4 Best Sights in The South-Central Coasts and Highlands, Vietnam

This psychedelic flight of architectural whimsy will probably be the wackiest thing you see in Vietnam, which is saying something, given the local penchant for quirkiness. Free-form stairs and tunnels wend their way through multistory Dr. Seuss–like concrete trees that contain 10 hotel rooms, unexpected sitting areas, and concrete animals. Its owner and designer, Dr. Dang Viet Nga, who studied architecture in Russia, built the structure to remind people of the importance of nature and the environment.

Some of the staircases are very steep and the railings quite low. People who are unsteady on their feet or in charge of small children should be very careful.

The Lake of Sighs, northeast of town, takes its name from a tale of two star-crossed lovers, Hoang Tung and Mai Nuong. According to legend, Hoang Tung joined the army, but Mai Nuong thought she had been abandoned. Out of despair, she killed herself by jumping into the lake. On discovering her body, her lover did the same. Access to the lake is via a kitschy theme park that may entertain children for several hours. The extensive grounds contain flower gardens, statues designed for photo-posing, coffee stalls, concrete animals, and replica village huts.

A superb example of how Dalat won its reputation as a kitschy destination, the Valley of Love is a pseudo theme park popular with honeymooning Vietnamese couples for photographs with "cute" man-made backdrops. Set in a valley that leads down to a lake, the park can keep younger kids entertained for quite a while, with fairground rides, a miniature train, swan-shaped pedal boats, and carriages drawn by very skinny horses. Older kids might enjoy paintball and jeep rides. The main attraction for adults is not the views but the opportunity to observe local life.

Circumscribed by a walking path, Xuan Huong Lake is a hub of leisurely activity, including swan-shape paddleboats. Although there's traffic nearby, the lake provides a pleasant place to walk and bike. The dam-generated lake takes its name from a 17th-century Vietnamese poet known for her daring attacks on the hypocrisy of social conventions and the foibles of scholars, monks, mandarins, feudal lords, and kings.