Dalat (pop. 120,000 as of 1999, spelled Đà Lạt in Vietnamese) is the capital of Lâm Đồng Province in Vietnam. The town is located 1500 m (4,920 ft) above sea level on the Langbian Plateau in the southern parts of the Central Highlands (in Vietnamese - Tây Nguyên). According to a myth from the French colonial era, the name derives from the acronym of the Latin phrase 'Dat Aliis Laetitiam Aliis Temperiem’ ("Giving Pleasure to Some, Freshness to Others), which the French colonial government used in their official emblem of Đà Lạt. In reality the name derives from the language of the local ethnic group Lạt and its original meaning is "Stream of the Lạt". In Vietnam, Đà Lạt is a popular tourist destination - highly appreciated for its temperate climate, beautiful sights such as waterfalls and lakes and its abundance of flowers and vegetables. It is the location of the Novotel Dalat (formerly Dalat Hotel) and Sofitel Dalat (formerly Dalat Palace built in 1922).
