Da Lat’s accommodations fully booked amidst cherry blossom season and holidays

Bui Nhat Nam from the southern Dong Nai Province intended to visit a hill flushed with blooming cherry blossoms, located 18 kilometers from Da Lat, between Feb. 2 and 4. However, his search for accommodations at about five homestays and small hotels in the center resulted in no vacancies.

Nam finally managed to book a double room for VND1.5 million ($60) per night through a booking app, located 1 kilometer from the city center. Unfortunately, this room did not offer the views he had searched for in his earlier choices.

Pink cherry blossoms in full bloom in Lac Duong District, Da Lat City, on Jan. 18, 2024. Photo by Quang Da Lat

Local Da Lat photographer Quang finds that his busiest time is in January and early February, as this is when the flowers typically bloom. He also sees a spike in domestic tourism on weekends with a dip on weekdays.

This year, the blossoming occurred a couple weeks later than usual.

While the cherry blossoms in Da Lat are blooming, Nguyen Nhat Vu, deputy general director of a local tourism company, said that they have a minimal effect on the high booking rates during Tet, as they “attract primarily young visitors from Saigon on weekends.”

He further notes that a significant factor for the full bookings is Korean tourists, who are on vacation and prefer 4–5-star hotels. These accommodations have been fully booked two weeks before Tet, which peaks on Feb. 10.

The number of domestic tourists coming to Da Lat is increasing on weekends, staying at 3-star hotels, homestays, and small hotels in the center. During Tet, room occupancy at 3-star hotels and above in Vu’s system has reached over 90%.

Dinh Thi Thu Thao, the commercial director of a booking platform, also said that in the two weeks leading up to Tet, the number of bookings increased on weekends, with room occupancy remaining high at over 80% on the second and third days of Tet (Feb. 11-12).

5-star hotels such as MerPerle and Colline are fully booked from Feb. 10 to 16 and Feb. 12 to 15, respectively.

Local accommodations, including a homestay in Ward 10 and a lodging on Khe Sanh Street, are also reporting high demand, with no vacancies on several weekends leading up to Tet and limited availability during the holiday.

Last year, Booking.com’s data indicated that Da Lat was the top destination for Tet holiday, followed by Nha Trang and Vung Tau beach towns.