Xuan Huong Lake

lionlyonne · CC BY-SA 2.0

A crescent-shaped artificial lake in the middle of Da Lat — the axis the whole town turns on.

Xuan Huong is not a natural lake: the French dammed the Cam Ly stream in the 1920s to create it, and all of Da Lat was then laid out around that water. The lake curves like a crescent, the road around it runs about five kilometres, lined with pines and cherry-apricot trees that turn the whole shore pink around January. At dawn mist lifts off the surface and the town jogs round it; in the evening it is where people sit over coffee looking at the water. Almost every other destination in town measures its distance from this lake.

Visitor information

When is the best time to visit Xuan Huong Lake?

December to March; blossom around January

How long do you need at Xuan Huong Lake?

1 - 2 hours

What are the opening hours of Xuan Huong Lake?

All day

Did you know

The lake is artificial, formed by damming the Cam Ly stream in the 1920s.
It curves in a crescent, with a shore road of about 5km.
The cherry-apricot trees around the lake bloom around January.
Central Da Lat was planned around this body of water.

Travel tips

Walk or cycle the full loop early, while mist is still lifting off the water.
January is the cherry-apricot bloom — and also the busiest time of the year.

Source: https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/2390139

Updated: 2026-08-16