“Food is the soul of a land—and in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, every dish tells a story.” 

If travel is about connection, then cuisine is its most intimate language. Every bite reveals a story of the soil, the season, and the spirit of the people who cultivate it. And nowhere in Vietnam does this feel truer than in the Central Highlands, a region that remains refreshingly untouched, beautifully diverse, and deeply flavorful. 

Through the CENTRAL HIGHLAND CYCLING tour by Vietnam Adventure Cycling, travelers are invited to do more than just pedal through mountains and valleys—they’re invited to taste the essence of Vietnam. 

This 10-day Vietnam cycling adventure winds through highland provinces such as Da Lat, Bao Loc, Buon Ma Thuot, Pleiku, and Kon Tum, each stop offering a new chapter in Vietnam’s rich culinary tale. From coffee-scented breezes to the smoky aroma of bamboo-grilled meats, from vibrant markets to communal highland feasts, this journey feeds both the body and the soul. 

This is not just cycling. 

This is savoring. 

This is exploring a land through its flavors, textures, and traditions—one meal, one conversation, one pedal stroke at a time. 

Culinary Identity of the Highlands 

The Central Highlands are Vietnam’s beating heart of diversity. Home to dozens of ethnic communities—Ê Đê, M’nông, Gia Rai, Ba Na, and Kinh—this region is a melting pot of traditions, ingredients, and flavors. 

The result is a cuisine that’s both rustic and refined, deeply tied to nature and yet surprisingly sophisticated in flavor. 

Cultural fusion in every bite 

Each community brings its own culinary heritage to the table: 

• The Ê Đê people cook with wild herbs and fermented fish, emphasizing smoky, earthy flavors. 
• The M’nông favor bamboo and forest vegetables, celebrating simplicity and freshness. 
• The Gia Rai and Ba Na use fire and clay as their main tools, creating food that’s primal and pure. 
• The Kinh, or ethnic Vietnamese, introduce rice-based dishes and the delicate balance of sweet, sour, spicy, and salty that defines national cuisine. 

Cycling through these highlands, you’ll taste the intersections of these cultures—not as fusion cuisine in a modern sense, but as authentic coexistence born from centuries of sharing land and life. 

Local ingredients: nature’s generosity 

The Central Highlands offer a bounty shaped by elevation, soil, and climate. Here, the highland fields, forests, and streams provide all the essentials: 

• Sticky rice (nếp): A staple in ethnic festivals, used in bamboo rice (cơm lam) and rice cakes. 
• Forest vegetables: Wild ferns, bitter eggplants, and mountain herbs that lend freshness and bite. 
• Stream fish: Grilled or simmered with lemongrass and chili, capturing the taste of mountain rivers. 
• Grilled meats: Pork, chicken, or beef marinated in forest spices and cooked over open fires. 
• Wild bamboo shoots: Tender, aromatic, often used in soups or pickled for rainy days. 

Cooking methods: primitive yet perfect 

The highlands’ culinary methods reveal both ingenuity and harmony with nature: 

• Bamboo grilling: Sticky rice or meat is sealed inside green bamboo tubes, infusing the dish with smoky fragrance. 
• Banana leaf steaming: Keeps food tender and aromatic, a favorite for fish and sticky rice cakes. 
• Clay pot simmering: Slow-cooks soups and stews, deepening flavors and preserving nutrients. 

These time-honored methods reflect a philosophy of minimal waste, natural materials, and respect for ingredients—a concept that feels profoundly sustainable and poetic. 

Signature Dishes Along the Route 

Each stop on the CENTRAL HIGHLAND CYCLING route offers distinct regional flavors—a culinary progression that mirrors the diversity of the land itself. 

Da Lat – City of vegetables and delicate flavors 

Perched at 1,500 meters above sea level, Da Lat is Vietnam’s “Little Paris”—a cool-climate city known for its misty mornings, French villas, and vibrant gardens. But for food lovers, Da Lat is above all the City of Vegetables. 

Here, the air smells of strawberries, artichokes, and freshly brewed coffee. The markets overflow with colors—purple eggplants, bright lettuces, mushrooms, and avocados. 

• Artichoke Pork Rib Soup (Canh sườn heo hoa atiso) 
  • A Da Lat specialty, this clear, soothing soup combines tender pork ribs with local artichokes, prized for their detoxifying properties. It’s the perfect meal after a long day of cycling, gentle yet nourishing. 
• Mini Rice Pancakes (Bánh căn) 
  • Served fresh from small clay molds, these bite-sized pancakes are filled with quail eggs or shrimp, topped with scallion oil, and dipped in tangy fish sauce. You’ll find them at street corners, sizzling in the cool night air. 
• Chicken Hotpot with É Leaves (Lẩu gà lá é) 
  • Fragrant, herbal, and heartwarming, this hotpot features free-range chicken simmered with é leaves—a highland herb with a peppery-citrusy aroma similar to basil. It’s communal, comforting, and ideal for chilly Da Lat evenings. 

Between rides, you’ll enjoy these dishes in cozy family-run eateries or local homestays, accompanied by the laughter of hosts and the warmth of shared stories. 

Bao Loc – Land of tea and coffee 

From Da Lat, the road winds down toward Bao Loc, a tranquil town wrapped in rolling tea hills and coffee plantations. 

Here, your Vietnam cycling adventure turns fragrant. As you ride past tea estates and drying patios, the scent of roasted coffee beans fills the air—a sensory experience that blends perfectly with the rhythm of cycling. 

• Oolong tea & highland coffee 
  • Bao Loc is a paradise for tea and coffee lovers. You’ll visit small family-run plantations, where farmers handpick Oolong leaves or harvest Robusta beans. Learn about traditional tea rolling and sun-drying techniques that preserve flavor and aroma. 
  • Tasting sessions here aren’t just about sipping—they’re about listening. Every cup tells the story of the land, the altitude, and the generations who’ve cultivated it. 
  • With its quiet charm and deep green landscapes, Bao Loc offers travelers a moment of reflection—proof that cuisine isn’t only eaten, but breathed, seen, and lived. 

Buon Ma Thuot – Coffee capital and grilled specialties 

If Bao Loc is tea country, Buon Ma Thuot is the coffee capital of Vietnam. This city, surrounded by vast plateaus and pepper farms, thrives on both agriculture and tradition. 

Your meals here are full-bodied and flavorful, just like the local brew. 

• Bamboo Rice (Cơm lam) 
  • A quintessential highland dish, sticky rice is packed into bamboo tubes, sealed, and roasted over an open fire. When cooked, the bamboo is cracked open to reveal tender, fragrant rice infused with a subtle woody aroma. 
• Grilled Chicken and Pork Skewers 
  • Marinated with lemongrass, chili, and forest spices, these skewers are cooked over charcoal or open flame—often served with fermented chili salt or roasted peanut dipping sauce. 
• Fish Noodle Soup (Bánh canh cá dằm) 
  • A specialty of Buon Ma Thuot, this soup combines thick tapioca noodles with shredded fish and aromatic herbs, creating a comforting and savory bowl. 
• Red Noodles (Bún đỏ) 
  • Named for its distinctive crimson broth (colored with annatto seeds), this dish is hearty and satisfying—a perfect energy boost after a day’s ride. 

As the sun sets over Buon Ma Thuot’s coffee hills, you might enjoy a freshly brewed cup overlooking the plantations—its bold, bitter taste balanced by the sweetness of highland air. 

Pleiku – Rustic highland flavors 

Riding northward, you’ll reach Pleiku, a land of rolling hills and shimmering lakes. This is the cultural heart of the Gia Lai people, whose cuisine is defined by simplicity and character. 

• Gia Lai Dry Pho (Phở khô hai tô) 
  • Also known as “two-bowl pho,” this unique dish includes one bowl of noodles with shredded chicken or beef, and a second bowl of hot, fragrant broth. The diner mixes and matches flavors to taste—customization that reflects the local spirit of independence. 
• Fermented Crab Noodle Soup (Bún mắm cua) 
  • A pungent yet addictive specialty, this dish features noodles in a broth made from fermented crab paste, served with local greens and herbs. It’s an acquired taste—but one that locals proudly embrace. 
• Communal Jar Wine (Rượu cần) 
  • No highland feast is complete without rượu cần, a traditional rice wine fermented in large earthen jars. Guests gather around, sipping the sweet, earthy liquor through long bamboo straws—a symbol of friendship and hospitality. 

These communal feasts often include dancing, singing, and laughter that lasts late into the night. It’s a reminder that in the Central Highlands, food isn’t just sustenance—it’s celebration. 

Culinary Experiences During the Tour 

The beauty of this Vietnam cycling adventure lies not only in what you eat, but how you experience it. 

• Meals with Local Families: In traditional stilt houses or small village homes, you’ll share meals cooked from the day’s harvest—simple, heartfelt, unforgettable. 
• Rural Markets: Morning stops at bustling markets reveal the vibrant food culture of the region. Here, you’ll see foraged herbs, handwoven baskets, and freshly caught fish. 
• Roadside Eateries: Your cycling guide knows every hidden gem along the route—tiny eateries serving regional specialties that never make it into guidebooks. 
• Interactive Food Moments: Learn how to roast coffee in Bao Loc, grill sticky rice in bamboo in Buon Ma Thuot, or roll rice noodles in Pleiku. 

Every stop is a culinary adventure, transforming cycling into a multisensory feast of taste, scent, and culture. 

Cultural Value & Sustainability 

In the Central Highlands, food is not separate from life—it is life. Every dish reflects the region’s farming practices, spiritual beliefs, and community values. 

• Cuisine and spirituality: Many highland dishes are linked to festivals and rituals—offerings to ancestors, harvest celebrations, or prayers for rain. 
• Sustainability and respect: Locals harvest only what nature allows, preserving the ecological balance. Bamboo, banana leaves, and clay pots replace plastic and metal—a model of zero waste long before the term became trendy. 
• Community empowerment: The CENTRAL HIGHLAND CYCLING tour supports local producers and homestays, ensuring that every meal benefits the community. By choosing local ingredients and family-run services, travelers become part of a cycle that sustains both people and tradition. 

This journey teaches an essential truth: sustainable travel isn’t just about protecting landscapes—it’s about preserving the flavors that define them. 

Conclusion: Invitation to Taste 

“If you want to understand a land, start at its table.” 

The Central Highlands of Vietnam invite you to do exactly that—to taste the mist, the soil, the fire, and the soul of a region defined by authenticity. 

Through CENTRAL HIGHLAND CYCLING, every climb, every descent, every shared meal becomes part of your story. You don’t just pass through these lands—you engage, learn, and savor. 

This Vietnam cycling adventure isn’t about endurance; it’s about immersion. It’s about discovering how food binds people to place, and how tradition endures in the aroma of rice steamed in bamboo or coffee roasted at dawn. 

So come hungry—not only for flavor but for understanding. 

Because here, amid the highland breezes and the gentle rhythm of bicycle wheels, you’ll find that the truest taste of Vietnam is not in a single dish, but in the generosity of its people and the stories they share.