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Peaceful town among the flower seasons
Mang Den has an area of over 148 km², now in Quang Ngai province, with a cool climate all year round. In autumn and winter, from October to December, the weather is chilly mixed with warm sunshine, cherry blossoms bloom pink along the roads, turning the town into a romantic picture. But Mang Den is not only beautiful in one flower season: February is mimosa and bauhinia, March-April is the season of purple phoenix flowers, and then purple sim flowers spread across the hillsides.
Mang Den has similar landscape and climate to Da Lat.
Walking among the misty roads, visitors can easily catch a glimpse of the slow, peaceful pace of life. Without the noise of vehicles, without the hustle and bustle of shops, Mang Den retains the purity of the mountains and forests, where time seems to slow down so that people can fully breathe in the peaceful atmosphere.
Mang Den Art Garden - Central Highlands cultural space
Right at the intersection into town, Mang Den Art Garden welcomes visitors with hundreds of folk wooden statues mixed with improvised piles of stones. Opened at the end of August 2024, this project is both a tourist attraction and a place to preserve and promote the cultural values of the Central Highlands people.
Mang Den art garden space with wooden statues typical of the Central Highlands
The rustic wooden statues, carved with axes, machetes, and rough chisels, exude the simplicity and innocence of folk life. They are not confined to a certain model but are diverse and rich, from human portraits to images of animals associated with daily life. Each rough line bears the traces of time, evoking a feeling that is both mysterious and real. Interspersed are blocks of stone stacked on top of each other, creating a unique scene in the middle of the foggy town.
With synchronous investment in subdivisions such as Mang Den Victory Monument, central hall, food court and fair, the art garden becomes a complex connecting creative space and community culture. Visitors come not only to admire but also to feel the spiritual pulse of the Central Highlands through each statue.
Stilt houses and typical patterns of Central Highlands culture are also recreated here.
Kon Pring community tourism village - rustic village
About 5 km from the center, Kon Pring village still retains its rustic and pristine features. The highlight is the cultural communal house with a long, steep roof, built of wood, bamboo, thatched roof, connected by rattan. This is where festivals, community activities and welcomes tourists to learn about indigenous life take place.
Kon Pring village cultural house still retains the traditional communal house architecture of the Central Highlands.
Kon Pring now has a homestay to serve tourists, but the people still maintain a simple lifestyle. Children in the village play innocently, not affected by the fast-paced tourism. Going about 3.5 km in, visitors will come across the Kon Pring suspension bridge made of wood and iron wire across the river. Standing in the middle of the bridge, the whole wild landscape of Mang Den appears: green mountains and forests, gentle river, immense fields, no sign of reinforced concrete.
Kon Pring village suspension bridge - a check-in point attracting tourists in Kon Pring village
Coming to Kon Pring, visitors not only stroll but also have the opportunity to immerse themselves in local life, attend traditional festivals, or simply sit by the fire listening to the gongs ringing long into the night.
Kon Vong Kia Village - Peace in the Valley
Less known than Kon Pring, Kon Vong Kia has a different beauty. About 7 km from Mang Den town, this is the long-standing residence of the Xo Dang people, Mo Nam branch. The village has three small villages: Kon Vong, Kon Kia and Kon Pec with nearly 450 people.
The idyllic rice field scene of Kon Vong Kia village
The landscape here is a peaceful valley, surrounded by hills and terraced fields of more than 170 hectares. The Nuoc Long stream meanders through the fields, adorned with graceful suspension bridges such as Kon Doa, Y Bay, Kon Pec. In the ripe rice season in August, the valley is golden yellow amidst the deep green mountains and forests. In the flooding season in March and April, the flooded fields sparkle in the sun, like a mirror reflecting the sky and clouds.
Unlike other bustling tourist destinations, Kon Vong Kia has not yet developed a systematic service. However, the simplicity and genuineness of the people and the pristine landscape have become the special attraction of this village.
Mang Den Market - the breath of the mountains and forests
Established in 2023, Mang Den market quickly became a weekend destination. Located in the central square of Kon Plong district, the market has more than 30 stalls made of bamboo, wood, and brocade, imbued with local identity.
Mang Den market space
Coming here, visitors can experience a vivid cultural picture: from local products such as organic vegetables, grapefruit, oranges, strawberries to precious medicinal herbs such as Gynostemma pentaphyllum, ginseng, and lingzhi mushrooms. Not to mention the mountain cuisine such as fragrant grilled chicken with bamboo rice, flavorful dried buffalo, grilled village pork, grilled fish, and rustic buffalo croissants prepared by the locals wearing traditional brocade costumes. In the chilly November air, just a grilled potato, grilled corn or a cup of hot milk is enough to warm the hearts of travelers.
The market sells many local snacks such as milk made from kơ nia seeds.
The market is also a place where tourists can witness and experience traditional activities such as weaving brocade, making cakes, and making coffee. The image of the market is often mentioned in the northern mountainous region, so when it appeared in Mang Den, many tourists felt strange and curious.
Mang Den Night Market - when the mountain town lights up
While the daytime market is colorful, Mang Den night market opens up a sparkling scene under the pine trees. Opened in October 2024, the 2.5-hectare night market has become a gathering place for food stalls open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
Mang Den Night Market is mainly food stalls, serving dinner and late night snacks.
The yellow lights spread out, the smoke from the kitchen mixed with the smell of grilled meat, the cheerful laughter, all create a warm picture of the mountain town. Local dishes such as grilled chicken, grilled stream fish, fragrant sticky bamboo rice or warm wine make visitors enjoy and exclaim in the bitter cold. For those who come from the South, where this climate does not exist, the experience of eating hot grilled food in the cold of Mang Den becomes an unforgettable memory.
Journey back to the primitive
Mang Den today is gradually asserting its position with new destinations: art gardens, fairs, night markets or community tourism villages. However, what captures the hearts of visitors is its untouched wildness: whispering pine forests, vast terraced fields, idyllic villages and the simple lifestyle of the people.
Traveling to Mang Den is not only a journey to explore the landscape, but also a journey to find balance in the soul. In the middle of the Central Highlands, this green gem still sparkles with natural beauty, waiting to be touched and felt with all the senses.
