Being the capital city of Dak Lak, Central Highland of Vietnam, Buon Ma Thuot is one of the most outstanding tourist destinations due to the wild nature, the prolonged history of the coffee industry, and unique architectural, historical and cultural values. The following are suggestions for the top 10 best things to do in Buon Ma Thuot, which captivates many generations of visitors.

Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Museum

Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Museum, or The World Coffee Museum, inaugurated in 2018, draws a great number of domestic and foreign tourists owing to its typical architectural style and the exquisite combination of modern and traditional features of the Central Highlands. The main exterior design of the museum is inspired by Nha Dai (long house), an ancient architecture of the Ede, which brings the unique cultural identity. Inside the museum, more than 10,000 coffee artifacts from throughout the world are displayed, including Vietnamese coffee processing objects, such as historic instruments used to harvest coffee. The interior of the museum offers large spaces for organizing seminars and workshops and exhibiting historic objects, coffee pots, grinding machines, photos, and coffee tasting. Coming here, visitors will have a unique experience with five senses (sound, sight, taste, smell, and touch), which enable tourists to gain insights into historical and cultural values and the development of the coffee industry, both domestically and internationally, which makes their experience much more meaningful and interesting.

Buon Don

Another must-visit destination in Buon Ma Thuot is Buon Don, which is famous for diverse cultural identities and splendid natural landscapes given as a gift of Mother Nature. Buon Don appears with impressive evergreen coffee fields, immense corn farms and in the sparkling colors of brocade dresses of ethnic groups. Located in the Western Dak Lak Province, the place is known for the typical architecture of communal houses (Rong houses), the over 115-year-old stilt house inspired by the architecture of the Lao ethnic group, the tomb of the Elephant King, and the Ban Don suspension bridge made of bamboo. Coming to Buon Don, tourists will be amazed and interested in folk dances and the hunting and domesticating of elephants. Furthermore, visitors have chances to visit Khunjunop graves, YokDon National Park rich in flora and fauna, taste local food, or participate in festival nights and folklore activities to immerse themselves in the locals’ lives to fully understand the ethnic groups’ identities here.

Trung Nguyen Coffee Village

To understand the origin of Vietnamese coffee and the nation’s breathtaking development as a leading world coffee exporter, a tour to Trung Nguyen Coffee Village is a must-experience. More than a cup of the exquisite beverage, Trung Nguyen Coffee Village offers the unique architectural space with bold identities of the Central Highlands in design, material, and decoration so that tourists can taste the most delicious coffee and know about the mysteries of coffee trees and the coffee processing industry. After being constructed in 2008 by Trung Nguyen Corporation, Trung Nguyen Coffee Village is considered a coffee paradise and the largest historical and cultural coffee museum of the Central Highlands. The interior of the village is separated into two main areas, one for enjoying coffee and one for displaying. In the enjoying-coffee area, tourists can sit in a garden of old coffee trees and contemplate an artificial waterfall, a poetic stream, and a lovely flower garden while enjoying a taste cup of coffee. The display area was made from wood to present over 500 coffee-related processing objects and hold art performances of coffee making from many countries.

Dray Sap and Dray Nur Waterfall

Dray Sap and Dray Nur Waterfall are highly recommended destinations in Buon Ma Thuot because they are majestic and awe-inspiring waterfalls bestowed by Mother Nature. With the height of nearly 20 meters and the width reaching about 100 meters, Dray Sap waterfall brings poetic beauty when the majestic stream pours down from above, forming white water with an impression of smoke, which makes visitors amazed and captivated. Dray Nur Waterfall is located 25 kilometers from Buon Ma Thuot, along Highway 14, with a length of over 250 meters and a height of 30m. In a large green natural space, nature is so pristine and tranquil, which is absolutely perfect for having a walk, an outdoor picnic or taking gorgeous pictures. Contemplating the natural beauty of the waterfalls and listening to the sound of the powerful pouring water and birds singing in the forest makes tourists excited and peaceful.

YokDon National Park

Being Vietnam’s largest area preserving natural sources, YokDon National Park possesses the most diverse ecosystem, with around 90 species of mammals, 300 birds, 50 reptiles and 858 species of trees, and some species in the Red List. Because of prohibiting deforestation, hunting and illegal wildlife trading activities, the park retains its original natural scenery and inherent diverse ecosystem. The vegetation here is dominated by forest ecosystems, which bring typical features of Southeast Asia’s tropical forest with various precious timber trees. Furthermore, YokDon National Park is a conservation area for many wild animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects. Tourists can participate in various recreational activities such as trekking, boating, elephant bathing, bird watching, or camping to discover the impressively gorgeous natural beauty and contemplate the abundance of fauna and flora systems here.

Taking Canoe at Lak Lake

Being one of the largest and most beautiful freshwater lakes in Vietnam, with a total area of about 500 hectares, Lak Lake is a perfect destination for those seeking an authentic and peaceful experience. Lak Lake is regarded as a precious jewel hidden in the magnificent landscapes with abundant biodiversity and unique cultural identities of ethnic minorities. There are various interesting activities here, in which taking a dugout canoe is the best choice for tourists to contemplate the natural wild beauty, take excellent pictures of bucolic landscapes and some ethnic minorities’ villages on the banks, and admire the sunset and sunrise over Lak Lake. On a unique wooden canoe, tourists have chances to immerse themselves in the peaceful scenery, relief themselves and understand more about the cultural values of many ethnic groups in the Central Highlands.

Riding Elephant

For a completely authentic experience, taking an elephant ride is a highly recommended activity when coming to Buon Ma Thuot. Setting foot in the Central Highlands, tourists will surely be stunned at the elephants freely grazing around the lake. The Central Highlands, especially Dak Lak, elephants were used to travel by the locals. Therefore, the journey of elephant riding is so fantastic and unique for visitors to admire the peaceful landscapes and visit traditional stilt houses, daily activities and cultures of ethnic minorities. Sitting on a giant elephant through ancient villages, immense green rice paddies, and rows of Konia trees and paddling around lakes will bring an unforgettable yet wonderful experience for visitors.

Bao Dai Palace

With the exquisite coordination between the Western highlands and modern architecture, Bao Dai Palace is the resting place of Bao Dai, the last king of Viet Nam. During the French colonial period in Vietnam, the building is a special place to mark various important historical events. In the successful August 1945 revolution of the Vietnamese nation, the building was used as the headquarters of the Revolutionary Advisory Council. Through over 100 years, experiencing many upgrades and transformations, Bao Dai Palace now retains its unique and charming architecture, characterizing the traditional house of the Ede. Inside, there are many cultural exhibits of ethnic minorities, some splendid bedrooms overlooking Lak Lake, and two small restaurants offering both Asian and European cuisines. From the palace, tourists can capture the whole view of Lak Lake, the villages of the M'Nong ethnic group, and the gorgeous Chu Yang Sin Mountain.

Dak Lak Museum of Ethnology

Located in the center of Buon Ma Thuot and constructed on the main Bao Dai Palace, the Dak Lak Museum of Ethnology is one of Vietnam’s largest museums and the initiating museum using indigenous ethnic minorities. Dak Lak Museum is famous for its unique architecture, inspired by the traditional longhouse of the Ede, combining modern materials and contrasting colors like white and black, which makes the museum both ancient and luxurious. Inside, it has many precious artifacts, approximately 1,000 artifacts and images in three separate areas: biodiversity, ethnic culture and historical area. Coming here, tourists not only get insight into the cultural and historical values of the ancestors, but they also bring Vietnamese culture closer to international visitors.

Van Kiep Temple

Constructed in 1960 by the Taoist Nguyen Dinh Ca, Van Kiep Temple is to worship Tran Dai Vuong and Dao Mau (God the Mother) and to remind future generations of gratitude for the Legend of Ancient Vietnam. The temple's name, Van Kiep, means “lasting forever.” Due to the ancient construction style, Van Kiep Temple brings an extremely ancient architectural beauty, resemblingtemples of the Ly Dynasty. The interior space of the temple is divided into many areas of worship, including the altar of Mother Au Co Tam Toa Thanh Mau—Quoc To Hung Vuong and the community of Tran Trieu Duc Hung Dao Dai Vuong, which creates the solemn atmosphere. A visit to Van Kiep Temple is a good chance to express gratefulness and gratitude for Vietnamese ancestors and broaden horizons about the origin of Vietnamese people.

=> Excursion to Vietnam Central Highland