Spring trip to Mang Den to see cherry apricots
KON TUM – Mang Den mountain town is an attractive spring destination during the Lunar New Year when cherry
Mang Den is a small town, 148.07 km2 wide on the plateau, in Kon Plong district, about 60 km from Kon Tum City, Kon Tum province. Mang Den is known as “miniature Da Lat” with primeval forests, lakes, waterfalls, pine forests, a fresh cool climate, and peaceful space.
Beautiful season
The most touristy winter of Mang Den is from October to December every year. This is the time when Kon Tum is cold and sunny, and the weather is dry. New Year’s Day is the occasion when cherry apricot blossoms bloom. However, depending on the weather, the flowers may bloom later.
Every time Mang Den has flowers in bloom. If you come here in February, you will see mimosa and ban flowers, March or April will have purple phoenix. After this point, there are purple myrtle flowers.
Move
Visitors from Hanoi should use the flight route because it is quite far, about 1,100 km. The nearest airport to Mang Den is Pleiku (Gia Lai), about 100 km away, traveling time by car is about 2 hours.
Tourists from Ho Chi Minh City drive themselves along Highway 14, a distance of 600 km, through Binh Phuoc, Dak Nong, Dak Lak, Gia Lai.
Buses from Ho Chi Minh City, departing from Eastern Bus Station, have bus operators such as Long Van, Minh Quoc, Phong Phu, Phuong Thu… Fares are from 250,000 VND to 450,000 VND. Travel time is about 10 to 12 hours.
From Kon Tum city to Mang Den, there are many means of transportation such as taxis, buses or self-driving cars.
Stay
Mang Den is a small town, so there are not many big hotels. Golden Boutique Hotel is a 4-star standard hotel, with 63 rooms with large windows and balconies, fully equipped, with swimming pool. Dak Ke Mang Den is a 3-star standard with 4 villas, a house on stilts and two hotel suites with 45 rooms.
In addition, the main type of accommodation here is the homestay. Homestay in Mang Den is beautiful and reasonably priced, ranging from 300,000 VND to 800,000 VND per room per night. Homestays often have dorm rooms, priced from 150,000 VND to 250,000 VND per bed. Some reference homestays: Toki, Paradiso, May Lang Thang, Sun Homestay…($1=24,000 VND)
Where to play?
Pa Sy Waterfall tourist area
Located in a total area of 25 hectares, Pa Sy waterfall eco-tourism area includes a system of paths, communal houses, handicraft production workshops, cultural galleries, vegetable and flower farms. The center of the tourist area is Pa Sy waterfall at an altitude of about 1,500 m above sea level. The waterfall is formed from the three largest streams in Mang Den, so it’s called Pau Suh (meaning three sources of streams clustered into one stream).
Ho Dak Ke
Dak Ke Lake, whose original name is Toong Ro Poong lake, is about 3 hectares wide, located in the center of Mang Den town. Currently, the lake is invested in entertainment services such as boating, duck riding, fishing, and eating. Visitors can rent buffalo carts, horse-drawn carriages to walk around the lake to admire the scenery. If you go in the summer, you can see a series of purple phoenix trees in full bloom, and in the winter, cherry apricots.
Experience picking fruits and vegetables on farms
Mang Den town is designated by Kon Tum province to invest in developing high-tech farms, creating clean and fresh fruit and vegetable products. Visitors to Mang Den will experience fruit picking and enjoy right at the garden. Popular fruits include oranges, green grapefruits, avocados, tomatoes, strawberries, cantaloupe or flowers like chrysanthemum, lys… These farms do not charge an entrance fee, visitors can harvest them. How many products, if you want to bring back, you will be charged separately.
Some suggested addresses: E Ban farm, Orfarm, Biophap, Mang Den Xanh farm, Tam An Organic farm, Hung Ly Garden…
Garden of wooden statues
The statue garden was built in 2013, near the Pa Sy waterfall area on the hillside with more than 1 ha of primeval forest. In addition to the paved paths, the garden has 100 wooden statues crafted by 33 artisans who are ethnic minorities of the province. Wooden statues show a variety of working life, daily activities of the North Central Highlands such as statues of men holding an ax, carrying a machete, smoking, hunting, women pounding rice, weaving, carrying children, going to the fields, etc. People play music, drink can wine… Along with human statues, statues of animals close to relatives such as birds, dogs, cats, pigs, monkeys, snakes, elephants…
Khanh Lam Pagoda
Khanh Lam Pagoda was built on an area of 10 hectares, 1,200 meters above sea level. From the foot of the hill, following the three-way gate in front, stepping over more than 200 stone steps, the temple appears superficially, hidden under the trees. Prominent among the green space is the main hall with a three-storey roof structure, combining the architecture of the traditional pagoda with the communal house, bearing the cultural identity of the Central Highlands. In front of the main hall, along with the bell tower, the drum floor, is a 17-meter-high statue of Guan Yin Bodhisattva and a symmetrical lotus pond, creating a harmonious landscape.
Mang Den Walking Street
Mang Den Walking and Food Street, also known as Sunset Boulevard, is located on Vo Nguyen Giap Street, the town center. The pedestrian street has a system of hotels and restaurants with fully equipped architectural space, landscape with the world – water – cloudy sky, an ideal place for tourists to rest, relax, enjoy typical cuisine. of Mang Den.
Eat what
Hot pot with pepper
The dish sounds spicy, but thanks to that, it is very suitable for the climate of Mang Den. Hot pot is stewed from vegetables and fruits, with herbs such as goji berries and red apples. The broth is stewed for many hours to produce a natural and clear sweetness.
Xuyen pepper hotpot is served with the same form as Sichuan hotpot, divided into two compartments with two different flavors, one of which is spicy and the other is empty. To feel the best taste of the dish, diners should try the spicy hot pot.
Dried bamboo shoot chicken salad
Dried bamboo shoot chicken salad (salad) has two main ingredients: chicken and dried bamboo shoots, with peanuts, vegetables such as mint, onion, and carrot. This dish is no different from any other kind of mannequin, with a sweet and sour taste. But this combination brings a strange mouth, not seen elsewhere.
Snakehead fish cake soup
The noodle soup is made from rice flour, the snakehead fish is steamed, the fillet is removed, the bitter vegetables are soaked in salt, washed, and spices such as green onions, coriander, laksa leaves and chili peppers are removed. A special feature of snakehead fish soup is that it is cooked directly in a separate pot on the stove and then served to guests. Therefore, the food remains boiling and hot for a long time. Each portion of banh chung will have a large piece of snakehead fish, served with bitter vegetables with small stalks. Diners drop vegetables into the soup and enjoy.
Grilled chicken – Lam rice
This is a traditional local dish. Chickens are often raised naturally, so the meat is firm. Before being grilled, the chicken is stuffed with wild pepper leaves, onions, lemongrass, chili… so it’s very fragrant when cooked. The charcoal stove for grilling must be very hot, each batch of baking takes about 20 to 30 minutes. Grilled chicken is best when eaten while it is still hot, the skin is crispy, golden, and the meat is fragrant. Grilled chicken is usually served with sticky rice, peanut salt or sesame.
Some recommended restaurants:
– Mang Den Restaurant: 55 Ngo Quyen
– Tay Nguyen restaurant: 35 Truong Chinh
– Grilled chicken with Lam Co Sinh: H7RJ+4QQ, AH132, Dak Long
– Sticky rice with bamboo shoots: Le Hong Phong – Le Loi intersection
– Fish soup cake A Kay 7: Mang Den Market
Note
– The road to Mang Den is a bit steep and zigzag, if driving by self-driving car, you should pay attention.
– Mang Den is cold in the early morning and evening, so bring enough warm clothes.
Photo: Internet (Vinlove.net)
