Lam Dong (VNA) - Da Lat resort city in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong ranked 3rd in the list of top destinations around the world to admire flowers. The flower power ranking came from tourists surveyed in 28 countries, according to US-based online booking travel agency Booking.com.
“Often known as the city of thousands of flowers, Da Lat is home to various flower parks, farms and festivals, each decorating the city with colorful blooms and rich green landscapes,” said the agency.
Coming here, visitors are mesmerized by fragrances from hundreds of flower species. The most famous garden that attracts visitors all year round is in the center of Da Lat featuring arches of flowers arranged in a gate, facing Xuan Huong Lake, it said.
The lavender flower gardens by Tuyen Lam Lake, sunflower fields at Da Lat Milk Farm, Trai Mat hydrangea flower fields and cherry blossom roads are other lovely spots that travelers should not miss when visiting the city, it added.
Situated on a plateau around 1,500 meters above sea level, Da Lat enjoys year-round cool weather that is in contrast to Vietnam's tropical climate.
Da Lat is one of Vietnam’s biggest flower-growing regions, producing around three billion flowers every year, 10 percent of which are exported to foreign markets including Japan, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan (China), Australia and mainland China.
Da Lat has also been dubbed "Little Paris," given its colonial standing as a summer hideout for French officials who built villas on the hills to escape the heat and humidity of the lowlands.
The list of the world's destinations for flowers include Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Funchal in Portugal, Gramado in Brazil, Cameron in Malaysia, Cordoba in Spain, Victoria in Canada, Toowoomba in Australia and Istanbul in Turkey.
In Southeast Asia, Singapore ranked 5th. The most famous and outstanding place to admire year-round flowers in the country is still in Singapore at Gardens by the Bay - a modern park famous for Supertrees, Flower Dome and Cloud Forest.
The list was based on a survey conducted with 20,934 respondents across 28 countries and territories who have traveled for business or leisure in the past 12 months and plan to travel again in the next year.
This year, the People’s Committee of Lam Dong province will hold the 9th Da Lat Flower Festival from November to late December to honour the value of flowers and floriculture in the resort city.
Last year, the locality decided to skip it due to the complicated development of the COVID-19 pandemic. All funding for the event was used to provide computers and telecommunication services for students with difficult circumstances in the locality.
As the pandemic is under relative control and in line with the Government’s regulations on safe, flexibly adaptation to the COVID-19, the province has determined to organise the festival to push up tourism, trade and investment in the region.
The biennial national and international cultural-tourism festival also aims to promote tourism and trade, and call for greater domestic and international cooperation and investment throughout the locality.
The event will continue to promote the brand of Da Lat as the country’s Flower Festival City, as well as introducing the city’s culture and people to visitors.
Along with hosting traditional art flower spaces, organisers will arrange a wide range of activities during the festival. These include a helicopter tour of Da Lat city, a youth music programme, a hot air balloon festival, and street carnivals with the participation of international dancers. National trade fairs and a football tournament will also be held on this occasion.
Notably, there will be a seminar on investment, trade, and tourism promotion in Lam Dong province, which is scheduled for October. There will also be a workshop to build a strategy for sustainable development for the flower industry in Da Lat in the context of climate change and international integration until 2030./.
