Dalat climate & weather has made it something of an education centre; before air-con it was one of the few places in Vietnam where it was possi -ble to study without working up a sweat. Datat University (Map p316; 1Đ Tran Nhan Tong) was founded as a Catholic university in 1957 by Hue Archbishop Ngo Dinh Thuc (the older brother of unpopular South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem) with the help of Cardinal Spelman of New York.

It was seized from the church in 1975 and reopened two years later as a state-run institution. There are presently more than 13,000 students studying here. Foreign visitors are generally welcome.