What it is

Doi Thong (Pine Hill) sits about 7 km south of Buon Ma Thuot's center, along the road toward Lac Lake. It's not a national park or a gated attraction — just a stretch of mature pine forest planted decades ago as part of reforestation efforts across the Central Highlands (중부 고원 / 中部高原 / 中部高原). The trees have grown tall enough now to form a canopy that drops the temperature a few degrees below the surrounding red-earth landscape. Locals treat it as a weekend escape: hammocks strung between trunks, families grilling corn, couples on motorbikes pulling over for photos.

For travelers, Doi Thong works as a half-day detour or a breathing space between bigger Dak Lak stops like Lak Lake or the Dray Nur waterfalls. It won't blow your itinerary wide open, but it offers something the highlands do well — unhurried quiet.

Why travelers go

Buon Ma Thuot is Vietnam (베트남 / 越南 / ベトナム)'s coffee capital, and most visitors come for plantation tours and cupping sessions. Doi Thong gives you a reason to step away from caffeine for an hour. The pine forest is photogenic in the early morning when mist threads through the trunks, and again in late afternoon when golden light cuts sideways across the hillside.

There's no entrance fee, no ticket booth, no souvenir gauntlet. That alone sets it apart from more developed highland destinations like Da Lat's Valley of Love or Langbiang peak. You'll share the space with local students, amateur photographers, and the occasional goat.

Best time to visit

Dak Lak's dry season runs from November to April. December through February gives you cooler mornings (18-22°C at this elevation, around 500m) and clearer skies. The rainy season (May–October) doesn't make the hill inaccessible, but red-earth paths get slippery and the mist can be dense enough to kill photo opportunities.

Weekday mornings are emptiest. Weekend afternoons bring local families and the hum of portable speakers — fine if you want atmosphere, less ideal if you want solitude.

Group of hikers crossing a river with a stunning waterfall backdrop, surrounded by lush forest.

Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels

How to get there

From Buon Ma Thuot city center, head south on Nguyen Chi Thanh street, then follow the road toward Ho Lak (Provincial Road 2). Doi Thong appears on your left after roughly 7 km. Look for a cluster of parked motorbikes and a dirt path leading uphill — there's no formal gate.

From other cities:

  • Saigon: Direct buses run daily (7-8 hours, around 250,000-350,000 VND). Phuong Trang and Thanh Buoi are reliable operators. From Buon Ma Thuot's bus station, grab a Grab bike (about 35,000 VND to the hill).
  • Da Nang or Hue: No direct bus. Fly to Buon Ma Thuot's Phung Duc airport (Vietnam Airlines and Bamboo Airways operate this route) or take a connecting bus via Pleiku.
  • Da Lat (달랏 / 大叻 / ダラット): Local bus or private car, roughly 4-5 hours via Highway 27.

Once in Buon Ma Thuot, rent a motorbike (120,000-150,000 VND/day from most guesthouses) for maximum flexibility across the province.

What to do

Walk the pine trails

No marked routes exist, but worn footpaths criss-cross the hillside. A full wander takes 30-60 minutes depending on how far you push uphill. The higher you climb, the fewer people.

Morning photography

Arrive before 7:00 AM for mist shots. The combination of straight pine trunks and low fog creates depth that works even on a phone camera. Bring a light jacket — it's cooler than town.

Picnic like a local

Pick up "banh mi (반미 / 越式法包 / バインミー)" and vietnamese coffee from town before heading out. Spread a mat under the pines and do what everyone else does: sit, eat, talk, nap.

Combine with nearby stops

Doi Thong pairs well with a half-day loop:

  1. Coffee tasting at a local plantation (Trung Nguyen's original village or smaller family farms along the Lak road)
  2. Doi Thong for a walk
  3. Continue south to Dray Nur or Dray Sap waterfalls (another 20 km)

Where to eat

Doi Thong itself has no restaurants — just occasional vendors selling grilled corn, sugarcane juice, or bagged snacks. Eat before or after in Buon Ma Thuot:

  • Com tam (껌땀 / 碎米饭 / コムタム) stalls cluster around the central market on Ly Thuong Kiet street. Broken rice with grilled pork, a fried egg, and pickled vegetables for 35,000-45,000 VND.
  • Bun do (a local red noodle soup, unique to Dak Lak) — look for the stall at 15 Ngo Quyen street, mornings only.
  • Pho is everywhere, but the Central Highlands version tends sweeter than Hanoi (하노이 / 河内 / ハノイ)'s. Expect to pay 40,000-50,000 VND.
  • For coffee, skip the chains. Try any shopfront with a hand-drip filter and a view of the street. A "ca phe sua da (연유커피 / 越南冰咖啡 / ベトナムアイスコーヒー)" here costs 15,000-20,000 VND — about half what you'd pay in Saigon.

A mesmerizing waterfall cascading in Lâm Đồng, Vietnam, surrounded by lush vegetation and blue skies.

Photo by Serg Alesenko on Pexels

Where to stay

Buon Ma Thuot has limited tourism infrastructure compared to Da Lat or Hoi An (호이안 / 会安 / ホイアン), but options exist:

  • Budget: Guesthouses on Nguyen Cong Tru street, 200,000-350,000 VND/night. Basic but clean. Ask for a room with a window.
  • Mid-range: Muong Thanh Hotel or Hai Ba Trung Hotel, 500,000-800,000 VND. Air conditioning, hot water, breakfast included.
  • Homestays near Lak Lake: If you're heading south anyway, lakeside homestays run by Mnong communities offer stilt-house sleeping and evening gong performances. About 300,000-500,000 VND including dinner.

Practical tips

  • Bring mosquito repellent. Pine forests in the highlands still host bugs, especially after rain.
  • Wear shoes with grip — the red laterite soil stains and gets slick when wet.
  • There's no phone signal issue here — 4G works fine on Viettel and Mobifone.
  • No ATMs at the hill. Bring cash from town.
  • If you're visiting during Tet or other holidays, expect the hill to be packed with local families.

Common mistakes

Expecting a developed attraction. Doi Thong is not a park with facilities. No bathrooms, no café, no trash bins. Bring what you need, carry out what you bring.

Skipping it because it sounds minor. The Central Highlands reward travelers who slow down. A morning under these pines, with a drip coffee and nowhere to be, is the kind of moment that makes a trip.

Driving out midday. The heat between 11 AM and 2 PM flattens the light and the mood. Early morning or late afternoon only.

— FIN —

Last updated · May 24, 2026 · independently researched, never sponsored.