pleasure in my hotel room ! Good Night everybody !
