Da Lat Weekend Itinerary: Gongs, Coffee and Bao Thuan Market

This itinerary is designed for groups of friends or couples with a two-day weekend in Da Lat who want to learn about Central Highlands culture while also lounging in beautiful cafés and sampling country market food. The most pleasant time to go is the dry season, roughly November to March: the air is crisp and cool, there's little rain, and evenings by the fire are perfect. Late October, when the town starts decorating with flowers and the coffee harvest ripens, is also well worth a visit.

Itinerary Overview

• Day 1: Explore a coffee workshop that offers tours of its processing area, stroll the town center, then spend the afternoon and evening at a gong performance with a campfire.
• Day 2: Morning coffee in an old villa, lunch, then drive toward Di Linh to visit the afternoon market of the K'Ho (Co Ho) people in Bao Thuan.
• Getting around: Within Da Lat, a rented motorbike or ride-hailing taxi is the most convenient. Bao Thuan, however, is quite far from the center (in the Di Linh area, along National Highway 20), so hiring a car with a driver is safer, especially for families with young children or international visitors unfamiliar with mountain passes.
• Smart tip: If you're returning to Ho Chi Minh City by road, Bao Thuan market is practically on the way, so you can stop there before continuing on.

Day 1: The Aroma of Coffee and the Sound of Gongs

Morning

Have a Da Lat-style breakfast of banh can (small griddled rice cakes), banh mi xiu mai (baguette with pork meatballs) or a hot bowl of bun (rice noodle soup) around the central market. Then head to a café set in a large warehouse on the outskirts, which offers free tours through the processing and roasting areas; during harvest season, some places even let visitors try picking ripe coffee cherries.

Midday

Return to the center for lunch of lau ga la e (chicken hotpot with Thai basil-like e leaves) or com nieu (rice cooked in a clay pot), then rest at your hotel. If you still have energy, take a walk around Xuan Huong Lake to enjoy the town.

Afternoon

Head to a Central Highlands gong performance venue. These shows usually start in the afternoon on outdoor stages or within the grounds of certain cafés, featuring troupes of K'Ho (Co Ho) artisans performing in traditional dress. Arrive early to get seats close to the action, as some venues hold up to thousands of people and get very crowded on weekends.

Evening

As dusk falls, a campfire is lit in the middle of the yard and visitors can join hands with the artisans to dance the xoang around the flames. Don't miss the grilled chicken served on a bamboo tray with com lam (sticky rice cooked in bamboo tubes), along with a cup of ruou can (rice wine sipped through bamboo straws) if you drink. The Space of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands has been inscribed by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Day 2: An Old Villa and Bao Thuan's Forest Vegetable Market

Morning

Enjoy coffee at a café within the grounds of an old villa once associated with the Nguyen Dynasty royal family; some cafés like this even offer short brewing classes for guests who want to make their own. Check out of your hotel before heading off to save time.

Midday

Have an early lunch in Da Lat or along the road to Di Linh. The drive to Bao Thuan takes about two hours, passing gorgeous tea and coffee hills, so stop at a few spots for photos.

Afternoon

Visit Bao Thuan afternoon market, where K'Ho villagers bring produce from their fields and the forest to sell: wild greens, bamboo shoots, rattan shoots, bitter eggplant, chilies, bananas, and sometimes stream fish or rice wine. The market only really gets busy in the afternoon and wraps up fairly early, so try to arrive before around 3 p.m.

Evening

Buy some wild greens and dried bamboo shoots as gifts, then continue on to Ho Chi Minh City, Lien Khuong Airport, or back to Da Lat if you're staying another night. Set off before it gets fully dark to avoid driving the mountain passes in fog.

Estimated Costs

The figures below are for reference only, per person, and may vary by season and booking time:

• Accommodation: around 400,000–1,200,000 VND per room per night for mid-range hotels; higher during holidays and the Flower Festival.
• Gong performance (ticket or meal package): around 150,000–400,000 VND depending on venue and package.
• Coffee: around 40,000–100,000 VND per cup; coffee workshop tours are usually free, while brewing classes cost extra.
• Food: around 300,000–500,000 VND per person per day.
• Motorbike rental: around 100,000–200,000 VND per day. Car with driver to Bao Thuan: around 1,200,000–2,000,000 VND per car per day, cheaper when split among a group.
• Market shopping: wild greens and bamboo shoots usually cost just a few tens of thousands of dong per bunch or bag.

Tips

• Ask permission before photographing K'Ho people, especially the elderly and children; if they shake their head, smile and put your camera away. Don't shove your camera close to people's faces or their goods.
• Shop gently and respectfully: avoid haggling too hard, as many items represent hours of foraging in the forest; carry small change, since country markets rarely accept bank transfers.
• When dancing the xoang around the campfire, follow the artisans' lead and don't strike or touch the gongs without permission – to Central Highlands communities, they are sacred objects.
• Da Lat has big temperature swings between day and night: bring warm clothes, a scarf and closed-toe shoes; it can still be chilly at night even sitting near the campfire.
• Weekends and festival seasons are very busy: book your room, transport and gong show seats in advance, and confirm the show start time.
• Ask vendors how to prepare unfamiliar wild greens, and don't buy wildlife or products of unclear origin.