Introduction
The once-sleepy town of Buon Ma Thuot has evolved into a bustling city that's the centre of Vietnam's coffee industry and the second largest coffee producer in the world.
It's another fine example of the diversity of Vietnam, with a successful corporate enterprise developing in the same hills that are also home to numerous ethnic groups and elephant training centres.
Indeed, if there's a place to take an elephant trek in Vietnam it's here. Tragically, poachers all but wiped out the elephants in the early part of the 19th century but some are still at large. These magnificent creatures remain central to the traditions of the region, notably at the elephant racing festival held in the village of Buon Don every March.
