A coffee shop that also houses an Ede matriarchal longhouse. That alone is enough to make you want to visit Arul, in Akô Dhông village, Buôn Ma Thuột ward, Đắk Lắk province.
The expanded space of Arul Cafe.
Facing the small road, in front are rows of houses "as long as a gong" with traditional brown wooden architecture, and behind are newly built modern concrete houses.
This unique landscape, a blend of old and new, ancient and modern, reflects the efforts of the local people to cling to what they consider their "identity," a struggle not easily overcome in today's world.
The Akô Dhông village is unique in itself, having only been "born" in the middle of the last century by an elder who went in search of a promised land at the headwaters, to preserve the forest and establish a coffee plantation.
Cultural space in Arul
In that "village within the city," there is H'Len Niê. Deeply concerned about the gradual disappearance and loss of what is "Ê Đê," she diligently and meticulously gathers countless things – from the ordinary to the priceless. She must preserve them, at all costs. So that today we have an Arul.
Sitting in the Arul cultural space, we leisurely savored the bitter taste of Ban Me. No agricultural product deserves to bring the reputation of this basaltic red soil region further than coffee.
No other industrial crop has had a more profound impact on all aspects of the economic , cultural, and social life of the Central Highlands than coffee.
A matriarchal cultural feature of the Ede people in Arul.
We talked about something, I don't remember what it was anymore. I only remember that outside, the afternoon sun shone brightly, before softening and then fading away completely.
Amidst the intoxicating aroma of coffee, night gradually falls over the dreamy highlands…
The bitter taste of Ban Me Thuot in Arul
(Entry for the "Impressions on Vietnamese Coffee and Tea" contest 2026, part of the 4th "Celebrating Vietnamese Coffee and Tea" program organized by Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper).
Source: https://nld.com.vn/arul-mot-lan-den-196260326152746434.htm
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