Da Lat station is a railway station on the Da Lat–Thap Cham Railway line in Vietnam, serving the town of Da Lat in Lâm Đồng Province. It was designed in 1932 by French architects Moncet and Reveron, and opened in 1938. Largely unused since abandonment of the railway during the later years of the Vietnam War, it was returned to a limited level of service in the 1990s with the reopening of a 7 km (4.3 mi) section of track leading to the nearby village of Trai Mat, operated as a tourist attraction. It is notable for its unique architectural style, which incorporates an overall Art Deco theme with elements of native Cao Nguyen communal houses from Vietnam's Central Highlands.
Da Lat station
A JNR Class C12 steam locomotive at Da Lat railway station
The station's coloured glass windows
The Da Lat–Thap Cham railway or Da Lat-Phan Rang railway was an 84 km (52 mi) rack railway connecting the city of Da Lat to the main North–South railway at Tháp Chàm in Ninh Thuận Province. It was established by the French administration of Indochina in 1932 after thirty years of construction in phases, beginning in 1903. The first section, running 41 km (25 mi) from Tháp Chàm to Sông Pha, opened in 1919, and the second section, running 43 km (27 mi) from Song Pha to Da Lat, opened in 1932. Due to the mountainous terrain, the Sông Pha–Da Lat section used rack rails in three sections, and included five tunnels. The Da Lat–Tháp Chàm railway is occasionally referred to as a Crémaillère railway, referring to the French word for the rack used on its rails.
Refurbished rail cars at Da Lat station, now operated as a tourist attraction
Da Lat station from another point of view
A locomotive travels on the Đà Lạt–Tháp Chàm line
The Ngoan Muc Pass, along which the railway travelled