Buon Ma Thuot
Discover Buon Ma Thuot
Buon Ma Thuot or Buôn Ma Thuột (or sometimes Buôn Ma Thuật, Buôn Ma Thuật or Ban Mê Thuột), is the capital city of Daklak Province, in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Despite its quiet appearance, Buon Ma Thuot is very quickly developing. However, most of this development is from internal investment rather than the tourism industry. There are very few tourist sites, but the people are friendly, the coffee is great, and a stop here is well worth it to get off the beaten track and see Vietnamese city life that does not revolve around tourism. It is also an excellent base of operations to visit Yok Don National Park, Ban Don Village, and Lak Lake.
What to Experience in Buon Ma Thuot
Taste of Buon Ma Thuot...
Despite what the guidebooks say, Buon Ma Thuot has a very solid selection of good eats. Fast development and not much tourist infrastructure mean that the guidebooks are behind the times and sorely misleading. A wander just northwest of the main roundabout after around 18:00 will turn up a truly great selection of street stalls and small restaurants, offering up very tasty standards such as hủ tiếu, phở, bún, cơm, and nem. Check Ly Thuong Kiet nearby for a selection of roll-your-own spring roll joints. A very tasty cơm hến, the Hue speciality, is available at a simple-looking place across the street from the Co-op Mart that also advertises Bún bò Huế. Walk past the shabby looking front room into a spectacular little back home, complete with garden, birds, and an internal waterfall. KFC is available in the Co-op Mart building, if you really need it. Coffee, coffee, coffee. Buon Ma Thuot is the capital of coffee in Vietnam, a country that is second only to Brazil in coffee exports. Because of this, cafes are on every street corner, and most are spectacular. Many offer several different varieties of bean and roast. Standouts include Emerald's Cafe in Tan Loi and, just east of town, Trung Nguyen's flagship coffee gardens (a huge pleasure garden complete with man-made mountains and waterfall, lined with coffee trees and boasting both traditional Viet and Ede designed buildings). However, it's very difficult to find a bad cup of coffee.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsBuon Ma Thuot is 194 km from Nha Trang, 197 km from Pleiku, 223 km from Qui Nhon, 350 km from Ho Chi Minh City, 396 km from Dalat and 1427 km from Hanoi. There is a bus service to Buon Ma Thuot from Danang and Ho Chi Minh City (departs from Mien Dong Bus Station in Ho Chi Minh City). Buon Ma Thuot Bus Station is 3km east of the center. Several buses travel daily to Pleiku and Danang (buses will stop in Pleiku), Qui Nhon (11 hours), Nha Trang (6 hours), and Ho Chi Minh City (18 hours). Mai Linh Express now operate their hunter green Mercedes Sprinters from Buon Ma Thuot, which cut down travel times considerably, even with short breaks at mealtimes. For example, the journey to Nha Trang is 90,000 dong, four times daily, and takes approximately 3½ hours. You can also book buses using online booking platforms, such as: When searching for tickets online, beware for scams or fake hotlines. Calling fake hotlines often charge you with high phone call fees and waste your time....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Your usual selection of taxis operate here, including Mai Linh. The city is also eminently bikeable due to its compact size and flat terrain. Mai Linh taxi phone number in Buon Ma Thuot is +84 500 381 9819, or 0500 381 9819 when using local mobile phone. Most drivers don't speak English, so prepare written notes or show them map on your smartphone screen. You could also choose to rent out motorbikes or cars. Remember to check whether or not your driver license is valid in Vietnam before renting. A new bike rental service is also operating in the city, called BEAgo Contact them at: +84 946 947 447. Despite what the guidebooks say, Buon Ma Thuot has a very solid selection of good eats. Fast development and not much tourist infrastructure mean that the guidebooks are behind the times and sorely misleading.
Where to Stay
Between Lak and Buon Ma Thuot, a local bus runs every half hour or so. They have a couple of nice newer ones with AC (as of Jun 2013). There are several buses a day to Dalat (coming from BMT), taking about 5 hours with the last bus leaving in the early afternoon (80,000 dong). Tuấn Anh, 36 Nguyến Văn Cừ, and Phuc Thai have services to Dalat (Nov 2018). Mai Linh Express goes to HCMC and Danang. If you want to stay overnight in Lak, Mr Duc (+84 905 371633) from Café Duc Mai (dalateasyrider@gmail.com) can arrange homestays in Jun longhouses for US$5, half the price asked by Daklak Tourist. He can also arrange other activities, such as elephant rides and boat trips on the lake, for a much lower price than Daklak Tourist. The café serves an excellent set meal (US$3) for dinner. To get to the café, call ahead to get picked up or consider taking a moto (10,000 dong) once you arrive in Lak as it's next to the Jun village and a bit hard to find from the main road.
Money & Budget
Despite what the guidebooks say, Buon Ma Thuot has a very solid selection of good eats. Fast development and not much tourist infrastructure mean that the guidebooks are behind the times and sorely misleading. A wander just northwest of the main roundabout after around 18:00 will turn up a truly great selection of street stalls and small restaurants, offering up very tasty standards such as hủ tiếu, phở, bún, cơm, and nem. Check Ly Thuong Kiet nearby for a selection of roll-your-own spring roll joints. A very tasty cơm hến, the Hue speciality, is available at a simple-looking place across the street from the Co-op Mart that also advertises Bún bò Huế. Walk past the shabby looking front room into a spectacular little back home, complete with garden, birds, and an internal waterfall.
Safety Information
Glimpses of Buon Ma Thuot
A view of a forest with a mountain in the background
green grass field under blue sky during daytime
a body of water with trees around it
a river with a waterfall in the background
a room filled with lots of furniture and windows
a close up of a metal surface with fish and waves
Hanging
a man riding on the back of an elephant through a forest
a person standing on a sidewalk with their feet up
Memory.
A view of a forest with a mountain in the background
green grass field under blue sky during daytime
a body of water with trees around it