Mang Den Travel Guide

Mang Den is a small town, 148.07 km2 wide on the plateau, in Kon Plong district, about 60 km from Kon Tum city, Kon Tum province. Mang Den is known as "miniature Da Lat" with primeval forests, lakes, waterfalls, pine forests, cool, fresh climate, peaceful space.

The road to Mang Den town in the middle of a pine forest. Photo: Mangdentrongtoi

Beautiful season

The most touristy season in Mang Den is from October to December every year. This is the time when Kon Tum is cold and sunny, with dry weather. New Year is the time when cherry blossoms bloom. However, depending on the weather, the flowers may bloom later.

Mang Den has flowers blooming at all times. If you come here in February, you will see mimosa and bauhinia flowers, in March or April there will be purple phoenix flowers. After this time there will also be purple sim flowers.

Peaceful scenery in Mang Den with floating clouds and mountains. Photo: Kontumtrongtoi

Move

Visitors from Hanoi should use the flight because it is quite far, about 1,100 km. The nearest airport to Mang Den is Pleiku (Gia Lai), about 100 km away, travel time by car is about 2 hours.

Tourists from Ho Chi Minh City drive themselves along Highway 14, a distance of 600 km, through Binh Phuoc, Dak Nong, Dak Lak, Gia Lai.

Passenger vans from Ho Chi Minh City departing from Mien Dong Bus Station have companies such as Long Van, Minh Quoc, Phong Phu, Phuong Thu... Ticket prices range from 250,000 VND to 450,000 VND. Travel time is about 10 to 12 hours.

From Kon Tum city to Mang Den there are many means of transport such as taxi, bus or self-driving car.

Accommodation

Mang Den is a small town so there are not many big hotels. Golden Boutique Hotel is a 4-star hotel, with 63 rooms with large windows and balconies, full amenities, and a swimming pool. Dak Ke Mang Den is a 3-star hotel with 4 villas, a stilt house and two hotel suites with 45 rooms.

In addition, the main type of accommodation here is homestay. Homestays in Mang Den are beautiful and reasonably priced, ranging from 300,000 VND to 800,000 VND per night per room. Homestays often have dorm rooms, priced from 150,000 VND to 250,000 VND per bed. Some homestays to consider: Toki, Paradiso, May Lang Thang, Sun Homestay...

Where to play

Pa Sy waterfall tourist area

Pa Sy waterfall tourist area center. Photo: Luhanhvietnam

Covering a total area of 25 hectares, Pa Sy waterfall eco-tourism area includes a system of roads, communal houses, handicraft production workshops, cultural exhibition houses, vegetable and flower farms. The center of the tourist area is Pa Sy waterfall at an altitude of about 1,500 m above sea level. The waterfall is formed from the three largest streams in Mang Den, so it is called Pau Suh (meaning three streams converging into one).

Dak Ke Lake

Dak Ke Lake. Photo: Kontumtrongtoi

Dak Ke Lake, originally named Toong Ro Poong Lake, is about 3 hectares wide and is located in the center of Mang Den town. Currently, the lake has invested in entertainment services such as rowing, duck pedaling, fishing, and dining. Visitors can rent buffalo carts or horse carts to go around the lake and enjoy the scenery. If you go in the summer, you can see a series of purple phoenix trees in full bloom, and in the winter, cherry blossoms.

Experience picking fruits and vegetables at the farms

Mang Den Town was designated by Kon Tum Province to invest in developing high-tech farms, creating clean and fresh fruit and vegetable products. Visitors to Mang Den will experience picking fruit and enjoying it right in the garden. Popular fruits include oranges, green-skinned grapefruit, avocados, tomatoes, strawberries, melons or flowers such as chrysanthemums, lilies... These farms do not charge an entrance fee, visitors will be charged a separate fee for how many products they harvest, if they want to take them home.

Some suggested addresses: E Ban farm, Orfarm, Biophap, Mang Den Xanh farm, Tam An Organic farm, Hung Ly Garden...

Wooden sculpture garden

Mang Den wooden sculpture garden. Photo: Kontumtrongtoi

The statue garden was built in 2013, near the Pa Sy waterfall area on a hillside of more than 1 hectare of primeval forest. In addition to the stone-paved paths, the garden has 100 wooden statues crafted by 33 artisans from the province's ethnic groups. The wooden statues represent a variety of daily life and activities in the northern Central Highlands, such as statues of men holding axes, carrying machetes, smoking, hunting, women pounding rice, weaving, carrying children, working in the fields, people playing music, drinking rice wine, etc. Along with human statues, there are statues of animals close to people such as birds, dogs, cats, pigs, monkeys, snakes, elephants, etc.

Khanh Lam Pagoda

Khanh Lam Pagoda is built on an area of 10 hectares, 1,200 m above sea level. From the foot of the hill, following the front gate, passing over 200 stone steps, the pagoda appears majestic, hidden under the tree canopy. Standing out in the green space is the main hall with a three-story roof structure, combining traditional communal house architecture with a communal house, bearing the cultural identity of the Central Highlands. In front of the main hall, along with the bell tower and drum tower, is a 17 m high statue of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara and a symmetrical lotus pond, creating a harmonious landscape.

Mang Den Walking Street

Mang Den walking street. Photo: Kontum Online

Mang Den Walking and Cuisine Street, also known as Sunset Boulevard, is located on Vo Nguyen Giap Street, the town center. The walking street has a system of hotels and restaurants with fully equipped architectural spaces, landscapes with mountains - water - sky and clouds, is an ideal place for visitors to rest, relax, and enjoy the typical cuisine of Mang Den.

What to eat

Sichuan pepper hotpot

Sichuan pepper hotpot and dried bamboo shoot chicken salad. Photo: Tam Anh

The dish sounds spicy, but thanks to that, it is very suitable for the Mang Den climate. The hot pot broth is stewed from vegetables and fruits, with herbs such as wolfberry and red apple. The broth is stewed for many hours to bring out the natural sweetness and clarity.

Sichuan hotpot is served in a similar way to Sichuan hotpot, divided into two compartments with two different flavors, one spicy and one plain. To best experience the delicious taste of the dish, diners should try the spicy hotpot.

Chicken and dried bamboo shoot salad

Chicken and dried bamboo shoot salad has two main ingredients: chicken and dried bamboo shoots, served with peanuts, herbs such as mint, onions, and carrots. This dish is no different from any other salad, with a sweet and sour taste. But this combination brings a strange taste, not found anywhere else.

Snakehead fish noodle soup

The noodles are made from rice flour, steamed snakehead fish, filleted, salted bitter vegetables, washed, and herbs such as green onions, cilantro, Vietnamese coriander, and chili. The special thing about snakehead fish noodles is that they are cooked directly in separate pots on the stove and then served to customers. That is why the dish is still boiling and hot for a long time. Each portion of noodles will have a large piece of snakehead fish, served with small bitter vegetables. Diners put the vegetables into the noodles and enjoy.

Grilled chicken - bamboo rice

Ms. Sinh's grilled chicken.

This is a traditional dish of the locals. The chicken is often raised naturally so the meat is firm. Before being grilled, the chicken is stuffed with wild pepper leaves, onions, lemongrass, chili... so when cooked it is very fragrant. The charcoal stove for grilling must be very hot, each batch grills for about 20 to 30 minutes. Grilled chicken is best eaten while it is still hot, the skin is crispy, evenly golden, the meat is fragrant. Grilled chicken is often served with sticky bamboo rice, peanut salt or sesame.

Some suggested restaurants:

- Mang Den Inn: 55 Ngo Quyen
- Tay Nguyen restaurant: 35 Truong Chinh
- Grilled chicken with bamboo rice Ms. Sinh: H7RJ+4QQ, AH132, Dak Long
- Fish and bamboo shoot sticky rice: intersection of Le Hong Phong - Le Loi
- A Kay 7 Mang Den Snakehead Fish Noodle Soup: Mang Den Market