Da Lat was established in 1893 when the central doctor Alexandre Yersin set foot on Lam Vien plateau and since then he had a very convincing proposal when Paul Doumer - Governor General of Indochina asked for a highland location to develop a convalescence center. Since then, Da Lat city gradually formed and became a resort center in Indochina, so far Da Lat has become a center of national and international tourism.

Da Lat has conditions in terms of natural landscape, architectural landscape, climate and people of Da Lat creating its own uniqueness to Dalat tourism. Because of nature's gift of many natural factors, Da Lat has beautiful natural landscape, unique architecture, and a convergence of residents from many regions throughout the country. Therefore, Da Lat people is gentle, elegant are hospitable. Da Lat has a gently sloping terrain combined with endemic pine forests and mild weather, forming a fresh ecological environment. This is one of the cities in the world that is less vulnerable to climate change, so Da Lat can exploit year-round tourism that not all cities have. Da Lat is known as the city of thousands of flowers because there are always blooming flowers all year round; In particular, there are two types of flowers that are considered as indicators of the weather of Da Lat, because when they bloom, people know what season it is. If the Purple Phoenix flower is in full bloom at the beginning of the rainy season in Da Lat, the blooming wild sunflower is a signal of the beginning of the dry season in Da Lat city.

Da Quy (Wild Sunflower) in the world

     Tithonia digifolia is worldwide known as Mexican sunflower. This is a species of plant in the Asteraceae family, originally domesticated in Mexico and spreading to other parts of Central and South America and north into the United States. It has been introduced to parts of Africa and Asia as an ornamental plant and has become an invasive and widespread weed. Wild Sunflower is found most often in areas with elevations from 550m to 1950m. It is commonly found scattered among rivers and along roadsides in Asia and Latin America. In the world, depending on each country, it has different names: called kembang bulan (Indonesian and Javanese), jalacate (Spanish), buatong (Thai) and Da Quy (Vietnamese), Tithonia Hmifolia (southern India); In Japan at the end of the Meiji period, the wild sunflower was imported as an ornamental plant, although it is rarely grown there, there is also a story about the species being introduced to Japan by Nitobe Inazo, hence the Japanese name flower Nitobe chrysanthemum (ニ ト ベ ギ ク; Nitobegiku). In Taiwan, wild sunflower is also sold in herbal medicine markets. Da Quy is a typical flower of the province of Mae Hong Son, Thailand; In the Bolaven Plateau in southern Laos, Da Quy flowers grow naturally, forming fields simultaneously in November, the flowers bloom for tens of hectares.

Da Quy in Vietnam and Lam Dong province

       In Vietnam, Da Quy was planted in plantations by the French in the Central Highlands provinces, especially in Lam Dong province in the 30s. Da Quy was first planted by French planters in coffee and tea plantations in Cau Dat, Da Lat; Phi Vang coffee plantation in Don Duong; coffee plantations in Duc Trong, coffee plantations in Phu Son, Lam Ha, tea plantations in Di Linh, Bao Loc and Bao Lam and some tea plantations in Kon Tum and Gia Lai. The stem of Da Quy plant contains about 1.76% N, 0.82% P, 3.92% K and Ca, Mg... so the French planters mainly plant it as green manure to fertilize the plantations and as a demarcation line for industrial tree plantations, in addition, it can be planted under control as an ornamental tree in the office. Due to the physiological characteristics of the tree, the seeds are easily dispersed by the wind, the tree has a strong vitality, regenerates quickly from the stem and roots, so now, Da Quy is not only dominate the wild places in the Central Highlands but also a part of the Central Highlands northern provinces. Thanks to the characteristics of flowers in focus distribution and bright yellow color, they have attracted many tourists in the blooming season to take photos and write poems and the name Da Quy has appeared since the 1970s, lasted until today. There are still many unknowns, why this flower has so many names compared to other flowers, but according to the author, it is probably because this flower has a strong vitality, characteristic yellow bloom and long time. The blooming time is long, making many people feel emotional, so Da Quy has many names: Da Quy, Cuc Quy, Son Quy, Quy Dai, Mexican Sunflower, Nitobe daisy, Wild sunflower. In Vietnam, Da Quy usually blooms around the middle of the fourth quarter (October to November), the flowers bloom brightly on the hillside, on national highways, around rural roads, urban peri-urban areas, and interspersed with landscaped plots. Attractive rural landscape.

 Thanks to its interesting physiological characteristics, Da Quy flowers bloom at the beginning of the dry season when the air is chilly, the weather in this season is about to stop raining and the atmosphere is about to welcome the new year, thus the season of wild sunflowers in Da Lat has different meanings comparing to many other places in the country. In the middle of the last months of the year, Da Lat and the surrounding area will be painted with thousands of wildflowers blooming along national highways 20, 27, 28B and Ta Nung, Xuan Truong and Xuan Tho communes, this is a magical opportunity for tourists to visit, take pictures and check-in; Especially on the road of about 1/3 the highway to Da Lat, in the season, the flowers bloom brightly on both the hillside and the green pine forests as impressive watercolor paintings to welcome tourists from all over the world.

Da Quy season in 2021, Da Lat has many differences that have never happened in the past

     As analyzed above, the Da Quy flower season signals entering the dry season in Da Lat, thanks to its attractive colors and always attracts not only locals but also tourists from all over the world on a relaxing days. However, the 2021 Da Quy, Da Lat has many differences compared to the past, even with many unprecedented and never-before-seen differences, showing the following 10 differences:

+ For the first time, Da Lat city simultaneously expanded many intersections and inner city roads to create the most open space since the formation and development of Da Lat until now. Currently, Da Lat city is implementing investment procedures according to regulations on urgent works for the construction and expansion of intersections: Hoang Van Thu intersection project; Phan Chu Trinh market intersection project; the project of expanding the intersection of Nam Da Lat University; project of the crossroads of Dao Duy Tu - Tran Phu - Ba Trieu streets; the project of expanding the intersection of Ba Huyen Thanh Quan street - Hung Vuong street; the project to expand Tran Phu street worthy of the East-West heritage axis; the project of expanding Dankia road from Phuoc Thanh to Lac Duong bridge is the largest since the formation of Lac Duong district until now (1979); especially the project of expanding Kim Cuc intersection (Tran Hung Dao - Hung Vuong street and 3/4 street - Ho Tung Mau street; this is the intersection where traffic jams alwways happen in the peak season, now the project expands the space to Lam Dong Radio and Television Station and Lam Dong Forest Protection and Development Fund in the west, create the largest crossroads in the history of Da Lat's formation and development, the expansion has created an airy space. Ffter a long travel way, as soon as tourist arrive at the intersection of the southern alley of Da Lat, they will see the legendary Langbiang mountain range north of Da Lat as welcoming visitors since ever, giving visitors a feeling of lightness and peace of mind. Indescribable excitement; all projects to expand intersections will be completed in November 2021. It can be said that this is the first time Da Lat city has expanded intersections and inner-city roads with a large scale. The largest ever to combat traffic jams, will contribute to the satisfaction of tourists, so that Da Lat will continue to welcome more tourists in the future.

+ In the past, Da Lat did not have traffic lights, but before the requirements of urban development, welcoming an increasing number of tourists and overcoming traffic jams in the Da Quy season in 2021, Da Lat will have traffic lights;

+ In 2021 Da Quy season, visitors will not only see flowers and take pictures of Da Quy flowers like every other year, but also see and take pictures of wind power turbines at Cau Dat, Xuan Truong commune, Da Lat; this is the first wind power project with modern technology not only in Lam Dong province but also one of the first in the Central Highlands;

+ For the first time, the wildflower season blooms beautifully to greet visitors from all over the world, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, few tourists visit and check-in with the blooming season of yellow flowers blending with the landscape as romantic as the Da Quy season in previous years;

+ In the 2021 Da Quy season, Lam Dong people in general and Da Lat people in particular have suffered too much damage to their health, spirit and economy due to the Covid-19 pandemic;

+ The Da Quy season is unprecedented, but Lam Dong province organizes to welcome thousands of people from all over the southern provinces (mainly in Ho Chi Minh City) back to their hometown Lam Dong with pregnant women, old people, and children traveling by 03 Bamboo Airways flights sponsored by FLC Group Joint Stock Company and 550 people by road vehicle; organized to pick up the elderly, sick and children sponsored by Phuong Trang Group with hundreds of trips to pick up 2,138 people, of which 337 people from Da Lat returned to reunite with their families, relax and enjoy fresh air after months worrying about safety, health, life and financial exhaustion;

  + The previous Da Quy season, “million of people” was the unit to count tourists, in the Da Quy season in 2021, visitors are only counted one by one and are always supervised by the local government when coming to Da Lat for the safety and health of the community and visitors;

+ Different from the Da Quy flower seasons in the years before when Da Quy flower season also coincides with the time when thousands of hectares of flowers are racing to bloom, but in 2021, the flower area and flower yield are suddenly decreased compared to the previous year. That has never occured previously;

+ Da Quy flower season when tens of thousands of hotel rooms and thousands of homestays are empty, all of them are always in a state of waiting for tourism to recover to welcome guests like in the in previous Da Quy seasons;

+ Lam Dong province has organized 8 Da Lat flower festiaval, as usual, the 9th Flower Festiaval plan would be held from October to December 2021; However, due to the complicated situation of the Covid-19 epidemic, Lam Dong Provincial Party Committee decided to stop organizing the 9th Flower Festiaval in 2021.

     Through the above analysis, it is shown that Da Quy flower season is special significance for the city of thousands of flowers, however the Da Quy flower season in 2021 has many differences compared to the past, moreover, many of these differences are unprecedented. Perhaps these differences are not only experienced by the people of Da Lat but also by tourists from all over the world, from which to see the wild sunflower season in 2021 in Da Lat as a memorable wildflower season: a flower season is decorated on the largest scale ever, many smart and innovative technologies are applied to urban governance and green economic development; a season of wild sunflowers when the city of thousands of flowers and tourist paradise is broken uncontrollably; people are always worried about safety, health, life and spirit; a Da Quy season that all residents and visitors always hope to control the Covid-19 epidemic as soon as possible to recover the economy, with the expectation that the next year's Da Quy seasons will be safe; to make the Da Quy season always be meaningful, the flowers show off their brilliant yellow color, so that Da Lat citizens and tourists from all over the world can enjoy their time with the city of thousands of flowers; Discover tourist paradise, love paradise and farming paradise.

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