Exploring Central Highlands’ Nature & Culture

The spectacular scenery of Bazan red soil, streams, waterfalls and the folk traditions of the Central Highlands have made Dak Lak a promising land rich in tourism potential.

Diversification in both local identities and culture

Dak Lak has diverse and moving natural scenery, including rivers, ponds, waterfalls and virgin forests. Dak Lak has famous waterfalls such as Dray Thuong, Kroong Kma, Bay Nhanh , Thuy Tien and Dray Nur, and many big lakes covering 200-1400 ha like Lak, Ea Don , Ea Kao and Dakmin. These are favourable condition for tourism activities.

Dak Lak is home to many national parks and natural preservation areas such as Yok Don and Cu Yang Sin national parks as well as Nam Ka and Ea So preservation areas. It has also many rare animals, particularly elephants.

Besides eco-tourism potential, Dak Lak is famous for diversified natural identities. The varied communities of honest people are a distinguished cultural feature Dak Lak. Eleven landscapes and historical relics are recognized as national relics, and over 70 others are located within the province.

Dak Lak is proud to be part of the Central Highlands region, a cultural space recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity on November 25, 2005.

Dak Lak is also famous for other intangible cultural heritages such as the traditional hunting and taming of elephants, elephant race festivals, the gong festival and new crop festivals.

Local traditional dishes include Ban Don fried chicken and bitter aubergine, eaten with local wine. Visitors here will enjoy these dishes in the atmosphere of the Central Highlands gong festivals. Particularly, with an area of 400,000 ha of fertile Bazan soil, Dak Lak is suitable for growing both short and long-term crops, especially coffee trees. Therefore, Dak Lak is seen as a coffee hub of Vietnam. Coffee brings the highest economic value for the province and also has potential for tourism development in the global integration process. The province also offers coffee tours and festivals, attracting thousands of visitors and businesspeople.

Upgrading infrastructure and services

The resolution of the provincial XIV party congress promotes “Developing tourism into a key economic sector which will make a remarkable contribution to the province’s economic development.”

Based on this, tourism infrastructure development in Dak Lak has been upgraded to raise the quality of tourism services and products.

The province is now home to 405 hotels and 68 guesthouses which can receive 500,000-600,000 visitors annually. It can also hold major conferences, attracting more than 1,000 tourists. In the coming time, it will build many hotels to meet annual tourism growth of 15-20 per cent. Accordingly, road and air routes to Dak Lak will be upgraded.

The active implementation of investment policies under the Investment Law has drawn investors’ attention such as Suoi Cat-Binh Duong Ltd. Co., SaigonTourist and Vinamit Ltd. Co. After 2010, Dak Lak will have two new four-star hotels and two new tourism resorts will begin operations to satisfy tourist demand.

Tags: Vietnam Central Highland, Vietnam Tourism