Dalat Palace Heritage Hotel
A 1922 French pine-hill retreat for Saigon's sweltering colonial elite
About the Property
Built in 1922 as a grand retreat for French colonial administrators escaping Saigon's heat, the Dalat Palace sits on a pine-covered hillside overlooking Xuan Huong Lake. The hotel's 43 rooms preserve original hardwood floors, fireplaces, and Art Deco details. After decades of neglect post-1975, a meticulous restoration in the 1990s by Larry Hillblom's estate brought the property back to its former glory. It remains the finest example of French colonial hospitality architecture in Vietnam's Central Highlands.
Original Purpose
French colonial hill station hotel
Highlights
History Timeline
Alexandre Yersin recommends the Langbian Plateau to French authorities as a cool highland retreat for colonial administrators.
Governor-General Ernest Roume formally designates Dalat as a hill station; French villas and civic infrastructure multiply.
Dalat Palace Hotel opens as a grand 43-room retreat designed for French officials and dignitaries visiting the highland capital.
French withdrawal from Indochina; the hotel passes to the Republic of Vietnam government and serves senior officials.
Saigon falls; Dalat Palace is nationalised and falls into disrepair over the following decade.
Larry Hillblom's estate funds meticulous restoration; Dalat Palace reopens as a Heritage Hotel, recovering its original Art Nouveau interiors.