Buon Ma Thout

Buon Ma Thout, formerly Lac Giao or sometimes Buon Ma Thuat, Buon Ma Thuat, Ban Me Thuot, or Banmethuot, is the capital city of Dak Lak Province, in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Its population is approximately 300,000. The city is the largest in Vietnam's Central Highlands region and is famous as the regional "capital of coffee". The city has grown exponentially over the last few years, with the coffee industry largely responsible for its improving fortunes.

Flights to Buon Ma Thout

Buon Ma Thout makes a great base for trekking to ethnic villages. The longhouses of the Rhade and M'nong groups are particularly impressive - try to spend a night or two. A popular stop is at the Rhade village of Buon Tuo, about 13 km from town. Thirty-five kilometers to the north, in the village of Ya Liao, can be found a 13th-century Cham tower. In town, visit the hilltribe museum on Me Mai Street, which houses artifacts, ancient weapons, clothing and other relics of the Montagnard and Rhade ethnic groups.

The local minority villages are also great for elephant rides. Elephants can also be found in the wild at nearby Yok Don National Park, at 58,200 hectares, Vietnam's largest. Don village is the gateway to the park and has turned into something of a tourist trap (at least for these parts). Elephant rides are available for a few hours or a few days from local M'nong and Lao trainers, who descend from generations of families training elephants to transport logs and, more recently, tourists. Expect to cough up about US$15 per hour or US$60 per day. Four-day expeditions into the jungle will set you back as much as US$500.

Flights to Buon Ma Thout with Vietnam Airlines

Vietnam Airline is one of the main operator at Buon Ma Thuot Airport, is operating daily direct flights to Buon Ma Thuot- Ho Chi Minh City and flights to Buon Ma Thuot - Da Nang. The direct flight time is about 1 hour.