The Lake of Sighs (Ho Than Tho; admission 5000d) is a natural lake enlarged by a French-built dam. The forests are not Dalat’s finest. The cheery name comes from the story of Mai Nuong and Hoang Tung, who met here in 1788 while he was hunting and she was pick-ing mushrooms. They fell in love and sought their parents’ permission to marry. At that time Vietnam was threatened by a Chinese invasion and Hoang Tung, like a macho fool, joined the army without telling Mai Nuong. Mai Nuong sent word for him to meet her at the lake, and when he didn’t come she was overcome with sorrow and drowned herself. She clearly wasn’t used to being stood up. There are several small restaurants up the hill from the dam- Horses can be hired for 80,000d an hour, while a ride in a horse-drawn carriage costs 140.000d per hour. The Lake of Sighs is 6km northeast of the centre of Dalat via D Phan Chu Trinh.