Mang Den is a small town, about 60km from Kon Tum city, about 620km from Saigon by road, still very wild and peaceful. When receiving the question "Should I go to Mang Den?" I will ask again carefully, if you like a place that is not too crowded, the climate is cool, everything is almost the most natural because there is no intervention by human hands, ... that means there will not be many attractive entertainment spots or sparkling cafes like other places!
Here, there is simply a vast pine forest with every morning driving you can smell the light scent of pine resin, at noon you can hear the pleasant rustling of pine trees, in the afternoon you can drive on the road with the sunlight shining through the pine leaves and reflecting on the road surface, very poetic and the people here are simple and extremely lovely. If you want to find a peaceful place to rest after many tiring days, Mang Den will be an extremely suitable choice.
• To get to Mang Den, you can take a sleeper bus departing from Mien Dong bus station, the travel time is about 12 to 14 hours, the price is from 20 USD/person. In addition, you can choose to fly from Tan Son Nhat airport to Pleiku airport, about 110km from Mang Den. In general, the transportation depends on each person's free time. For example, I found that traveling by car was quite time-consuming (up to 14 hours), those who get carsick will be very tired, ignoring this problem, traveling by car helps save a lot, the first time traveling by car and got to eat at the rest stop, it was family-style, sitting at a table with a tray of food with stir-fried dishes, stewed dishes, soups... everything!
• Mang Den has quite a few new homestays invested in the form of villas, so you can rest assured about the accommodation and safety. Regarding TOKI Mang Den - the place I stayed, I was fascinated by the photos of the garden here. When I researched, I saved a lot of these photos on my computer and when I stayed, the cameraman of Toki gave us all a beautiful BBQ photo set. And I was quite surprised when I entered Toki, I didn't think that in Mang Den there would be a homestay that was so neat and careful in every small detail. The house was decorated mostly with wood, creating a very cozy feeling. In addition, the puppies here did not distinguish between strangers and acquaintances, but kept huddled together as if welcoming someone who had been far away back home... So, if I go back to Mang Den, I will still choose Toki as my place to stay.
In Mang Den, everything is simple and meets basic consumer needs, so you can't find fancy cafes or high-class restaurants. Simply immersing yourself in nature and enjoying the daily life of the people here makes me feel much more comfortable than the hustle and bustle of the city!
•• Where to go Mang Den?
If you look back and read reviews online, you will see places like: Pa Sy Waterfall, Mother of Mang Den, Dakke Lake, Cable-stayed Bridge, Konbring Village... and I see that every homestay has a map of these places, so when you get to Mang Den, just leisurely drive around and you will definitely pass by them all. If you are diligent, you can visit all these places in 1 day! For this part, just google map any place you like...
•• What to eat and drink?
- The first time writing about a place that I'm most excited about talking about food, when coming to Mang Den, you really have to spend a night having a BBQ party (if you go with a group of friends, otherwise you can join in and have a few glasses of wine :)))) almost every homestay in Mang Den has a BBQ area prepared, so you can rest assured. Kon Plong market is about 2km from the homestay, go there and buy food to prepare for the barbecue party, the vegetables in the mountains are super delicious, going to the market is like starving :)))
- Grilled chicken with bamboo rice Ms. Sinh: The bamboo rice here is extremely delicious, completely different from the bamboo rice in the Northwest mountains that I eat :))) The chicken is needless to say, I love chicken so I always think chicken is number 1. It takes about 30 minutes to grill a chicken order, so you can call in advance to make it or the restaurant will ship it to your homestay.
- MangDen Lu Quan Xuyen Tieu Hot Pot: The first impression is that the owner is very cute, seeing that we are tourists who don't know about this dish, she will first introduce why it is called Xuyen Tieu Hot Pot, then guide how to eat it properly. The hot pot is really delicious, in the cool weather, the spicy hot pot from the Xuyen Tieu flower seeds along with a plate of wild vegetables is strange and cannot be missed... hic, sometimes I think the reason to come back to MangDen is because of this Xuyen Tieu Hot Pot.
- In addition, there is Akay Banh Canh (this is a type of sharp banh canh that can be made from wheat flour or rice flour), Tay Nguyen Quan, Mang Do Quan, ...
- BachDuong Coffee: this is probably the biggest shop in Mang Den area, it looks like TCH, but when you go to the Central Highlands, you should try the coffee, the taste is very different.
- 𝑇𝐶𝐴𝑠 𝐶𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑒 & 𝐵𝑒𝑒𝑟 𝑃𝑢𝑏: They have delicious cakes here :))) and the coffee is also delicious! Actually, my favorite thing is the puppies here, and the open space makes it even more enjoyable to sit and watch the rain.
- 𝐴𝑚𝑎𝑧𝑜𝑛 𝐶𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑒 & 𝑃𝑢𝑏: This shop is next to the homestay I stayed at, so I went there that night to see what the Pub in Mang Den would be like. Overall, the concept of the shop is cute, but I suggest everyone order the available bottled drinks!
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| Chợ Kon Plong |
Yahh, that's pretty much it, the rest is waiting for you to experience and share with me 🍃
By: La Duyen