3 Best Sights in The South-Central Coasts and Highlands, Vietnam

This tiny commune is a true example of preserved architecture amid a stunning backdrop. The pristine Quy Hoa beach is right through the trees, just a short walk away from the center of the colorful village. Most of the actual lepers are elderly now, and it's mostly their descendants who populate the village, some of whom work in a small clothing factory or as crab fishermen. The residents are friendly and don't seem to mind foreigners wandering around. The village and its hospital is well-known among Vietnamese because one of the country's most famous poets, Han Mac Tu, died there in 1940 after contracting leprosy at age 38. The cemetery is interesting and colorful.

A K'Ho ethnic minority village, Dinh An has found itself on the tourist radar mainly because of its proximity to the highway and its giant concrete chicken. The village is often included in easy rider tours, and is only really worth visiting as one stop on a day-long exploration of the countryside surrounding Dalat. The village itself is quite spread out, with most families involved in small-scale farming of vegetables and flowers. The villagers don't wear their traditional dress, which disappoints some visitors, but keep in mind that they receive minimal benefit from tourists trooping through. There's a couple of small handicraft shops and a tiny grocery store across from the chicken statue. The chicken itself, which in its glory days was a fountain but is now propped up with an extra concrete leg, is from the local Romeo and Juliet legend for which the Langbian Mountain is named. Her Bian was a girl from a southern highlands village who fell in love with K'Lang, a boy from a northern highlands village. The villages were at war so the parents of the love-struck couple would not allow them to marry. Her Bian's parents finally relented, telling K'Lang he could marry their daughter if he found a chicken with nine spurs as the dowry. K'Lang went to the forest but he could not find a chicken with nine spurs (the rear-facing claw). So the couple eloped and lived in the forest until they died, cut off from their families. Dinh An Village is 9 km (5½ miles) from the airport and can be visited en route to Dalat rather than by making the 18 km (11 mile) trip from Dalat.

A small community of about 30 ethnic M'Nong households on the shores of Lak Lake, Jun Village is an interesting place for a stroll to see the traditional bamboo and wood longhouses and the more modern concrete versions, most with a collection of pot-bellied pigs, chickens, dogs, and children running around or napping nearby. There are two restaurants on the lakefront, both serving cheap Vietnamese fare, as well as some handicraft shops selling baskets, weaving, wind chimes, and other knickknacks. It's possible to organize a stay in one of the longhouses in Jun Village through Duc Mai Coffee, but this is best done with a guide. Be advised that bathrooms are outside.