You are right, Mang Buk was real nice, hovering into a wall of trees above the curving river below and landing on that little pad. It was beautiful, but it didn't hold a candle to DaLat! That is Southeast of Ban Me Thouit, way up in the mountains. The French / Vietnamese women were tall and statuesque, beautifully dressed and walking all around the town (I'm sure that they were the socially elite). It was a page from an area where there was no war. The streets were paved, there were vinyards everywhere, the SF COL that I was flying took us to town to eat in the French / Vietnamese restaurant at the intersection in the middle of town. The food was fabulous, the waitresses were beautiful, and the service was great! I made that trip three times during my tour, had to climb to 14,000 feet to get out of there one time, 519 was taking it without a strain, but the EGT went up a notch or two.

Dave