5 Fun Experiences Only Found in the Sunny, Windswept Central Highlands

The Central Highlands are known not only for endless coffee-covered hills, red basalt soil and unique Rong houses, but also for the many fun experiences they offer every visitor.

Nature in the Central Highlands holds many wonders: majestic waterfalls, vast primeval forests, lush green coffee plantations and more. Visitors to this sunny, windswept land can also join the distinctive traditional festivals of its many ethnic groups, and its culture and people promise experiences you can only feel in the Central Highlands.

Discover the Space of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands

When it comes to gong culture, the vast Central Highlands come first. The art of gong culture here spans 5 provinces, Lam Dong, Dak Nong, Dak Lak, Gia Lai and Kon Tum, creating a distinctive tradition recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, closely tied to ethnic groups such as the Ede, Jarai, Xo Dang and Bahnar.

The distinctive Space of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands. Photo: Vanhien.vn.

Gongs are usually played at the major festivals of the ethnic groups, such as the new rice celebration and the water source ceremony, and at community gatherings. They have become the voice of the soul and spirit, expressing joy and sorrow in work and everyday life. Highlanders usually hold gong festivals in their villages, Rong houses, grave houses, the forests next to the villages and longhouses.

Gongs are always present at festivals in the Central Highlands. Photo: Du Lich.

Highlanders believe that a god dwells in every gong, and the older the gong, the more powerful the god. Gongs are also considered precious possessions, symbols of wealth and power. So at major festivals, the sound of the gongs and the circles of people dancing around the sacred fire beside jars of rice wine make the Central Highlands feel more magical and solemn than ever. Gongs are also a symbol of the epics of the Central Highlands, featured in historical tales and in poems both heroic and romantic.

Preserving the Space of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands. Photo: Vanhien.vn.

Visit at weekends or during holidays and you'll have the chance to hear the highlanders' gongs echo through the mountains and forests. You can also sip rice wine with locals beside a flickering fire, promising a closer look at the simple lives of the ethnic communities of the Central Highlands.

Discover the Rong house, the soul of the villages of the Central Highlands

The Rong house is one of the signature stilt houses of the Central Highlands and the symbol of a village's soul. It is usually where villagers gather for community activities and to discuss important matters.

Discovering the traditional houses of the ethnic groups of the Central Highlands. Photo: VietnamPlus.

The Rong house is also architecturally distinctive, embodying the cultural essence and the village spirit of the ethnic minorities living in the northern Central Highlands, such as the Bahnar, Jarai and Xo Dang, mainly in Kon Tum and Gia Lai provinces. Unlike ordinary ethnic minority homes, Rong houses are usually tall stilt houses made from simple materials like thatch, bamboo and leaves, perfectly suited to the cultural space of the village and environmentally friendly.

The Rong house is the symbol of the soul of Central Highlands villages. Photo: tienphong.vn.

Rong houses are assembled with wooden joints, lashed tightly with forest vines and roofed with bamboo leaves, rather than joined with iron, steel or cement like ordinary houses. Interestingly, even as society develops, the efforts of the authorities have preserved the cultural beauty of Central Highlands villages. Rong house architecture in particular has been well promoted and is drawing more and more tourists to explore the Central Highlands.

Rong houses are built from simple materials with contributions from the villagers. Photo: Nguoiduatin.

Most traditional festivals of the ethnic communities of the Central Highlands take place at the Rong house, with many fun activities. Villagers gather around the fire beside jars of rice wine, with traditional dances accompanied by the sound of gongs and soulful songs in their native languages. Everyone sits together in the spacious, cozy Rong house, a unique highlight found only in the Central Highlands.

Riding elephants in Ban Don

When it comes to experiences unique to the Central Highlands, elephant riding surely comes to mind. Ban Don in particular is known for its tradition of hunting and taming wild elephants. That's why the elephants of Ban Don are usually very gentle, and many visitors to the Central Highlands love the experience of swaying along on the backs of these giant animals.

Come to the Central Highlands to fulfill your childhood dream of riding an elephant. Photo: Mytour.vn.

Today, national parks and sites such as Ban Don, Yok Don and Lak Lake in Dak Lak province, about 30 - 40 km from the center of Buon Ma Thuot, all offer elephant rides for visitors. Prices are neither expensive nor cheap, depending on the package and each visitor's needs. There are currently 3 price levels: 150,000 VND for 15 minutes, 300,000 VND for 30 minutes and 600,000 VND for 1 hour. Each elephant can carry 3 people, so the prices are quite reasonable for a fun elephant-riding experience.

An elephant race festival in the Central Highlands. Photo: AutoBikes.vn.

From the elephant's back, visitors are carried around the villages to admire the peaceful, poetic scenery, passing through primeval forests and streams. Elephant riding, an iconic activity found only in the sunny, windswept Central Highlands, offers a touch of adventure while being perfectly safe.

Visiting the Central Highlands without riding an elephant would be a big miss. Photo: bmtcogi.com.

Savor unique coffee in the "coffee capital"

Almost every district in the Central Highland provinces grows coffee, one of the region's most memorable features. In particular, Buon Ma Thuot, a city in Dak Lak province, has long been considered Vietnam's "coffee capital", the place to enjoy a truly great cup of coffee.

The Central Highlands, land of vast coffee forests. Photo: Wiki-travel.com.vn.

The Central Highlands immediately bring to mind endless green coffee plantations. This is the largest coffee-growing region in the country, promising visitors the finest cups of coffee and a chance to immerse themselves in the peaceful, quiet mountains and forests.

The flavor of Central Highlands coffee is truly distinctive. Photo: Ca Phe Nguyen Chat.

Coffee from the Central Highlands is wonderfully fragrant and rich. The red basalt soil, the right altitude and the sunny, windy weather give it a very distinctive flavor of its own. Every good cup carries natural flavors, fresh and clean, with a delicate acidity, a rich, oily body and above all an aroma that captivates anyone who tastes it.

Coffee grown in the Central Highlands always makes the best cups. Photo: tintaynguyen.com.

For the people here, drinking coffee has become an everyday necessity, and over time it has become a cultural identity deeply rooted in the minds of the highlanders and of anyone who comes to these vast mountains and forests.

Savor dishes full of the flavor of the Central Highlands

The Central Highlands are home to many ethnic groups, so the local cuisine is very diverse and rich. Besides famous dishes such as com lam (bamboo-tube rice), bitter eggplant, hemibagrid catfish and pickled bamboo shoots, the cuisine also tempts visitors with many other dishes such as leaf salad, sun-dried beef and venison, all specialties of the mountains and forests.

The unique cuisine of the Central Highlands is full of the flavors of the mountains and forests. Photo: Vietnam Journey.

Most Central Highland dishes are made mainly from natural ingredients, which locals know how to combine into full-flavored dishes. As you eat, you can truly taste the distinctive flavors of the mountains, forests, nature and people of the Central Highlands, found nowhere else.

Exploring the cuisine of the Central Highlands in Dak Lak. Photo: bvhttdl.gov.vn.

The rich land of the Central Highlands holds many fascinating features found nowhere else. So if you have time, visit the Central Highland provinces to discover and experience the wonderful things its nature, people and culture have to offer.