Buôn Ma Thuột (formerly Lạc Giao) or sometimes Buôn Mê Thuột or Ban Mê Thuột (), is the capital city of Đắk Lắk Province in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Its population was 375,590 in 2019. The city is the largest in Vietnam's Central Highlands region and is famous as the regional "capital of coffee".Buôn Ma Thuột has Buôn Ma Thuột Airport as its main airport.
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.
Buon 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.
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.
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.
