Mang Den is a town in KonPlong district, Kon Tum province, with primeval forests and many lakes and waterfalls. The climate here is cool and fresh, suitable for tourists to avoid the summer sun.
Coming to Mang Den, you will be walking on a winding road, on both sides are green pine trees, with a faint smell of pine resin. The sound of birds chirping is echoing, the cool climate carries the wild, majestic features of the mountains and forests. That's why Mang Den is loved by tourists and called Da Lat of Kon Tum.
People also call this the land of "seven lakes, three waterfalls" associated with the legend of how Pling created this place. The seven lakes are: Toong Ly Leng, Toong Ziu, Toong Zo Ri, Toong Sang, Toong Po, Toong Dam and Dak Ke. And the three waterfalls are Pa Sy, Dak Ke and Dak Pne.
Coming here, visitors have the opportunity to freely visit, stroll around romantic lakes, and enjoy dishes rich in the flavors of the Central Highlands mountains and forests.
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| Pa Sy waterfall in Mang Den town. |
Time to visit
Around April and May is a great time to travel to Mang Den. The climate is cold but wild flowers, wild orchids, and myrtle flowers are starting to bloom. The surrounding pine forest covers a thick, velvety green carpet.
From October to December, Mang Den wears a yellow shirt of ripe rice gently along the mountain slopes. On the way here, you will have the feeling of walking along the Northwest region during the ripe rice season.
Transport
Kon Tum does not have an airport for tourists, so if you want to come here by plane, you must book a ticket to Pleiku airport, 50 km from Kon Tum.
From Hanoi: you can choose Dang Khoa, Viet Tan... bus companies for 25 USD
From Ho Chi Minh City: you go to Minh Quoc, Viet Tan Phat, HHHK Tay Nguyen Motor Transport Cooperative, Thong Nhat Tourism and Service Export Cooperative (HCMC), Long Van... Seat price is about 10 USD, sleeper ticket is about 13 USD.
From Da Nang: Mai Linh, Viet Tan, Hoang Long... cost 8 USD - 10 USD VND
Move to Mang Den
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| Kon K'lor suspension bridge, the largest cable-stayed bridge in this area, connects the two banks of the Dak Bla River. This is also a place not to be missed if tourists have set foot in Kon Tum |
To Kon Tum, take Route 24 east about 60 km to Mang Den Ecotourism Area. You can rent a motorbike, car or taxi.
Taxi: In Kon Tum, there are reputable taxi companies such as Mai Linh or Vinh Son.
Car: When traveling in a large group, you can rent a whole car with a driver or you can drive yourself.
Motorbike: Rent a motorbike for about $6/day.
Accommodation
Staying in Mang Den, you should rent a villa hidden in the hotel's pine forest. Some places often chosen by tourists are HoaHong hotel, LanRung conference center, Doi Thong hotel or HoaSim villa. The price for a night's stay is about $9 for a single room, $11 for a double room, $13 for a triple room and $16 for a VIP room. Or Trung Hieu hotel has a cheaper price of 8 USD for a double room and 6 USD for a single room.Cuisine
Lam rice: This is a quite popular dish of most ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands, but each locality has a different nuance and flavor. Lam rice in KonPlong area is cooked from upland sticky rice soaked with pandan leaves, so it has a fragrant taste, is firm but flexible, fleshy but not hard, and you will never get tired of eating it. |
| Lam rice and grilled chicken with Mang Den are famous specialties of the region. |
Mang Den roast pig: pigs are domesticated and raised with rich, natural food sources from the mountains and forests, so the meat is very firm and rich in nutrients. People here still use charcoal stoves to roast pork, so it's very fragrant and crispy.
Mang Den sturgeon: perhaps because of the fresh, cool climate all year round, the sturgeon here is sweeter than in other regions. Guests can ask the restaurant to make grilled dishes, hot pot or any dish that suits your taste.
Grilled chicken with bamboo shoots: this dish has been recognized in the list of 50 delicious dishes to try in the Guinness Vietnam Book of Records. The meat is marinated with spices from some roots, leaves, honey and Kon Tum forest trees, so the grilled chicken has a special flavor. When enjoying, you should add salt and pepper or large grains of salt with spicy chili or bac leaves (a sweet forest leaf with a greasy taste).
Can wine: this drink is a characteristic of the Central Highlands ethnic people in general and Kon Plong in particular. Drinking wine is an indispensable cultural feature of life as well as vividly reflecting the material and spiritual culture of the past and present. With the aroma of rice, mixed with clear spring water, creating a passionate spicy taste.
In addition, Mang Den also has other rustic dishes such as bitter eggplant, wild sour bamboo shoots, wild vegetables, wild banana ears, grilled buffalo meat, dried buffalo meat...
By: Phương Thu Thủy