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Dac Lak

Buon Ma Thuot is the largest city in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. It is the capital city of Dak Lak Province. It lies about 190 km inland from Nha Trang and around 200km north of Dalat. Its main interest for visitors is the nature surroundings and ethnic groups in the area.

Most of Buon Ma Thuot’s attractions lie well away from the town. They include the excellent Gia Long and Dray Nur waterfalls, both little visited. Gia Long is adjacent to ancient forest where Emperor Bao Dai used to hunt. The forest is spectacular with enormous trees, vines, and a profusion of insects. Nearby, there is a natural swimming pool, an almost rectangular basin with a sandy bottom.

About thirteen miles from the town, there is a settlement of Ede people who live in distinctive longhouses on stilts. It's a good starting point for a hike through Nam Kha Forest. Further away to the northwest is Yok Don, Vietnam’s largest national park. Several ethnic groups live within it, notably the M’nong people who traditionally specialised in hunting and domesticating the wild elephants that roamed in the area.

The plenty of coffee fields will deeply impress many travelers on the way to Buon Ma Thuot. Coffee is planting in most districts of Dak Lak, but coffee planting in Buon Ma Thuot is highly-appreciated because of its typical flavor. This explains why the trade of Café Buon Ma Thuot is famous all over the world and Buon Ma Thuot can be regarded as “capital coffee”. In Buon Ma Thuot, coffee partially forms the unique culture of this region and local people. Do not hesitate if you are invited to go out for a cup of coffee, hence, it is one of the specific cultural characters of local people.