Đà Lạt has always been a highly sought-after traveling destination, like how it was originally designed as a resort town for French officials. These days, however, the hilly Lâm Đồng town has urbanized so quickly that at times it’s hard to believe that here once lived a tree-carpeted enclave.
In these rare photos taken in 1992, Đà Lạt and surrounding localities in the Central Highlands appear as dreamy and lush as the stories our parents used to tell about their magical time in the temperate weather of Lâm Đồng. In between modernist structures and red-tiled roofs stand luxuriant heritage trees. Open fields full of fresh vegetables, mossy lawns, and pristine lakes bring to mind a sleepy town with a languid pace of life that would make Saigon’s rat race seem vertiginous.
A tree-filled view of Đà Lạt.
These vivid film shots are just a handful of shots in the collection of Hans-Peter Grumpe, a German professor who traversed the length of Vietnam in the early 1990s and took thousands of photos. Grumpe’s images are neither too technical nor amateurish, but what makes them priceless is the vision that they offer — an objective lens into our past, complete with a healthy dose of whimsy and natural beauty, but also a lot of developmental struggles.
Have a closer look below:
Chợ Đà Lạt's iconic modernist design.
Mulberry candies, various teas, and dry artichokes are common souvenirs from the highlands.
Vintage vehicles parked right beside the main market building.
Pine trees and greenery from Prenn Hill.
The second palace of Emperor Bảo Đại.
French-style villas are peppered across the hills in the central area.
Tuyền Lâm Lake.
No greenhouse in sight.
A small town before the tourism boom.
An inter-province bus about to depart from Đà Lạt to Buôn Ma Thuột.
Grumpe's chauffeur decides to try flying the airplane in Thung Lũng Tình Yêu.
On the road to Buôn Ma Thuột.
Fresh produce at Buôn Ma Thuột Market.
Smile, you're on camera!
Dry fish from coastal provinces.
My fish is the biggest in the whole place!
Don't put all your eggs in one basket unless you sell them.
Roosters for sale.
What to make with tomatoes, garlics, onions, and pickled bok choy?
Mommy this man is speaking German to me.
A stilt house in Ako Dhong Village in Buôn Ma Thuột.
Drinking rượu cần.
Most homes in the Central Highlands used to be based on stilts.
Families in the village.
[Photos by Hans-Peter Grumpe via RedsVN]
