It is small size Sunbird, with length of about 11–16 cm, and its plumage is primarily yellow and red. The male has a blue crown, a red throat, and a bright yellow belly, while the female is duller in color compared to the male. The female has deep olive green on the dorsal side and greyish-yellow on the ventral side. This is a subspecies of Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird, with the Da Lat subspecies endemic to Vietnam.

Its habitats include evergreen broadleaf forests and mixed broadleaf–coniferous forests. It is a sedentary species, usually living in pairs or small flocks. Its main diet consists of nectar, spiders and insects. This species has a Least concern status from a conservation point of view.