Da Lat Station has many beautiful corners to take photos, is a place to display ancient steam locomotives, and is also the start of the tour to Trai Mat.
Lam Dong Provincial People’s Committee has just recognized the tourist destination “Da Lat Railway Station”. This is not only a place to visit, a unique architectural work of Da Lat city, but also a place that makes a special mark in the history of Vietnam’s railway industry, a national historical relic.
Da Lat Railway Station is located on Quang Trung Street, Ward 9, about 3 km from the center of Da Lat city. This is the oldest railway station in Vietnam and Indochina and is also the highest station in Vietnam, 1,500 m on Lam Vien plateau.
According to the National Tourism Administration, Da Lat station was built from 1932 to 1938, located on the Thap Cham – Da Lat railway, connecting with Phan Rang city, Ninh Thuan. The route is 84 km long, with 12 stations and 5 underground tunnels. The railway is special because it has 16 km of climbing cogs, with an average slope of 12%. At the time of construction, only Switzerland and Vietnam had cog wheel railways. In 1972, the railway was destroyed by war, and in 1975 it was restored but only operated for a short time due to poor economic efficiency. The rail system and cog railway tracks were almost completely removed, and the stations were abandoned.
The station facade is 67 m long, 11.4 m wide and 11 m high. The project is a combination of the Central Highlands communal house architecture with Western architecture, notably the three pyramidal roofs on the front, inspired by the image of the three highest peaks of Lang Biang and stylized from the image of the Central Highlands communal house roof.
Sightseeing
For many years, Da Lat station has been one of the most popular tourist attractions. Tourists buy tickets directly at the station for 10,000 VND per person (children under 1 meter are free). Opening hours are from 7am to 5pm.
The peak time is usually from 8 to 10am, the weather is cool, the sunlight is slanting, suitable for taking pictures. Visitors can take advantage of the time to take pictures before boarding the train to visit Trai Mat.
Cog railway at Da Lat station. Image: TP Channel
At the station, visitors can see an ancient steam locomotive numbered 131-462 with cogwheel rails, wooden carriages and a diesel locomotive with 4 passenger carriages from Da Lat station to Trai station. Cool and vice versa.
Inside the main station there is a cafe. In addition to the available wooden tables and chairs, the shop also arranges additional plastic tables and chairs. This is where visitors can sit, relax and wait for the train.
Trains
Da Lat Station is not directly linked to the national railway system. Trains to and from Da Lat station every day are only to serve tourists on the short 7 km route connecting Da Lat center and Trai Mat. Each trip duration is 30 minutes.
Ticket prices range from 72,000 VND to 100,000 VND for one way. Passengers buying round-trip tickets get a 25% discount, and group tickets of 10 or more people get a 15-40% discount. The train serves artichoke tea and is equipped with free wifi. The specific train schedule applies from April 2024:
| Da Lat | Trai Mat | Cool Camp | Da Lat | ||
| DL1 | 7h50 | 8h20 | DL2 | 8:50 a.m. | 9h20 |
| DL3 | 9h55 | 10h25 | DL4 | 10h55 | 11h25 |
| DL5 | 12h | 12h30 | DL6 | 13h | 13h30 |
| DL7 | 14h05 | 2:35 p.m. | DL8 | 15h05 | 3:35 p.m. |
| DL9 | 16h10 | 16h40 | DL10 | 17h10 | 17h40 |
| DL11 | 6:15 p.m | 18:45 | DL12 | 19h15 | 19h45 |
| DL13 | 20h20 | 20h50 | DL14 | 21h20 | 9:50 p.m |
Trains DL3 and DL4 run fixedly every day, other trips run according to customer requests or when they arise. Each train transports a minimum of 30 passengers and a maximum of 160 passengers. Two evening flights DL11/12 and DL13/14 have just been put into operation since April to serve the night entertainment needs of tourists.
With the Da Lat – Trai Mat train, visitors can choose one way. At Trai Mat, visitors are free to visit the surrounding area, returning by the above schedule train or other means. At these points, it is easy to catch a taxi.
Some beautiful photo locations
The campus in front of the station
The large yard in front of the station is one of the most popular check-in spots. Here, you can adjust the angles to get a panoramic view of the station behind, especially the stylized pyramid roof.
Ticket waiting room
This angle is not well known, but it looks quite impressive in pictures. The glass panels create a beautiful lighting effect. Visitors can take photos with a small angle in the waiting room.
Wooden train car display
One of the attractions of Da Lat station is the display of wooden train cars. Although the train cars are no longer in operation, they still retain their ancient beauty. Here, you should choose a vintage style to match the surroundings.
Train carriage interior
If you buy a ticket for the Da Lat – Trai Mat route, visitors will be able to take photos with the train car interior. In case you don’t take the train, the stairs or iron corridor at the end of the display car will be a beautiful “virtual living” corner.