4 Best Sights in The South-Central Coasts and Highlands, Vietnam

This large, relatively modern museum highlights the history of Dak Lak Province with a focus on local ethnic minority people through its overall design and displays, which include artifacts from the 44 ethnic minority groups who live in the province. Exhibits are signed in Vietnamese, English, French, and Ede.

These pretty waterfalls, 32 km (20 miles) southwest of Buon Ma Thuot, are a good place to break the journey from Lak Lake to Buon Ma Thuot. Trails lead to the bottom of the falls, where it's possible to take a dip in the slightly murky green water.

This tourist site, owned by the Trung Nguyen coffee behemoth, Vietnam's answer to Starbucks, is essentially a giant coffee shop with a beautiful replica "ancient house" at the front. There's a museum at the rear of the property, showcasing coffee paraphernalia from around the world. A gift shop at the front of the property sells a selection of coffees, including weasel coffee that goes for $50 per 225-gram box.

Located in the center of Buon Ma Thuot's biggest roundabout, this monument honors the day the town was "liberated" by the North Vietnamese army (the losing side would say that Buon Ma Thuot "fell") on March 10, 1975. The provincial administrative center was the first domino to fall as the northern army pushed south towards Ho Chi Minh City, which was liberated only a few weeks later, on April 30, marking the end of the Vietnam-American War. The monument features a replica tank and fighters with suitably victorious raised arms and guns. There's no need to make a special trip to the monument---you'll probably pass it as you enter the town.