History & story.
Lak Lake is Vietnam's second-largest natural freshwater lake, covering around 500 hectares in the dry season and expanding to 700–900 hectares in the rainy season. The M'Nong Rlam — the longest-resident M'Nong sub-group — tell of a youth named Y Lak who captured a tiny sacred eel, raised it until it grew enormous, then watched it slip into the water and become this lake, named after him. The French arrived in the early 20th century, establishing coffee and rubber plantations around the shore, but could not displace the M'Nong dugout canoe with any modern vessel — the lake's silty bottom and flooded forest made a canoe hollowed from a single tree the only practical transport. Today around 25 dugout canoes owned by 21 M'Nong households serve tourism, ferrying visitors across the water to Buon Jun and Buon M'Lieng villages.
Buon Jun — the largest village on the lakeshore — has around 70 M'Nong longhouses, many more than a century old. Each longhouse shelters an extended matrilineal family: children take their mother's name, land and home belong to women. Visitors are typically invited inside to drink rice wine from communal jars, listen to the Ting Ning — a traditional jaw harp made from a slender bamboo strip — and watch women weave brocade on floor looms. When water levels drop between November and April, the exposed lakebed becomes a lush green meadow locals call 'the grassland inside the lake.'
On a hillside above the shore stands Bao Dai's Palace — where the last Nguyen emperor rested and hunted during highland inspection tours in the 1940s–50s. From the palace terrace, the lake at dawn lies shrouded in light mist like a vast mirror reflecting sky and forest. From May to November the water rises and millions of pink lotuses and purple water lilies carpet dozens of hectares, transforming the landscape entirely from what dry-season visitors see.
Lak Lake is also the starting point for a gentle trekking route through riverside cajuput (melaleuca) and primary forest to M'Lieng village — which accepts visitors only in small groups with indigenous guides. M'Lieng residents still cast nets and use traditional fish traps, and each evening the village holds a communal rice-wine ceremony around a bonfire, gong music carrying out across the water.
Lak Lake is not simply water — it is the memory of Y Lak, the voice of our ancestors still echoing beneath the surface.
Già làng buôn Jun, huyện Lắk / Village elder, Buon Jun, Lak District
Highlights not to miss.
The dugout is carved from a single jackfruit or breadfruit trunk, 5–8 metres long and 60–80 centimetres wide. M'Nong boatmen stand at the stern and paddle in the standing style distinctive to the Central Highlands. A 30–60-minute trip circles the lake's core, stops at Buon Jun landing, and lets visitors watch dawn mist lift off the still water.
Around 70 M'Nong longhouses line the lakeshore, many over a century old with wooden floors raised 1.5–2 metres and steeply pitched thatch roofs. Visitors can enter the longhouses, drink rice wine from large ceramic jars placed in the central hall, and watch women weave brocade on traditional floor looms. The interior stays cool through open gable-end ventilation design.
From November to April, dropping water levels expose a strip of lush green meadow on the lake's western side that locals call 'the grassland within the lake.' This is where M'Nong water buffalo graze and where elephant herds from Yok Don forest occasionally emerge to drink. By May when the rains return, the meadow submerges again and lotus begins to bloom.
The most beautiful moment at Lak Lake is 5:30–6:30 AM when mist still covers the water and first light filters through the forest canopy. Book overnight in Buon Jun and wake early to climb the hill to Bao Dai's Palace for the view.
How to visit & get there.
Getting There Lak Lake is 52 km south of Buon Ma Thuot on National Highway 27, a smooth, quiet road. **Motorbike** (1.5 hours) is the best experience, passing Ede villages along the way. **Buses** on the Buon Ma Thuot–Lien Son route depart hourly from the Central Bus Station for about 40,000 VND.
Visiting Tips **Arrive before 7 AM** to see dawn from the Bao Dai Palace terrace. **Book canoes on the spot** at the Buon Jun landing on weekdays — on weekends pre-book through Lak Lake Resort. **Stay overnight** in a Buon Jun stilt-house homestay to attend the evening gong ceremony.
Sources
- 1.Lak Lake: Explore the beauty of Vietnam's hidden gem
Vinpearl · 2026-06-25
- 2.Luck out at Lak Lake, pulse of the Central Highlands
VnExpress International · 2026-06-25