The People's Committee of Lam Dong Province and the Vietnam Railways Corporation on July 11 jointly held a ceremony to announce Dalat Station which was recognized as a tourist attraction.
Da Lat train station (Photo: SGGP)
Da Lat train station was built from 1932 to 1938 at a height of 1,500 m above sea level. The line includes seven kilometers of the track between Da Lat City and Trai Mat. The remaining section of more than 83 kilometers connecting Da Lat and Thap Cham station in Ninh Thuan Province was destroyed in the war and abandoned in the late 1960s.
Dalat Railway Station was designed by French architects Moncet and Revéron, featuring the three highest peaks of Lang Biang and the unique image of Central Highlands’ house roof.
It is considered the oldest railway station in Vietnam and the only railway station in the Central Highlands region.
Currently, the station is one of the attractive tourist destinations in Da Lat. The Ministry of Culture and Information certified the Da Lat railway station as a national historical and cultural site in 2001. It was also considered the nicest ancient railway station in all Indochina.
The 7 km long tourist railway, running from Da Lat center to Trai Mat station was reconstructed and operated for tourism since 1997.
Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Trung Kien presents the decision to recognize "Da Lat Railway Station" as a tourist destination to a representative of the Vietnam Railways Corporation. (Photo: SGGP)
The Da Lat - Trai Mat railway night services have been officially operational starting on June 4 to provide a new experience for tourists to gain a better sense of Da Lat’s beauty at night. On the nearly 7 km route, tourists will have a chance to enjoy the night-time scenery of Da Lat and live music on the charming old carriages.
Mr. Tran Anh Tuan, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Railways Corporation said that the company will hire a consulting firm to develop a comprehensive master plan for infrastructure investment to serve tourists at Dalat Railway Station, build a plan for entrance fee collection featuring new pricing, starting on from October 1, and carry out renovation, restoration and refurbishment of the station according to the approved plan.
According to Vietnam Railways Corporation, Da Lat station received 275,212 visitors in the first six months while the Da Lat - Trai Mat railway services attracted 138,024 tourists.
By Doan Kien - Translated by Kim Khanh