The capital of the k L k region was developed in 1899 by the French colonial Compagnie d’Agriculture d’Asie for the production of coffee and rubber, which grow well in the fertile red soil. On March 10, 1975, the NLF swept through the region, signaling the beginning of the end for the South Vietnamese forces. Today in Bu®n Ma Thuÿt (BMT; elevation 1100m), rubber is still stripped, coffee is still grown, and the first tank to arrive on “Liberation Day” still sits at the town center. Around this imposing monument, Bu®n Ma Thuÿt has grown into a bustling provincial capital, specializing in the coffee trade. The city itself is simple and welcoming, but it has little to offer tourists except fresh wholesale coffee at bargain prices. Its location, however, serves as a convenient home base for trips to nearby waterfalls, minority villages, and Yok Don National Park.
There is a small airport in Bu®n Ma Thuÿt that flies to two other cities in Vietnam. Flights can be very crowded, so you’ll need to reserve your seat. Public buses and their cheaper alternative, minibuses, run frequently from the station a few kilometers northwest of the city center. An excellent way to tour the area surrounding BMT is to hire a motorbike driver who doubles as a guide.
Bu®n Ma Thuÿt is 230km south of Kon Tum, 180km northwest of Nha Trang, and 350km northeast of HCMC. National Hwy. 27 connects BMT to à Låt. The big tank in the center of town is a navigational godsend, as the turret points northeast down Nguy[n T+t Thành (Hwy. 14) toward the bus station. The back left corner of the tank points down N£ Trang Long, which runs west past the market and through the central district, where you can head for cheap rooms and eats. Off of this street Hai Bà Tr™ng, L• Th™ng Kit, and Y Jút run north-south. The right side of the tank faces Lˆ Du>n, which becomes Hwy. 14 as it heads south out of town.
Bu®n Ma Thuÿt, though a provincial city, offers a range of accommodations, but no budget steals. Rooms are typically bare and soulless. Many lower-end hotels are clustered in the city center. They tend to be multi-story buildings offering concrete cells, but they’re all clean and outfitted with fan or air-conditioning. The upper-end hotels are on the periphery of the city center and boast English-speaking staff, satellite TV, and hot water. Rooms are only a bit cleaner and warmer than their cheaper cousins. All prices are negotiable.
Bu®n Ma Thuÿt offers plenty of dining options, but not much variety. Cafes and street-side eats line L• Th™ng Ki_t. The best value in a sit-down restaurant is the traditional ph+n (ground pork in banana leaves, for use in spring rolls; 8000). Cheaper meals can be found at road-side vendors, which usually sell ph (3000) along Quang Tr™ng. The market, stocked with fresh fruits, is also located along this street. The best grocery store in town is Hà Ni Bakery, 123-125 Lˆ H®ng Phong, which carries packaged meats and cheeses (20,000-40,000) as well as fresh pastries (2500-3500), loaves of bread (8000), and pound cake. (☎853 609. Open daily 7am-7pm.) If you’re itching to be served and you crave some Western-style food, head to one of the upscale hotel lobbies: all have full restaurants on the first floor for wealthier tourists and local weddings (entrees 30,000-40,000).
BMT lies in the heart of coffee country, and no visit here would be complete without a trip to one of the numerous local cafes. Most cafes serve generic Trung Nguy[n coffee; a few, however, serve from a private stock. Visitors can buy packs of ground coffee from the cafes themselves (about 2500 for 250kg), and if you ask nicely, you may even be able to buy one of the traditional Vietnamese cup-top brewing sets in which your coffee will be served (10,000). A string of cafes sit along Nguy[n C®ng Trú between Lˆ Du>n and the Dam San Hotel.
Any sightseeing tour of Bu®n Ma Thuÿt begins and ends at the Victory Monument, located conspicuously in the center of town. Play with the local children in the fountain at the base of this towering monument and get a close-up view of an old Soviet tank. Head a bit south and you’ll run into the first building of the k L k Province Museum, which is composed of three separate, small museums. The Revolutionary Exhibition House (B=o Tàng Cách Mång), at 1 Lˆ Du>n, houses H· Chí Minh paraphernalia and a presentation about the liberation of Bu®n Ma Thuÿt, along with a comic attempt at displaying indigenous wildlife. With your back to the museum, turn right onto Nguy[n C®ng Trú for one block, and then right again on inh Tiˆn Hoàng to check out the Historical Relic of BMT Prison (DTCM Nhà ay BMT)—the prison is always open, though tours only run during museum hours. This abandoned 19th-century French colonial prison offers its contemporary guests a reprieve from the hectic center of BMT. The final part of k L k Province Museum is the Museum of National Cultures (B=o Tàng Vn Hóa Bñn Tÿc), 182 Nguy[n Du, off of Lˆ Du>n and a bit farther down from the Victory Monument. Housed in the former B=o åi Palace, it displays a variety of traditional tools, instruments, weapons, and dress. (Museum main desk ☎850 426. Open Su and W-Sa 7:30-11:30am and 2-5pm. 10,000 per museum.)
To hang out with the locals at night, check out the karaoke bars that line Hai Bà Tr™ng near the Heavenly Horse Hotel, or the Billiards Club 09, 29A Nguy[n C®ng Trú (☎816 101), next door to Cafe Xúa & Nay.
Around Bu®n Ma Thuÿt, along Hwy. 14, are several daytrips that make the city well worth the trek from the coast. The best way to get around is by motorbike, either by yourself or with a driver. A one-hour trip should cost 30,000-50,000 and a full-day trip will cost 120,000-150,000. If you’re heading to the lakes or Bu®n H®, consider flagging down a bus on the highway.
Dray Nur Falls. Picturesque Dray Nur Falls—half an hour away by motorbike—is an excellent place to beat the heat for an afternoon. Follow the well-marked concrete steps down to the foot of the falls and the dramatic rock pier, and check out the red wooden bridge to the left to see a miniature tributary of the falls. In the dry season, you can jump in to take a shower in these mini-falls and feel the force of the water first-hand. Bñng Giá, a restaurant near the entrance, serves drinks (sodas 6000-7000; beer 7000-8000; local rice wine 40,000). A longhouse on the premises even offers a place for midday naps for US$5 per person. (Head 27km south on Hwy. 14. Exit south toward Ea Tling Village until the fork in the road; take a right and continue 10km to reach the falls. 5000.)
Tua Village. A bit closer to BMT is Tua Village (also called Bu®n Tu®r), whose 450 Ëdç inhabitants are Protestant and are thought to have migrated from Indonesia and Malaysia over two centuries ago. The village is quiet and immaculately clean, and the people are welcoming. Ask after Siu Th¤m, a village elder who was a first lieutenant in the ARVN. Though he spent six and a half years in prison, Th¤m happily discusses politics, religion, and life in general with excellent English. He gives tours of the village, including one of the village’s 80 longhouses, in which the Ëdç live with all their extended relatives. The longhouses are made of wood and contain one window per nuclear family. The village also has a small church, which leads Sunday prayers (8-10am), a Sunday school (11am-noon), and a Sunday women’s circle (1-2pm). A visit to the village is free, but small change or gifts, such as cigarettes, are always appreciated. Try to go on a Sunday—the villagers are all at rest and more amenable to conversation than during the work week. (Tua Village is 14km south of Bu®n Ma Thuÿt off of Hwy. 14. You must turn off at an unmarked road, so your best bet is to hire a local driver if you’re on your own.)
Gia Long Falls. About 30km down Hwy. 14 are the Gia Long Falls, somewhat less impressive than the Dray Nur Falls. Upon arrival, descend into a small rainforest, complete with strangler figs and hanging vines, then follow the path along the Kr®ng Knñ river to the lower falls. The waters run through the mountains from Cambodia, which is only 40km away. The best view is from the suspension footbridge, but several cleared rock trails bring you within misting distance. The trails are unmarked but easy to follow; exploring the area provides relief from noisy BMT. Near the lower falls is a gazebo where locals and tourists are free to picnic. Near the entrance to the falls is a model longhouse in which tourists can nap for US$5 per person. (The waterfalls are 27km south of BMT along Hwy. 14. Exit south toward Ea Tling Village until the fork in the road; take a left and continue 6km to reach the falls. 5000.)
L K Lake. A M’nong community of 200 lives by this lakeside growing rice, raising livestock beneath elevated longhouses, and offering tours to visitors. ™c and Mai Bui (☎586 280 or 0905 371 633), who coordinate local activities out of their H£p Tac Xà souvenir shop, are particularly hospitable guides to the surrounding Zun Village. Visitors can also tour the site by dugout canoe (US$10 per hr.) or by elephant (1hr.; 2 people US$30; call ahead or expect to wait). Accommodations are available in the village’s sparse but spacious longhouses 1, which have fans, mattresses, pillows, and an outhouse (US$5 per person). Alternatively, the L k District Guesthouse 1 in nearby L k village offers overnight stays for 80,000-90,000. Try timing your visit to catch the description-defying sunrises and sunsets. (L k Lake is 56km south on Hwy. 27—you can’t miss it, as the highway runs right along the lake. You can take a motorbike there for 30,000-50,000 or flag down a minibus en route to à Låt. Free.)
New L K Lake. On the other side of L k market from Zun Village is the New L k Lake—a quieter, cleaner, and more romantic site. The area consists of just the lake and a few small guesthouses, without the bustle of an accompanying village. Accommodations include wooden longhouses 1 with outhouses (US$5 per person) or the newly built lakeside villas 3 (US$10 per person). Staying in the villas requires prior arrangement with Bào ai Villa (☎586 184; open daily 7am-7pm). The open-air L k Lake Floating Restaurant 1 literally rests upon the water amidst a grove of waterlilies. (Vegetable dishes 12,000; fish dishes 15,000; drinks 3000-5000. Open daily 7am-8pm.) Secluded and serene, the New L k Lake, complete with wooden swing, volleyball court, and hammocks, is perfect for a quiet highland retreat. (New L k Lake is 60km south on Hwy. 27, past L k Village. A 1hr. motorbike ride costs 30,000-50,000, or you can flag down a minibus going south on Hwy. 27.)
Bu®n H. This quaint town northeast of BMT is a fun afternoon visit. The town’s attractions are all adjacent to each other along Hwy. 14 (called Hùng V™£ng in town). They demonstrate religious diversity in remarkable proximity: a large cathedral is followed by a white stone pagoda that features a plump “happy” Buddha, and a squat green Protestant church sits a little farther down the road. Tour the religious sites and sip the local coffee straight from the neighboring fields. (Bu®n H is 40km northeast of BMT on Hwy. 14. Hire a motorbike for 30,000 or catch a ride on any minibus heading northeast for 20,000.)
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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