Tay Nguyen Vietnam - Hidden tour of Central Highlands

Vietnamese Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) region is the one where you have to go if you’re not wanting to do the tourist trail in Vietnam. There is lots of information to help you plan this dream Vietnam trip of the central highlands in our travel guide.

Why Tay Nguyen Is Special?

Tay Nguyen is best known for:

• Dramatic tableaux: Rolling hills, evergreen forests and coffee estates fill the frame. Waterfalls tumble down hillsides; tranquil lakes punctuate the landscape. Yep, it does seem out of a fairy tale hollywood movie!

• Unique Local Experiences: The number of ethnic minorities is simply endless and each has some really excellent arts, traditions and cultures.

• Sports: You can do motor biking, canoeing, caving, hanging out at waterfalls. If you are a adventure lover, Tay Nguyen is a place of dreams.

• Coffee Vibes: Tay Nguyen grows most of Vietnam's coffee, and the robusta that ends up in the rest of the country is from here.

Best Time to Visit

From November to April is the dry season, the best time to come to Tay Nguyen with nice weather and little rain. Local festivals do allow a deeper sense of cultural immersion when visiting.

Getting There

• By Air: The fastest way from your home to Tay Nguyen is to book flights to Pleiku Airport (PXU) or Buon Ma Thuot Airport (BMV).

• By Bus: If you take a bus, there are overnight buses to and from Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Nha Trang to the town in Tay Nguyen.

• By Motorbike: If you consider yourself an adventurous traveler, a motorbike trip through Tay Nguyen is the ultimate way to navigate the area with freedom and flexibility.

Getting Around

• Motorbike Rental: For visiting different sites and reaching those quiet places and enjoying the nature at its best; Motorbike rental is really in trend.

• Cabs & Ride-Hailing Apps: In larger town sizes, it is very easy to get a cab or ride in a ride-hailing app.

• Local Buses: There local buses which connect villages and towns, extremely packed and will not come quite like as frequently.

Attractions in the Central Highlands Tay Nguyen

• Da Lat, the “City of Eternal Spring”, has some excellent flower gardens, French colonial architecture, and pine hills at 1,500 m. It is also the centre of the coffee trade.

• Buon Ma Thuot, essentially the coffee capital of Vietnam, surrounded on all sides by coffee and other bean plantations, offers a glimpse of how coffee is harvested.

• Pleiku is a great place, and really sprawls northward into Tay Nguyen, and there’s some beautiful thick forest and waterfalls amidst it all. You’ve gotta go see the nice wood church and some of the old-timey villages there to really experience it!.

If the route runs north from here toward the centre, the Elephant Cave and Ma Da Valley trek is a day inside the core zone of Phong Nha-Ke Bang: jungle trail, a river swim, a permit and a daily cap.

Things to Do and Trail Activities in Tay Nguyen

• Trekking and Hiking: Explore the area’s parks and nature on foot, with tracks ranging from some easy strolls to some serious summit climbs.

• Waterfall Chasing: Seek out some great lesser-known waterfalls like Datanla Falls outside of Da Lat and Dray Nur Falls near Buon Ma Thuot.

• Coffee Plantation Touring: See how they grow the beans in your cup, and drink some of the best coffee in Vietnam.

• Cultural Immersion: Explore surrounding villages, mingle with ethnic minorities and experience their customs and tradition.

• Motorbike Riding: So, how about a ride on motorbikes to the beautiful Tay Nguyen roads along with nice overlooks and site to see on the freeway? It sure was one of the top memories of our trip there!

• Canyoning: For the adventurous, there are canyoning tours which let you rappel waterfalls and traverse some pretty cool little canyons.

It is Our Responsibility to Minimize Damage from Tourism

• Be respectful of local cultures: If you’re visiting temples and villages, dress modestly, and always ask permission before photographing people.

• Support Local Businesses: Go explore local markets, eat at some family restaurants, maybe spend the night at nearby inns.

• Be Nature & Eco-Friendly: Do not litter and book tours with eco-friendly and sustainability-oriented operators.

• Learn a Bit of the Language: Once there, explore the culture and learn a bit: Learning a bit of Vietnamese goes a long way, however I would recommend to learn at least the basics of the language so you will get a better experience in your holiday and help you into your trip.

Accommodation in Tay Nguyen

• Hotels: For the bigger cities (Da Lat, Buon Ma Thuot, Pleiku), you will find hotels available at almost any budget.

• Guesthouses: Interesting and budget option are guest houses run usually by family members. Some do offer complimentary breakfast but you should check before booking.

• Homestays: If you are really dedicated to immersing yourself in things, do consider staying at a homestay, in a nearby village. Also it is the cheapest option and our favorite too!

Food and Drink in Tay Nguyen

• Cao Lau: This is that great Hoi An noodle dish found at just about every restaurant in Tay Nguyen.

• Goi Ga la Mang Cut: It’s this epically refreshing salad of chicken and mangoes.

• Com Lam: Basically rice cooked in bamboo tubes and very favorite of ethnic minorities.

• Ruou Can: Rice wine gulped from a jar with long straws, passed around during communal consumption.

• Bun Bo Hue: Spicy beef noodle soup.

Safety Tips

• Traffic Awareness: Watch out when you are driving or you are on a motorbike because traffic is very wild in the city.

• Road Condition: In some places in and around Tay Nguyen, there are potholed roads, so get ready for a bumpy ride!

• Personal Belongings: Oh, and a reminder: keep your stuff close in crowded places, and don’t display pricey items!

10-Day Tay Nguyen Trip Itinerary

• Day 1-3: Dalat – Wander around the town’s cool hangouts, walk through blooming gardens, and get fresh mountain air!

• Day 4-5: Lak Lake – Explore the endogenous feel of village life, join elephant rides and boat cruises.

• Day 6-7: Buon Ma Thuot – Visit a couple coffee plantations, cool down in some waterfalls, get into the local coffee culture.

• Days 8-9: Kon Tum. Admire the cool wood-framed church, visit a few surrounding villages and soak up some ethnic minority culture.

• Day 10: Fly from Pleiku or Buon Ma Thuot.

Summary

If adventure, culture and highland scenery appeal to you, Tay Nguyen in Vietnam is just such a fantastic place to visit. It is just really the type of place that is the part of Vietnam least shaped by tourism: highland landscape, several ethnic minority groups, and people who are friendly. Never mind just throw few clothes in a backpack, don’t forget a camera and get ready to realize this cute little gem in Vietnam’s Central Highlands!

FAQ

1. Where exactly is Tay Nguyen, and what is it called now?

The Central Highlands, inland from the coast between Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. Note that the provinces changed on 1 July 2025: Dak Nong merged into Lam Dong, and Gia Lai absorbed Binh Dinh. Older articles and maps use the previous names, and both are still in circulation locally, so a bus ticket or a hotel booking may show either.

2. When should I go?

November to April is the dry season and the easier half of the year. The coffee harvest runs roughly November to January, which is when the region is busiest and most interesting to see. From May to October the rain is heavy, the red basalt roads turn to mud, and the waterfalls are at their fullest, which is a genuine trade rather than a straightforward negative.

3. How do I get around?

The distances are large and public transport between highland towns is sparse. Most people either ride, hire a car with a driver, or use the Easy Rider services that run between Dalat and the coast. Buon Ma Thuot and Pleiku have airports, which makes an in-and-out trip more practical than it looks on a map.

4. Is it worth it on a first trip to Vietnam?

Not usually. On a first visit of two weeks, the north, the centre and the delta take up the time. Tay Nguyen makes sense on a second trip, or on a first trip of three weeks or more, or immediately if coffee or minority cultures are the reason you are travelling. Saying otherwise would fill an itinerary badly.

5. What is the coffee actually like?

Mostly robusta, grown at altitude, and stronger and more bitter than the arabica most visitors are used to. It is what the traditional phin filter and condensed milk were built around. Buon Ma Thuot is the centre of the trade and several farms take visitors, which is a more useful stop than a museum.