Tuyen Lam Lake

Tuyen Lam is a reservoir of several hundred hectares south of Da Lat, formed by damming in the 1980s and now ringed by pine, with inlets and small islands and a shoreline long enough to walk or cycle for hours. Above it stands Truc Lam, a Zen monastery founded in 1994 with terraced gardens looking down on the water, reached by a cable car of about two and a half kilometres from Robin hill in Da Lat - which is the standard way visitors arrive. Boats and pedalos run on the lake and there is a golf course and resort development along parts of the shore.

The landscape

• A pine-ringed reservoir - several hundred hectares, dammed in the 1980s.
• Truc Lam Zen monastery - founded 1994, above the water.
• A cable car from Da Lat - about two and a half kilometres.
• Development along the shore - resorts and a golf course.

When to go

November to April, the dry months. Half a day.

Good to know

The cable car queues at weekends and closes in high wind. Development around the lake has increased. The monastery is a working one with dress rules. Water levels vary.

Nearby

Da Lat is north; Datanla waterfall is east.

Key facts