The Central Highlands Overview

Most foreigners, if they’re familiar with the Central Highlands at all, heard about them 35 years ago, when the region saw some of the bloodiest combat in the American War. Today, some veterans return here on remembrance tours, but the region’s natural beauty and native cultures—not its battle grounds—are its real attractions. The agricultural production of the region is tremendous, moving well beyond the traditional rice paddies into vast fields of strawberries, artichokes, and flowers. Thanks to the Central Highlands, Vietnam is the world’s second largest coffee producer. Many of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic minorities make their homes in the Central Highlands: the Banhar, Jarai, and Sodang live around Kon Tum, the Ëdç and M’nong live around Bu®n Ma Thuÿt, and the K’Long dwell outside à Låt. Unfortunately, most (if not all) minority villages are living under a destructive policy of “Vietnamization,” which is erasing their unique cultures and keeping them in miserable poverty. Violent uprisings in the region have moved officials to close some villages to tourists for security reasons.

The Central Highlands is one of Vietnam’s most fascinating and adventurous regions, and it’s at its best in the fields and mountains outside the provincial capitals. As such, cities in the highlands should be used primarily as jumping-off points: à Låt for mountain treks and hilltop pagodas, Bu®n Ma Thuÿt for surging waterfalls and ethnic minority villages, and Kon Tum for ruined war sites. Most other cities in the region are all but devoid of foreigners—tourist buses don’t venture past à Låt—so in its fields and small villages, the Central Highlands offers an unobstructed view into the reality of Vietnam: an industrious nation struggling to recover from the past and determined to create a better future.

Bike Through The Hills of à Låt , home to monk artists, Vietnamese cowboys, and an enormous concrete chicken . Yes, this confuses us as much as it does you.
Befriend An Ornithologist in peaceful, luscious Cát Tiˆn National Park , one of Vietnam’s youngest national parks and a birdwatcher’s paradise.
Drift Up The Dakbla from Konkoitu village in a Banhar dugout canoe; from nearby Kon Tum , daytrips to American War sites like k T® and Charlie Hill emphasize the region’s violent history.

À Låt

Forget everything you know about Vietnam—à Låt is different. The mountainous city’s flourishing artistic community, easygoing atmosphere, and frankly bizarre “à Låt Eiffel” have led to the ...more

Cát Tiˆn National Park

Easily reachable from HCMC or Dà Låt, Cát Tiˆn National Park (V™n Qu®c Gia Cát Tiˆn) offers the traveler a haven from the noisy, overtouristed coast. It also provides a glance into Vietnam’s ...more

K L K Province

k L k province has two things in abundance: minority villages and coffee. Vietnam is home to 54 different ethnic groups, despite the government’s harsh efforts at assimilation; 46 of these ...more