Dalat Old Railway Station: History & Timetable of the Train

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Where is Location of Dalat Old Train Station?

Dalat Old Train Station was designed by architect Reveron with Ang-normand architecture style with the modern style. Then architecture Moncet designed some more details and supervised the construction. It ‘s construction started in 1935 and finished in 1938. This is the unique and beautiful construction of Dalat. Dalat Railway Station is one of the most beautiful and original architecture works of Dalat and Vietnam. Previously, it was one of the most beautiful Railway Station of Indochina.

Location: No. 1 Quang Trung, Phường 10, Tp. Da Lat, Lam Dong.
Opening Hours: 6 am to 5 pm
Entrance Fee: 5,000 VND / Person / Ticket
Designer: Two French architects Moncet and Reveron
Architectural style: French style.
Architecture: The shape of the station has three peaks, like the LangBiang mountain. 66.5m long, 11.4m wide, 11m high.

History of Dalat Old Railway Station:

The railway line to Da Lat city was one of the finest feats of colonial engineering in Vietnam. Plans to build the Da Lat Railway Station were started in the 20th century but construction did not commence until 1932.

After the French occupied Vietnam, as part of the colonialists ‘mission civilastrice’, major infrastructure projects were initiated. The French installed electricity power stations, built French-style buildings as well as roads, parks, canals and of course a rail system. In the early 20th century, Paul Doumer, the French Governor-General of Indochina from 1897 to 1902, approved the construction of a railway line from Thap Cham in Ninh Thuan province to Da Lat.

The colonialists hired Swedish engineers for the job, who had experience at building zigzag railways for use on steep slopes. Although the initial survey was conducted in 1898. Construction of the first phase running from Thap Cham to Song Pha, just 38 kilometres, only commenced in 1908. And it took seven years to complete.

In colonial times two trains ran daily from Da Lat to Nha Trang and from Da Lat to Saigon. Each train would comprise three compartments for passengers and one for goods. Most passengers were French citizens or Vietnamese officials. The journey from Da Lat to Saigon took half of a day.

By 1975 the railway line completely abandoned. Decades of war had taken their toll on all of Vietnam and restoring the rail link from the north of the country to the south took precedence. What was left at the Da Lat railway line was ripped up and a number of locomotives. That made by Fucca in Switzerland and sold back to the manufacturer.

Architecture of Da Lat Old Railway Station:

Dalat Railway Station was designed by French architects Moncet and Revéron. It features the three highest peaks of Lang Biang and the unique image of Central Highlands’ house roof. In the middle roof is a clock, and below is the design of colorful glass windows and the soft curves of the porch.

Also, the main hall of Dalat Railway Station now displays many rare and antique products for visitors. Some cabins are for coffee shops. So, don’t forget to stop by and enjoy a nice cup of coffee.

How to Get tp Dalat Old Railway Station?

From the city center, you can grab a taxi / motorbike or walk following Ho Xuan Huong street to Lam Vien Square and go straight to Yersin street. About 2km up the small slope near the pine forest, you will see the station on the right.

Train Journey from Dalat Train Station to Trai Mat Village:

The trip takes about 30 minutes and operated 5 times per day. You can take a train and return to the city center by take another train the same day. Times may vary by number of guests. And they may cancel trip if the number of passengers is too small (<20 Guests).

Schedule of Train from Dalat Railway Station to Trai Mat Village

Train Departure Time:	Ticket Price:
No.1: 07:45 – 09:15 No.2: 09:50 – 11:20 No.3: 11:55 – 13:25 No.4: 14:00 – 15:30 No.5: 16:05 – 17:35	– 150,000 VND / person with a one-way ticket – 170,000 VND / person with a round-trip ticket

The tour, which runs from Da Lat Railway Station to Trai Mat, has now run for a decade. It’s worth taking for the spectacular views. This is Da Lat, the flower capital and fruit farm of Vietnam. All around the city you can spot orchards, rolling fields of vegetables and flowers, pine trees and lakes.

When the train stops at Trai Mat station, you can stroll around and visit the local market or Mosaic Linh Phuoc Pagoda. At the market you can find tones of fresh vegetables and fresh fruit. A punnet of cherries and strawberries is the perfect accompaniment for the rest of the trip. This trip is always get high reviews from customers on TripAdvisor and Travel Magazines.