Central Highlands Travel Guide
Xuan Huong Lake in Da Lat. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
The Central Highlands (Tay Nguyen) are Vietnam's cool interior: basalt plateaus, pine forests and coffee plantations at 1,500 metres, a world away from the coastal heat. Da Lat, the former French hill station, is the region's heart.
Da Lat's spring-like climate made it the colonial summer capital: French villas, the art-deco railway station, flower gardens and the surreal Hang Nga 'Crazy House'. Beyond the city, the highlands are Vietnam's coffee country: Buon Ma Thuot hosts the biennial Coffee Festival, and Lak Lake and Yok Don National Park offer elephant country and minority villages.
Key destinations in Central Highlands
Da LatThe city of eternal spring: villas, flower gardens and the Crazy House.
Xuan Huong LakeThe crescent lake at the city's centre, best at dawn.
Hang Nga Crazy HouseThe surreal concrete guesthouse of architect Dang Viet Nga.
Buon Ma ThuotVietnam's coffee capital: plantations and the Coffee Festival.
Kon Tum wooden churchThe 1913 wooden church of the Bahnar highlands.
Lak LakeThe highlands' largest natural lake, with Mnong longhouses on its shore.
Hover a region to explore it. Click a city pin to open its guide.
Top Cities & towns in Central Highlands
Regional food
- Banh can (small rice pancakes with quail egg, the Da Lat street snack)
- Avocado ice cream (kem bo, the Da Lat dessert)
- Highland coffee: robusta, strong and sweet with condensed milk
Getting there
Lien Khuong Airport (DLI) sits 30 km south of Da Lat. The highlands connect by road: about 4 hours from Nha Trang, 7-8 hours from Ho Chi Minh City by sleeper bus.