Đắk Lắk: Coffee Capital of Vietnam — Highlands, Elephants & Ê Đê Longhouse Culture

Vietnam’s Coffee Heartland

Đắk Lắk province produces over 40% of Vietnam’s coffee — and Vietnam is the world’s second-largest coffee producer. The Central Highlands around Buôn Ma Thuột (the provincial capital) are covered in vast robusta coffee plantations that stretch to the horizon, punctuated by volcanic red earth, towering hardwood trees, and the stilt houses of the Ê Đê people.

Coffee Plantation Tours

Visit Trung Nguyên Coffee Village — a sprawling museum and tasting complex dedicated to Vietnamese coffee culture. Better yet, venture to independent family farms in Cư M’gar or Krông Ana districts, where third-generation growers will walk you through the entire process from cherry to cup. The annual Buôn Ma Thuột Coffee Festival (usually March) is a spectacular celebration with coffee competitions, highland cultural performances, and elephant processions.

Ê Đê Longhouse Culture

The Ê Đê (Rade) people are a matrilineal society — inheritance passes through the mother’s line, and husbands move into their wife’s family longhouse after marriage. These communal longhouses, built on stilts with distinctive boat-shaped roofs, can house multiple generations. Visit Buôn Đôn village to see traditional longhouses, watch gong performances, and learn about the Ê Đê’s deep connection to elephants — historically, they were the region’s renowned elephant tamers.

Đray Sáp & Đray Nur Waterfalls

These twin waterfalls on the Sêrêpôk River are among the most spectacular in the Central Highlands. Đray Sáp (meaning “Smoke Waterfall” — named for the perpetual mist) drops 20 meters across a wide basalt cliff face, while Đray Nur (meaning “Wife Waterfall”) is a more intimate cascade surrounded by tropical forest. A suspension bridge connects the two sites, offering dramatic views of the river gorge below.

Yok Đôn National Park

Vietnam’s largest national park (115,545 hectares) is a vast expanse of deciduous dipterocarp forest — a rare forest type in Vietnam. The park shelters elephants, banteng (wild cattle), leopards, and over 460 bird species. Ethical elephant observation tours (no riding) allow visitors to watch elephants forage in their natural habitat along the Sêrêpôk River.