A Simple 3-Day Journey From A Guide After A Tour In Danang 2019.
| Day | Route | Experience |
|---|---|---|
| D. 1 | Da Nang → Quy Nhon | Bus journey, beach, local café, overnight |
| D. 2 | Quy Nhon → Buon Ma Thuot | Scenic road journey, Central Highlands, overnight |
| D. 3 | Buon Ma Thuot → Ho Chi Minh | World Coffee Museum, local café, afternoon bus |
This is my travel story, not a recommendation that you should follow exactly today.
There are times when travelling is not about getting somewhere as quickly as possible. Sometimes, the slower journey gives you something that a flight simply cannot: time to look out of the window, notice the landscape changing, stop in an unfamiliar city, sit in a local café, and discover a place you might otherwise have passed by.
I learned this during one of my trips through Central Vietnam in 2019.
I was working as a freelance tour guide, as I still do today, and had just finished a five-day traditional tour covering Da Nang, Hoi An, and Hue. I was based in Ho Chi Minh City, and the tour ended in Da Nang, where my travelers were preparing to fly home.
Normally, the travel company would arrange my flight back to Ho Chi Minh City. The flight would take just a little over an hour.
But I decided not to fly after the tour. Instead, I asked if I could make my own way back to Saigon by bus.
It was not the fastest choice. In fact, what could have been a short flight became a three-day, two-night journey through Vietnam’s Central Coasts and Central Highlands.
Looking back, I am very happy that I made that decision.
It gave me a brief but memorable glimpse of two places I had wanted to explore: Quy Nhon in Binh Dinh Province, a region strongly associated with traditional Vietnamese martial arts, and Buon Ma Thuot in Dak Lak Province, one of Vietnam’s best-known coffee-growing regions.
And somewhere along that journey, coffee became the main character of my trip.
A Different Way of Travelling Through Vietnam
As a tour guide, I spend much of my working life moving from one place to another.
I have travelled across quite a large part of Vietnam.
Most of the time, however, I am travelling because I am working.
That is an important difference.
When I am guiding a group, my attention is on my travelers. I am thinking about the itinerary, timing, restaurants, hotels, transportation, sightseeing, and making sure everyone is comfortable.
On this particular journey, I was travelling alone. For once, I could simply look out of the window.
I could stop and think: Where should I go next? What is that place over there? What does this town look like? What do people do here?
That is one reason I love travelling.
Day 1: Da Nang to Quy Nhon
After saying goodbye to my travelers at the end of the Da Nang tour, I booked a bus heading south.
My first destination was Quy Nhon in Binh Dinh Province.
You can see my Quy Nhon trip on YouTube here
For an international traveler, Quy Nhon may not immediately appear on the standard Vietnam itinerary. Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta, and Phu Quoc Island usually come first.
But Quy Nhon has a very different character.
It is a coastal city with a long beach, a relaxed atmosphere, and a strong connection with the history and culture of Binh Dinh.
Binh Dinh is particularly famous for its traditional Vietnamese martial arts. The province has a long-standing martial arts tradition, and this was one of the reasons I chose Quy Nhon.
Growing up in Vietnam, we learn about different regions not only through travel but also through school, literature, and history.
Binh Dinh was always associated in my mind with martial arts, poetry, and the Central Coasts.
So when I had the chance to travel through the region on my own, I wanted to see it for myself.
One Night in Quy Nhon
I arrived in Quy Nhon and spent the night there.
I did not have a complicated plan. Sometimes, that is the best way to travel.
The following morning, I went for a walk along the central beach, took some photographs, watched the city wake up, and simply enjoyed being there without having to worry about leading a group.
Eventually, I found a coffee shop near the central square, with a monument of Uncle Ho and His Father nearby.
I ordered a coffee, sat down, and watched everyday life happening around me.
People passed by on motorbikes. Locals walked along the streets. The city was going about its normal business.
And I was sitting there with nowhere I urgently needed to be.
That simple moment became one of my favourite memories of the trip.
That morning in Quy Nhon was not about sightseeing. It was about watching local life.
Day 2: From the Central Coasts to the Central Highlands
In the afternoon, I boarded another bus.
This time, I was heading inland toward Buon Ma Thuot, in Dak Lak Province, the land of coffee.
The landscape slowly changed. The sea disappeared.
The coastal scenery gave way to roads heading into the Central Highlands.
The journey was close to another 300 kilometres, and by the time I arrived in Buon Ma Thuot, it felt as though I had travelled into a completely different part of Vietnam.
Buon Ma Thuot is widely associated with coffee, and Dak Lak is famous for its coffee-growing regions.
For someone who enjoys Vietnamese coffee, this is an exciting place to visit.
And for me, it was especially interesting because I had passed through coffee-growing areas many times before without really stopping to explore them.
I Had Passed Coffee Farms Many Times Before
This is one of the funny things about being a tour guide.
I had travelled the Ho Chi Minh City–Da Lat route many times.
I had seen tea plantations. I had seen coffee trees. I had stopped at roadside cafés where travelers could taste Vietnamese coffee.
I had taken photographs of plantations. I had explained to travelers that Vietnam is one of the world’s major coffee-producing countries.
But I had never really taken the time to visit a coffee museum.
Until this trip. That changed everything.
My Surprise: The World Coffee Museum
The next morning in Buon Ma Thuot, I visited the World Coffee Museum.
I honestly did not know exactly what to expect.
I imagined a conventional museum with glass cases, old photographs, and information boards.
Instead, the building itself surprised me.
The architecture is inspired by the long-house traditions of Central Highlands ethnic communities, and the museum combines architecture, objects, exhibitions, and coffee culture in a more open and contemporary way.
From outside, the building immediately catches your attention.
The curved forms and dark structure look quite different from the surrounding city.
I remember walking around the outside first and thinking:
“This is not what I expected a coffee museum to look like.”
Then I went inside. The exhibition spaces were equally interesting.
There were coffee-related objects and displays from different cultures, together with information about coffee history and the development of coffee culture.
What I liked most was that the museum did not make me feel as though I was simply walking through a collection of old objects.
It tried to make coffee feel like a living part of human culture. And that was exactly what I wanted to understand.
You can also watch my own video from the visit above
Why Vietnamese Coffee Is So Special to Me
Vietnamese coffee is not just a drink. For many visitors, the first surprise is the strength.
Traditional Vietnamese coffee is often brewed slowly through a small metal filter called a phin. The coffee drips directly into the glass or cup below.
Then comes the condensed milk.
For many first-time visitors, cà phê sữa đá—Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk—is the easiest place to start.
It is strong, sweet, cold, and refreshing, especially in Vietnam’s hot weather.
But Vietnamese coffee culture is much bigger than one drink.
You can find:
- Cà phê sữa đá — iced coffee with condensed milk
- Cà phê đen đá — black iced coffee
- Cà phê đen — black coffee
- Bạc xỉu — a milkier, gentler coffee
- Coconut coffee
- Salt coffee
- Egg coffee
- Modern specialty coffee
- Robusta-based traditional coffee
And then there is the experience of drinking it.
A Vietnamese café can be anything from a modern specialty coffee shop to a few tiny plastic chairs on a pavement.
You might pay very little for a cup and spend an hour sitting there.
Nobody is in a hurry. That is part of the culture.
Vietnam’s Coffee Country Is More Than Buon Ma Thuot
Buon Ma Thuot is perhaps the place most closely associated with Vietnamese coffee, but coffee is grown in several parts of the Central Highlands.
For travelers, a visit to the Central Highlands means that coffee can become part of a larger journey.
You can see the plantations. You can see coffee cherries growing on the trees.
You can stop at local cafés. You can visit a coffee museum.
And, of course, you can drink coffee almost anywhere.
For me, that makes coffee one of the best ways to connect with the Central Highlands.
And What About Tea?
Although this story is mainly about coffee, I cannot talk about travelling through Vietnam’s plantation areas without mentioning tea.
The two often appear together in my travel memories.
When I lead tours between Ho Chi Minh City and Da Lat, for example, I regularly pass through areas where visitors can see tea and coffee plantations.
So when you travel through the Central Highlands, you may see a landscape that changes from coffee to tea and back again.
That is something I particularly enjoy about road travel.
From an airplane, you see the landscape as a picture. From a bus, you gradually see it change.
My Favourite Coffee Stops Are Sometimes the Simplest
After visiting the museum, I did not immediately rush to another attraction.
I went back into the city and found another coffee shop.
I sat down. I drank coffee and watched local life.
This may sound like a very simple travel experience, but after years of guiding tours, I have learned that simple moments often become the strongest memories.
I did not need another five attractions. I had already found the main thing I was looking for.
I wanted to understand why coffee is so deeply connected with this part of Vietnam.
And sitting in Buon Ma Thuot, surrounded by cafés and people going about their daily lives, gave me part of the answer.
Coffee here is not just something produced for export.
It is part of everyday life.
Day 3: Buon Ma Thuot to Ho Chi Minh City
In the afternoon, I caught a bus back toward Ho Chi Minh City.
My three-day, two-night journey was coming to an end.
I had travelled from the coast, through the mountains, and into one of Vietnam’s most important coffee regions.
It was only a short trip. I did not see everything. I did not visit every attraction.
But I saw enough to make me want to come back.
And perhaps that is what good travel should do.
It should leave you with a few memories and a reason to return.
For me, those memories are connected to Quy Nhon’s beach, a quiet coffee shop, the long road through the Central Highlands, the architecture of the World Coffee Museum, and the taste of Vietnamese coffee.
If I had taken the plane, I would have reached Saigon much earlier.
But I would have missed the story.
Why I Chose the Bus Instead of the Plane
If I had taken the flight from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City, I would have arrived home quickly.
Instead, I spent three days travelling.
Was it more comfortable? No.
Was it faster? Definitely not.
Was it worth it? For me, absolutely.
The bus allowed me to see parts of Vietnam that I would never have experienced from an airplane.
I saw the road. I saw towns. I saw the coastline. I saw the countryside change.
I stayed overnight in Quy Nhon. I travelled into the Central Highlands.
I visited a museum I had never visited before. I drank coffee in two different cities.
And I came home with a story.
That is the difference between transportation and travelling.
If you prefer to travel independently, this kind of journey can be arranged using local buses or booking plaforms, depending on the route and season.
For travelers who prefer organized experiences, you can also compare Vietnam activities and tours through GetYourGuide or Klook….
What I Would Recommend to Coffee Lovers
If you are visiting Vietnam and love coffee, don’t only look for famous cafés in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City.
Try to see where the coffee comes from.
If your itinerary allows, consider adding Buon Ma Thuot or another Central Highlands destination to your journey.
A coffee-focused trip could include:
- A coffee plantation
- A local coffee farm
- The World Coffee Museum
- A traditional Vietnamese café
- A coffee roasting experience
- A local market
- A Central Highlands cultural experience
You don’t need to become a coffee expert. Just take your time. Ask questions. Try different brewing styles.
And most importantly, drink it the Vietnamese way at least once.
Want to Bring the Taste of Vietnam Home?
Vietnamese Coffee Products
- Vietnamese Robusta coffee beans
- Vietnamese coffee sampler
- Vietnamese drip coffee bags
- Traditional Vietnamese phin filter
- Phin + coffee gift set
- Ground Vietnamese coffee
- Coffee gift box
- Coffee storage container
- Portable coffee grinder
Tea Products
- Vietnamese green tea
- Lotus tea
- Jasmine tea
- Oolong tea from Da Lat/Lam Dong
- Vietnamese tea sampler
- Traditional Vietnamese tea set
If You Have Only a Short Time
Flights are excellent when time matters.
You don’t need to copy my three-day bus trip.
If you have more time, consider extending your journey toward Buon Ma Thuot.
If you have very little time, simply make Vietnamese coffee part of your daily travel routine.
That’s an easy way to experience Vietnamese culture without changing your itinerary.
And if you have extra days, consider taking a bus or train for at least one section of your Vietnam journey.
You might see something unexpected.
Final Thoughts:
Vietnam is a long, narrow country, and there are many ways to experience it.
You can fly from city to city and save valuable time.
You can take a train and watch the coastline pass by.
Or you can take a bus and spend hours watching everyday Vietnam through the window.
There is no single right way.
For travelers with limited time, flying makes perfect sense.
But if you have a few extra days, I encourage you to slow down at least once.
Get off the main tourist route.
Spend a night somewhere you did not originally plan to visit.
Sit in a local café.
Order a Vietnamese coffee.
And simply watch the world go by.
That is what I did in 2019.
I started the journey thinking I was simply finding my own way home from Da Nang to Saigon.
Instead, I found a small story about Quy Nhon, the Central Highlands, Vietnamese coffee, and my own love of travelling.
And that is exactly why I wanted to share it here on The Son Mekong.
Thank you for visiting.
FAQ
Is Buon Ma Thuot worth visiting for coffee lovers?
Yes. Buon Ma Thuot is strongly associated with Vietnam’s coffee industry, and the city is home to the World Coffee Museum. It can be an interesting destination for travelers who want to learn more about Vietnamese coffee culture.
Is the World Coffee Museum worth visiting?
For coffee lovers, I would say yes.
Even if you are not a coffee expert, the architecture and exhibition style make it an interesting cultural st
