To the south of Dalat is a park full of clay sculptures, made using the locally sourced red basalt soil. As you move through the site, the sculptures tell the story of the Đà Lạt Plateau. Each area is themed after an era of its history, from its discover, to colonial occupation, and even the COVID pandemic.
The Clay Sculpture tunnel lies to the south of Dalat, around 30 minutes drive through scenic mountains and past many roads still under construction. It can easily be reached by car or bike, but be aware that getting a taxi back will be all but impossible since drivers won’t want to drive that far to pick people up.
When I visited it cost 120,000 dong to enter, which is less than $5 USD. On entry you will be greeted by a sculpture of a dragon, it’s coiled body forming arches over the path you will take. Despite its name, the Clay Sculpture Tunnel isn’t really a tunnel, but an open air exhibition. Made of terracotta, the sculptures here reminded me of those in the Maze Bar, only these were far more grander in scale.
The first collection of sculptures reflect mythological ideals, with monkeys that see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. This quickly moves into an area of sculptures reflecting the flora and fauna found on the plateau before colonial settlement.
Sculptures of animals include elephants, snakes, tortoises, iguanas, and beetles. Many have their size exaggerated, giving a sense that you are a small creating walking amongst the grandeur of nature.
After wandering through the wilderness of the plateau, the next set of sculptures represented the development of the city by the French. Many buildings and vehicles are represented here, including carriages, cars, planes, trains, and the infamous Chicken Church.
The transition shows the rise of an urban culture within the plateau. It represents the shift from pure nature to an urban town with many tourist sites around. Nature still rules on the plateau, but the human presence is impossible to miss.
After wandering through the colonial sculptures there are many installations designed for photo opportunities. On busy days couples will queue up to get pictures of themselves under a heart, or riding swan boats together. On the day I visited the park was pretty empty, so I was able to get a couple of shots of myself interacting with the art.
The next installation was a very new addition. The park was initially opened in 2014, but in 2024 they added a whole area to commemorate the battle against the COVID 19 pandemic. Many monstrous looking virus creatures infest this area, with vaccines and giant boxing gloves beating several of them.
You can even get involved with them yourself, donning the boxing gloves to beat the virus monsters, or by judging them in a court of law. It’s a strange, yet fun part of the park.
There are a few sculptures of war planes and bunkers after this, likely to represent the Vietnam War. This is a smaller section, so likely not something the park decided to focus on too much. Still, it’s nice to see this important part of history acknowledged.
After leaving I got some ice cream before hopping on my bike to the next destination. The Sculpture Tunnel was a fun day out. As a place designed mainly for photo opportunities it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is also a place full of locally designed art. And to me, that makes it worth the journey.
