Da Lat sits at 1,500 metres and has the kind of weather that makes strawberries, artichokes, and wine grapes actually viable in Vietnam (베트남 / 越南 / ベトナム). This two-day food and farm itinerary skips the flower gardens and focuses on what the plateau does best: growing things and cooking them well.
Day 1 — Markets, Farms, and the Slow Stuff
Morning: Da Lat Central Market and Breakfast
Start early at Cho Da Lat (달랏 / 大叻 / ダラット) — the central market on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai — before the tourist buses arrive. The ground floor sells produce: crates of strawberries, kohlrabi, chayote, and carrots that look like they were pulled out of the ground an hour ago (many were). Upstairs, the food stalls open around 6:30am and serve some of the best "banh uot" in the region — steamed rice sheets topped with dried shrimp and scallion oil, eaten with a side of sweet fish sauce. A plate runs about 20,000–25,000 VND.
If you want something more substantial, look for a bowl of "bun bo Hue" — the spiced beef noodle soup from Hue gets a slightly different treatment up here, often served with extra herbs grown locally. Around 40,000–50,000 VND a bowl.
Mid-Morning: Strawberry Farm on the Outskirts
Take a Grab or rent a motorbike (around 120,000–150,000 VND for the day) and head to the strawberry farms clustered along Thanh My and the villages around Cu Lan, roughly 12–15 km north of the city centre. These are real working farms, not Instagram props. You pick from rows of low-hanging fruit in net-covered greenhouses, pay by weight — expect 80,000–120,000 VND per 500g depending on the season — and eat whatever falls apart in your hand on the spot.
The best farms will also sell strawberry jam, dried strawberries, and strawberry wine (more on wine below). The jam is worth buying. Skip the flavoured syrup drinks they push at the entrance.
Lunch: Artichoke Soup and the Vegetarian Belt
"Atiso" — artichoke — is Da Lat's most distinctive local ingredient and its most underrated dish. The plant was introduced by French colonists in the early 20th century and took to the soil here completely. You'll find artichoke tea sold in every shop, but the thing to actually eat is "canh atiso" — a clear broth made from boiling the whole artichoke with pork ribs, or just vegetables for the vegetarian version. It's mild, slightly sweet, and clean-tasting in a way that feels right at altitude.
Head to Truong Cong Dinh Street, where a cluster of vegetarian restaurants serves this properly. A full set lunch — soup, rice, tofu, sauteed greens — costs around 60,000–80,000 VND. Da Lat has a large vegetarian-leaning population and the meatless cooking here is genuinely good, not an afterthought.
Afternoon: Langbiang or Lang Bian Plateau Produce Stops
If you have energy after lunch, the road toward Lang Biang mountain (about 12 km north) passes small farm stands selling avocados, persimmons, and dried fruit. Da Lat avocados are denser and fattier than anything you'll find in Saigon and cost almost nothing here — 30,000–50,000 VND per kilo. Buy a few and eat them with salt and ice, the local way.
Evening: Dinner in the Centre
For dinner, come back into the city and find a spot serving "banh trang nuong" — Da Lat's iconic grilled rice paper, spread with egg, dried shrimp, spring onion, and chilli, folded and eaten straight off a charcoal grill. It's street food rather than a restaurant dish; vendors set up on Phan Dinh Phung and around the night market from about 5pm. Cost: 20,000–30,000 VND per piece.
For a sit-down dinner, the area around Hoa Binh Square has several solid restaurants serving Da Lat-style hot pot — "lau da lat" — loaded with local vegetables: broccolini, napa cabbage, mushrooms, and glass noodles. Budget around 150,000–200,000 VND per person.
Photo by LUC PH@M on Pexels
Day 2 — Winery, Countryside Cooking, and the Night Market
Morning: Dalat Winery and the Surrounding Villages
Vietnam's wine industry is small but Da Lat is its centre. The Dalat Winery (also marketed as Vang Da Lat) is about 5 km from the centre on Ngo Quyen Street and runs daily tastings. The wines — mostly made from local Cardinal grapes and some imported varieties — are not going to compete with anything from Europe, but the light reds are drinkable and the winery itself is an interesting stop. Tasting sessions cost around 50,000–100,000 VND and include three to four pours. Buy a bottle of the "vang do" (red) if you want something to drink that evening.
After the winery, loop out through the farming villages south of the city. Vendors on the roadside sell "mut" — candied and dried fruit preparations that are a Da Lat speciality: dried mango, candied ginger, preserved plum. These make good, practical gifts and cost 50,000–150,000 VND per bag depending on type.
Lunch: "Banh Mi" at the Old French Quarter
Da Lat has a handful of bakeries left over from the French-era infrastructure, and the "banh mi" here has a noticeably crispier crust than the coastal versions — something about the altitude and humidity. There's a long-standing banh mi shop near the old train station on Quang Trung that opens from 7am and sells out by early afternoon. A sandwich runs 25,000–40,000 VND.
Afternoon: Cooking Class or Market Wander
A few small cooking schools around the city centre run half-day classes (around 400,000–600,000 VND per person) focused on Central Highland ingredients — you'll make things like pumpkin soup, sauteed chayote with garlic, and sometimes a version of "banh cuon" using local rice. Worth it if you're interested in technique; skip it if you just want to keep eating.
Alternatively, spend the afternoon back at Cho Da Lat picking up produce to take home — vacuum-packed artichoke tea, dried persimmon, and the local "ca phe sua da" blends from the upland plantations near Cau Dat farm make sensible, non-fragile souvenirs.
Evening: Night Market and Wrapping Up
Da Lat's night market runs along Le Dai Hanh from around 6pm. The food here skews touristy — grilled corn, sausages, sweet soups — but the "kem bo" (avocado ice cream) is legitimately worth stopping for. Around 20,000–30,000 VND a cup.
Photo by LUC PH@M on Pexels
Practical Notes
Da Lat is roughly 300 km from Saigon (사이공 / 西贡 / サイゴン) by road (about 6 hours) or a short 45-minute flight. Nights can drop to 12–15°C in winter months (December to February), so pack a layer even if you're coming straight from the coast. A motorbike is the most practical way to reach the farms — most guesthouses can arrange rental for 120,000–150,000 VND per day.
Last updated · May 26, 2026 · independently researched, never sponsored.
