Pleiku to Buôn Ma Thuột: coach, car or motorbike

There is no railway and no direct flight between Pleiku and Buôn Ma Thuột, so every trip goes by road. What you need to settle is coach, private car or motorbike, and you should know about Bridge 110 on National Highway 14 at the border between the two provinces before you set off.

How far is Pleiku from Buôn Ma Thuột, and how long does it take

The distance is about 159.4 to 180 km, depending on whether you measure from the centre or from the bus station, and which end of Buôn Ma Thuột you stop at. When you plan the day, driving time is a safer guide than kilometres.

The road has many passes and high hills, so 3 to 4 hours can become more. If you have an appointment in Buôn Ma Thuột, we recommend leaving extra time rather than cutting it close.

Coach from Pleiku to Buôn Ma Thuột: where to board and get off

Đức Long Gia Lai Bus Station, at 43 Lý Nam Đế, is the pick-up point for many of the operators on this route. At the Buôn Ma Thuột end it depends on the operator: some coaches drop at the North Bus Station, 71 Nguyễn Chí Thanh, and some at their own office in the city.

One thing to know before you phone: operators on this route do not post fares on their own sites, so the fare you hear on the phone or at the counter is the one that counts. That is why this section lists only the vehicle type, the pick-up, the drop-off and a phone number where there is one. Call to ask the departure time and fare for your travel day, or go straight to Đức Long station, where you can buy a ticket in person; the station’s number is 1900 996630. If you already hold an e-ticket, be at the pick-up at least 30 minutes before departure and show the ticket to the operator.

Rạng Đông Limousine

Rạng Đông runs 11-seat limousines with massage seats, picking up at Đức Long Gia Lai Bus Station and taking about 3 hours 30 minutes. It drops passengers at its Buôn Ma Thuột office, 118 Điện Biên Phủ, or at Buôn Ma Thuột airport. That makes it the first operator to call if you need to go straight to the airport for a flight, and it is worth asking exactly where the van will stop.

Phúc Hải

Phúc Hải has an office at kiosk 49-50 inside Đức Long station, runs 40-berth sleeper coaches and drops at the North Bus Station, 71 Nguyễn Chí Thanh. If you are already at Đức Long, walk straight to this kiosk; there is no other pick-up to find.

Thành Công and Lộc Lan

Thành Công, an operator from Lâm Đồng, runs from Đức Long Gia Lai Bus Station to the North Bus Station in Buôn Ma Thuột. Lộc Lan also picks up at Đức Long, but its 44-berth sleeper coaches drop passengers on National Highway 14 in Buôn Ma Thuột, so ask for a street number or the nearest landmark to avoid getting off at the wrong place.

Bình Minh Tải, Anh Bình, Thịnh Phát - Tuấn Anh and Lâm Hải

Bình Minh Tải runs 22-berth limousine sleepers, picking up at Đức Long and dropping at its Đắk Lắk office. Anh Bình has a Gia Lai office at 197 Hoàng Sa, phone 0793 658 604, and an office at the North Bus Station in Buôn Ma Thuột, 71 Nguyễn Chí Thanh. Thịnh Phát - Tuấn Anh has an office at 40/17 Hùng Vương, Buôn Ma Thuột, hotline 1900888684. Lâm Hải Limousine has a Gia Lai office at 125/59 Hoàng Sa lane, phone 0918023078.

These operators do not publish an exact pick-up point in Pleiku, so call the numbers above to ask where the coach picks up before you head out.

Tứ Loan, An Phát, Mai Vy and Sơn Tuyền

If you are closer to the centre than to Đức Long, a few operators have their own pick-up points: Tứ Loan is based at 75 Huỳnh Thúc Kháng, Pleiku, and An Phát picks up at 114 Trường Chinh, near the Phù Đổng junction. Mai Vy drops at the North Bus Station, at Km 82 and at Quảng Phú, or at the South Bus Station in Buôn Ma Thuột. Sơn Tuyền (Hoàng Linh) picks up at Chư Sê Bus Station and Krông Pa Bus Station.

For these pick-ups, call the operator to confirm the spot before you set out. How to choose an operator, book and check a phone number is in the Pleiku coach guide; if you take a taxi to the station, see taxis and ride-hailing in Pleiku.

Driving a car or motorbike from Pleiku to Buôn Ma Thuột

From central Pleiku follow National Highway 14, past the Pơng D’Rang marker about 130 km along, then enter Buôn Ma Thuột on Lê Duẩn street, which is Highway 14 at Tân Thành. The route has tolls, so keep cash ready to get through the booths quickly.

If you are not used to mountain passes, we recommend a coach or a car, because the terrain has many passes and high hills. A motorbike takes about 6 hours; the road is fairly demanding but passes places worth a stop, such as the Trung Nguyên coffee village, KoTam eco-tourism area and Ea Nhái Lake. KoTam is about 7 km from central Buôn Ma Thuột. Foreign visitors need an international driving permit (IDP) to ride a motorbike in Vietnam; where to rent and what papers you need are in renting a motorbike in Pleiku.

Before you choose a date, check the season: the Central Highlands rainy season usually runs from May to October, and the dry season from October to April of the next year. In December the wild sunflowers bloom yellow across the Highlands; for the flower season around Pleiku, see wild sunflower season in Pleiku.

Bridge 110 on Highway 14 and the expressway: what is new on the road

Bridge 110 on Highway 14, linking Đắk Lắk and Gia Lai, was left half-built and abandoned for more than 8 years because of land clearance problems and a lack of funds. The project is a new bridge more than 817 m long and 9 m wide, built parallel to the existing bridge; the main span is done but without approach roads it cannot open. As of 24 October 2026, the Bridge 110 area between Gia Lai and Đắk Lắk was still unfinished, and in early October 2026 one household on the Gia Lai side had not yet handed over its land, so the through route could not be completed. This is news about construction progress, not a ban or a traffic diversion, so ask your operator or someone who has driven the route recently about road conditions before you leave.

The expressway is still only a proposal. On 26 May 2026, Construction Minister Trần Hồng Minh asked for research into speeding up investment in the Pleiku - Buôn Ma Thuột - Gia Nghĩa section, with a target of finishing before 2030; the part through Đắk Lắk province is 126 km long. Since there is no expressway to drive on, plan on National Highway 14 for the near future.

What the two provinces are called now

Since 1 July 2025 the new provincial governments have been in operation. Gia Lai now includes the former Bình Định province and the former Gia Lai province, while Đắk Lắk includes the former Phú Yên province and the former Đắk Lắk province. The new Đắk Lắk borders Gia Lai, so Pleiku to Buôn Ma Thuột is still a trip between neighbouring provinces as before. The way down to the coast from Pleiku, now in the same province as Quy Nhơn, is in Pleiku to Quy Nhơn and Pleiku to Kon Tum; if you are flying out of Pleiku, see Pleiku airport.

All the other routes are in the Getting around section, and if you stay in Pleiku one more day before leaving, where to stay in Pleiku helps you choose a place.