Buon Ma Thuot: A new destination for world culinary tourism.

Buon Ma Thuot has been honored by National Geographic as one of the world's best culinary destinations - Best of the World 2026. This shows that Buon Ma Thuot is telling its tourism story through the aroma of coffee, local culture, and enchanting highland mornings, making it a must-experience destination for visitors in 2026.

Morning in Buon Ma Thuot

There are places where just mentioning the name evokes a scent. With Buon Ma Thuot, it's the aroma of freshly roasted coffee wafting through the early morning, the gentle coolness of the highlands, the slow pace of vehicles along tree-lined streets, and the peaceful feeling that makes you want to linger longer at a small table.

Buon Ma Thuot isn't a noisy, inviting place. It's captivating in its own unique way: slow, deep, and rich in flavor. A visitor might come here because of its reputation as "Vietnam's coffee capital," but it's easy to leave with more than one memory: a morning in a coffee plantation, a meal with a local, a story about coffee beans grown on red basalt soil, or a moment spent quietly listening to the wind blowing through the vast forest.

Recently, Buon Ma Thuot was honored by National Geographic in its list of the world's best food destinations in 2026. This recognition not only brings the highland city closer to international tourists but also opens up a new perspective on tourism in Dak Lak: where cuisine is not just for enjoyment, but also for understanding a region.

Coffee is more than just a beverage.

In Buon Ma Thuot, coffee is more than just an agricultural product or a familiar morning beverage. Coffee is a part of the rhythm of life, a livelihood, a source of pride, and a "language" through which people tell the story of their homeland.

From coffee plantations stretching across the red basalt soil to artisanal roasting workshops, from small cafes in the city to coffee spaces nestled amidst orchards, visitors can clearly sense that the coffee beans here carry many layers of culture. It's the hard work of the growers, the experience of the roasters, the finesse of the brewers, and the habit of enjoying coffee that has become an integral part of life in the highland urban areas.

Coffee is a part of life, a livelihood, a source of pride, and also a "language" through which people tell the story of their homeland. Photo: Nhandan

National Geographic highly praises Buon Ma Thuot for its distinctive coffee culture, especially Robusta – the coffee variety associated with the Central Highlands. The coffee beans here are distinguished by their bold flavor, strong aroma, high caffeine content, low acidity, and long-lasting aftertaste. But simply describing the flavor profile isn't enough. The allure of Buon Ma Thuot coffee also lies in the feeling: the sensation of drinking a cup of coffee right in the land where it originated.

It's a very different experience from buying a pack of coffee to take home. Visitors get to see the coffee plants, touch the ripe berries, listen to farmers talk about the harvest season, observe the roasting and grinding process, and brew their own cup of coffee. In that moment, coffee is no longer just a specialty, but becomes a journey.

A meeting place for storytellers who tell stories through taste.

What makes Buon Ma Thuot worth "packing your bags and going" is not just its international accolades, but its ability to awaken all of a visitor's senses.

In the morning, start with a strong cup of coffee in a small cafe. There's no need to rush. Buon Ma Thuot is at its most beautiful when you allow yourself to slow down. Sitting with a cup of coffee, watching the city wake up, listening to the stories of the locals, visitors will understand why coffee here is not just for drinking, but for living.

Afterward, the journey can continue to the World Coffee Museum – a highly symbolic space where the story of coffee is told through architecture, artifacts, knowledge, and visual experiences. For many young visitors, this is not just a sightseeing spot but also a place to capture beautiful photos and find new inspiration about global coffee culture.

Leaving the museum, visitors can venture further into farms and villages, spaces where coffee returns to its original essence: a product of the land, water, sun, wind, and human hands. There, the story of tourism is no longer confined to books and newspapers, but unfolds through the eyes of the locals, through meals, through jars of rice wine, through the sound of gongs and drums, and through simple stories about life in the Central Highlands.

What makes Buon Ma Thuot worth "packing your bags and going" is not just its international accolades, but its ability to awaken all of a visitor's senses. Photo: Nhandan

Highland cuisine: Simple yet unforgettable.

If coffee is the first "doorway" that brings tourists to Buon Ma Thuot, then the highland cuisine is the reason they want to stay longer.

Dak Lak's cuisine isn't as elaborate as city food, but it possesses a unique charm. It includes fragrant bamboo-cooked rice, golden-brown grilled chicken served with salt, stream fish, wild vegetables, rice wine, and dishes bearing the distinctive mark of the Ede, M'Nong, and other ethnic groups. Each dish seems to retain a touch of the sunshine, the wind, and the free-spiritedness of the mountains.

For female travelers, groups of young friends, or families looking for a relaxing yet enriching trip, Buon Ma Thuot is a very worthwhile option. The city isn't too chaotic, the pace of life is pleasant, the scenery is close to nature, the cuisine is diverse, and there are many suitable spaces for relaxing, taking photos, chatting, and exploring the culture.

A meal in Buon Ma Thuot is delicious not only because of the ingredients, but also because of the setting. It could be a meal in an eco-tourism area, a meal by the lake, an evening in a village, or simply a local dish introduced by the locals themselves. The deeper visitors delve into local life, the more they find the cuisine to be a very natural connection.

Dak Lak - a land of diverse cultures and natural landscapes.

Buon Ma Thuot is a region with a natural area of ​​over 18,000 km², a population of over 3.3 million people, and is home to 45 ethnic groups. This diversity in culture, landscape, and community life creates a unique foundation for local tourism.

Dak Lak is more than just coffee. This land also boasts a cultural space of gong music, a system of lakes, waterfalls, forests, villages, and highland roads… resources unlike anywhere else, suitable for experiential tourism. From Buon Ma Thuot, tourists can extend their journey to Lak Lake, traditional villages, ecological sites, or indigenous cultural spaces.

This region also boasts a cultural space of gong music, a system of lakes, waterfalls, forests, villages, and plateau roads…

But the noteworthy point is that, within this tourism landscape, coffee is becoming the common thread connecting all experiences. Tourists can come for a cup of coffee, then continue to explore the culture, nature, cuisine, and people of Dak Lak. This is a great opportunity for Buon Ma Thuot to build an image of a destination that is not only beautiful but also has depth.

From international accolades to an invitation to tourists.

According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dak Lak province, Buon Ma Thuot's recognition by National Geographic is a source of pride not only for the locality but also for Vietnam. Mr. Nguyen Son Hung, Head of the Tourism Management Department of the Dak Lak Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, shared that the locality respectfully invites tourists, food journalists, and coffee lovers from around the world to experience firsthand the unique coffee culture of Buon Ma Thuot.

This invitation came at a time perfectly suited to the new travel trend, where many people are no longer looking for rushed trips. They want to visit places with stories, nature, local culture, and experiences deep enough to touch their emotions. Buon Ma Thuot has all of those elements.

In particular, for female travelers, young families, food lovers, and content creators, Buon Ma Thuot has plenty of potential to be a memorable journey: a destination that is modern enough to be convenient, local enough to be unique, and slow enough to be healing.

A short 3-day, 2-night itinerary could begin with exploring the streets... Photo: Nhandan

How to get to Buon Ma Thuot?

Buon Ma Thuot has Buon Ma Thuot Airport with domestic flights connecting from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang. For international tourists, a popular itinerary is to fly to Ho Chi Minh City, then take a one-hour flight to Buon Ma Thuot. Those who enjoy highland roads can also choose to travel by road to experience the changing landscape along the way to Dak Lak.

The ideal time to visit Buon Ma Thuot depends on the traveler's desired experience. If you want to experience the coffee harvest season, you can research the harvesting times and the coffee flowering season. If you want to relax, explore the cuisine, take photos, visit museums, experience coffee shops and villages, Buon Ma Thuot can welcome visitors almost year-round.

A short 3-day, 2-night itinerary could begin with exploring the streets and characteristic cafes, visiting the World Coffee Museum, experiencing a farm or roastery, enjoying local cuisine, and then spending more time at Lak Lake, villages, or nearby eco-tourism spots.

Visit Buon Ma Thuot to remember a unique flavor.

Some trips are memorable because of the beautiful scenery. Some trips are memorable because of the food. And then there are trips that remain in memory for a long time, simply because of a quiet morning spent with a cup of coffee.

Buon Ma Thuot belongs to that kind of journey. It doesn't try to be glamorous, but knows how to move visitors with its authenticity: the aroma of coffee, the highland sunshine, the sound of gongs, the atmosphere of a local meal, the hospitable smiles of the people, and the feeling of slowing down amidst a vast open land.

When National Geographic named Buon Ma Thuot on its world culinary map, it wasn't just a title. It was a reminder that Vietnam has destinations rich in unique characteristics, capable of attracting global tourists with their authentic values.

And if you're looking for a getaway, a chance to recharge, or to find a place that's both familiar and new, try Buon Ma Thuot. Who knows, just a cup of coffee on a highland morning might be enough to make you want to return again and again.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/buon-ma-thuot-diem-hen-moi-cua-du-lich-am-thuc-the-gioi-238260601005412467.htm