As a province located in the North Central Highlands, Kon Tum Vietnam has mainly mountainous terrain with an average altitude of 500 - 700m. This province covers a total space of 9,674.18km², including Kon Tum City and 9 districts of Kon Plong, Kon Ray, Dak Glei, Dak Ha, Dak To, Ngoc Hoi, Sa Thay, Ia H'Drai and Tu Mo Rong.
With the characteristics of tropical monsoon climate and plateau climate, this province has 2 distinct seasons: rainy season (April - November) and dry season (December - March); and the average temperatures are different between regions. The districts in the Northern mountainous area have a mild and cool climate all year round, while the lower areas will be more hot and muggy. The best time to visit is from April to December because Kon Tum weather this time will be dry and less rainy, especially at the end of the year when wild sunflowers bloom.
I - Top 5 architectural tourist attractions in Kon Tum Vietnam
1 - Wooden Church
Source: citt.hcmiu.edu
Built from 1913 to 1918 the Wooden Church is still solid despite going through more than 100 years of history, wars and weathering…This extremely unique religious structure covers an area of up to 700m2, is now located at No.13 Nguyen Hue Street, Thong Nhat Ward, Kon Tum City.
This building is made of chit wood with ceilings and walls built of soil mixed with straw, according to a design that harmoniously combines the characteristics of Roman architecture and Ba Na people’s stilt houses. The church consists of a synagogue, a reception house, a displaying house (ethnic and religious products), a communal house, an orphanage, a brocade sewing and weaving facility, and a carpentry facility.
The bell tower of the Wood Church in Kon Tum Province has a warm brown color that stands out in the blue sky. On the side is the corridor to the church with the roof designed in the style of a communal roof of the Ba Na people's stilt houses. Inside the church are small columns linked together in the form of a dome, opening a large, airy space. You can see on the straw walls brilliant stained-glass paintings of God and Our Lady, dotted with motifs and patterns bearing bold cultural nuances of the Central Highlands.
The Wooden Church Kon Tum is open year-round to the public except in the evenings, and it's best to visit after 9am on Sundays, to avoid disrupting the ceremonies of Catholics here. Not only a place for parishioners to pray, this is also where a small market displays and sells handicraft products from craft villages in the area.
2 - Kon Tum Bishop's Palace
Kon Tum Bishop's Palace or Kon Tum Missionary Seminary is located at No.146 Tran Hung Dao Street, Thong Nhat Ward, Kon Tum City. This work was built in 1935 by order of the French Bishop Martial Jannin Phuoc, whose statue is now placed in front of this building to commemorate his merits. Through the small gate, around the Bishop's Palace is a spacious campus planted with many green trees, where visitors can slowly wander in the fresh air and feel the gentle fragrance of flowers.
Hidden behind two shady rows of frangipani, Kon Tum Missionary Seminary is a harmonious combination of Western architecture with traditional indigenous architecture of the Central Highlands people. The Bishop's Palace currently displays countless hundreds of years old artifacts carrying unique features and great value, with the traditional house being the highlight of the place. This can be considered as a small museum of daily life items, agricultural tools and cultural items of the indigenous peoples living in the area, including meticulously carved wooden maps.
Kon Tum Bishop's Palace is open every day except Tuesday, from 7:30am to 11am and from 2pm to 5pm. However, the main building is only open on Sundays, normally you can only enter the front yard area, or join in if you come here on important occasions such as priestly ordinations.
3 - Kon Klor Communal House in Kon Tum City
Kon Klor communal house - Source: internet
In Thang Loi Ward, there is a lovely village of Kon Klor, embraced by the calming Dak Bla river and close to the Kon Klor suspension bridge. In its center, the extremely large Kon Klor communal house is the most prominent highlight, which was rebuilt in 2011.
With a length of 17m, a width of 6m and a roof height of 22m, the communal house’s space inside is extremely airy and spacious, being able to accommodate 2 - 3 times the total population in the village. Kon Klor communal house in Kon Tum is built according to the traditional style of the Ba Na people, with many meticulous and elaborate details using wood, cork, bamboo and leaves, including the rare rotating wood. The roof of Kon Klor communal house is shaped like a sharp ax blade - the lower part of the roof curved inward and the two ends pointed outward.
This communal house in Kon Tum City is the place where all types of culture and traditional folk art take place from rituals, customs and practices to folk performances, etc. In particular, it will become extremely bustling on occasions such as weddings, new rice festivals, and traditional festivals of the village. This is also the meeting place of the village elders council and village community, adjudicating disputes, sanctioning those who violate customary laws, welcoming guests…
4 - Kon Klor Suspension Bridge in Kon Tum
In the same area of Kon Klor village, this is the largest and most beautiful industrial suspension bridge in the Central Highlands, crossing over the poetic Dak Bla river. Standing out in the sweltering yellow sun, the orange Kon Klor bridge has a length of 292m and a width of 4.5m, built on February 3, 1993.
The bridge is built entirely of solid iron and steel, surrounded by the majestic highland forests covered by the green mulberry fields of the people of Kon Tum Vietnam. From here, you can admire the gentle Dak Bla river flowing like an iridescent silk strip and admire the scenery of rice and corn fields, extremely peaceful and unusually relaxed. Stepping to the other side of the bridge, you can visit the Ba Na ethnic village, which is covered by the immense green of banana and coffee gardens of the Central Highlands.
5 - Bac Ai Temple in Kon Tum City
Also known as Ancestral Temple of Humanity, the Bac Ai Temple relic, built in 1932, is a Buddhist architecture located in Quyet Thang Ward, adjacent to streets of Tran Phu and Mac Dinh Chi, Phan Chu Trinh, and Ba Trieu. The temple still preserves the ancient features of architectural works in the Hue Royal architectural style in the early years of the 20th century.
The top of the curved roof on both sides is embossed with the image of dragons adoring the sun, underneath of which is a layer of rare wood, which is thinly cut and roofed with tiled tiles. Walls of Bac Ai Temple in Kon Tum Vietnam are built of burnt bricks, lime mortar, all trusses, columns, and skewers are made of monolithic ancient trees elaborately carved by artisans. In the main hall is a system of worshiping statues arranged in order from high to low, along with a number of elaborately carved horizontal paintings and couplets hanging on wooden columns.
Bac Ai Temple is one of the rare historical relics, contributing to making the folklore treasure in Kon Tum Province unique, rich and diverse in traditions. Every year, on the occasion of Buddha's Birthday (full moon of the fourth lunar month) and Vu Lan festival (full moon of the seventh lunar month), Buddhist followers everywhere come to the ceremonies. In addition, there are also festival activities held at the temple’s courtyard such as folk games, dancing and singing during the day, and cultural and artistic exchanges between Buddhists in the evening.
II - Top 3 eco-tourist & natural sightseeing spots in Kon Tum
1 - Ngoc Linh Mountain
Ngoc Linh Mountain - Source: vnexpress
Stretching over 4 provinces of Kon Tum, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai and Gia Lai, Ngoc Linh Lien Son is a majestic mountain range in which the highest peak is Ngoc Linh Mountain. Located in Tu Mo Rong District, this is considered the roof of the Central Highlands With a height of more than 2,600m. Ngoc Linh Mountain is also a famous tourist destination, possessing majestic and spectacular natural scenery, home to an extremely rare type of ginseng.
To visit this mountain, you need to go to Kon Tum Province to apply for a permit at least 15 days in advance, and should invite a guide who is familiar with the terrain. The trekking route will last at least 6 hours, crossing a rather dangerous road, and continuously passing many steep slopes and fast-flowing streams. Although it is tiring, the scenery you see on the way is extremely worthwhile, from terraced fields still wet with night dew, to the wild orchids, pine forests, and hills of white azaleas. In particular, after climbing passes, wading streams, crossing the forest, you will reach the majestic Ngoc Linh peak which is surrounded by poetic clouds like heaven.
2 - Mang Den ecotourism area in Kon Tum Vietnam
Located in Kon Plong District, Mang Den eco-tourism area is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in this province, highlighted by the rare beauty of nature and the extremely fresh, cool climate. Among the waterfalls flowing on both sides of the road along the mountainside, Pa Sy waterfall stands out the most, dubbed to be as beautiful as the hair of a young girl. From the waterfall, walking out is Dak Ke Lake with an area of about 3ha - a romantic sightseeing place in Mang Den ecotourism area, Kon Tum Province, also known as Toong Ro Poong Lake. Meanwhile, the Wood Statue Garden conveys the life and culture of the indigenous people, created by the talented hands of artisans in Mang Den. You can also stop by to check-in at the Statue of Our Lady of Mang Den (Fatima), the rope bridge over the stream in Hieu Commune, … And if you want to learn and discover the beauty of Mang Den culture, you should not forget to visit the villages of indigenous people and vegetable, root and fruit farms in Kon Plong.
- Entrance ticket: 20,000 VND / person ($0.88)
3 - Chu Mom Ray National Park in Kon Tum Vietnam
Chu Mom Ray National Park - Source: kontumtrip
Chu Mom Ray National Park has a total area of more than 56,000 hectares, stretching over two districts of Sa Thay and Ngoc Hoi. Divided by many large and small rivers, the complex terrain creates a very rich flora and fauna - high biodiversity in the system of national parks in Vietnam.
Scientists have recorded, in Chu Mom Ray National Park in Kon Tum Province, there are nearly 1,500 plant species belonging to 166 families and 541 genera, of which 2,000 are rare and 131 are identified as endangered, namely orchids and gymnos, etc. Chu Mom Ray National Park is home to many primates and tree-dwelling mammals such as gibbons, langurs, and rare birds such as hornbill, peacock, and so on. In 2004, Chu Mom Ray National Park was recognized as an ASEAN heritage site, now a place with great tourism potential of Kon Tum Vietnam.
Coming to Chu Mom Ray, you can not only discover the rich nature of the old forest but also visit historical sites, remnants of the National resistance war such as the H67 base of the heroic Central Highlands army, the Phuong Hoang airport… Not only that, this nature reserve is also home to ethnic minorities, such as Xo Dang (H'Lang & K'Dong group), Gia Rai, Ro Mam, B'Rau, and so on. You can stay at the typical architectures of the Central Highlands - airy communal houses or stilt houses, and enjoy specialties of the people here such as bamboo tube rice, can wine, etc.
III - Tourist spot associated with Kon Tum Vietnam War
1 - Kon Tum Prison
Built by the French in 1930, this prison is located north of Dak Bla River, on Truong Quang Trong Street, Quyet Thang Ward, Kon Tum City. The prison is a place not only to hold political prisoners brought back by the enemy from the Central provinces, but also to provide workers to exploit the highlands and open road 14. This historical complex includes numerous monuments, a traditional house, two mass graves of revolutionary soldiers and a memorial house, where many historical artifacts are still kept and displayed. On November 16, 1988, the prison was recognized as a historical relic by the Vietnamese government.
Opening hours: 7:30am - 11am and 1:30am - 5pm
2 - Kon Tum Museum
Established in 1998, the museum is now located at 659 Nguyen Hue Street, Quyet Thang Ward, Kon Tum City - a new headquarters completed on August 24, 2012 with modern architecture. This three-storey building with the traditional appearance of the Central Highlands is a convergence of cultural and historical heritages, being an attractive destination for sightseeing, study and research of this province. Exhibition space is located on the 2nd and 3rd floors, while the 1st floor of this Museum is often used to organize seminars, documentaries, etc.
The museum is a living history of Kon Tum Province Vietnam from prehistoric times (about 25 - 40 thousand years ago), preserving more than 20,000 artifacts and documents, displaying nearly 400 photos and 89 scientific documents. In which, there are rare artifacts and collections such as Lung Leng archeology, gongs, costumes, … along with collections of images and artifacts of the resistance revolution through historical periods, and so on.
Opening hours: All day except Monday
IV - Other information about Kon Tum Vietnam
1 - Kon Tum Cuisine
Source: @giangbich
Roasted Mang Den Pigs
Raised by ethnic people in Mang Den in a natural grazing style, this pig breed is small and light in weight, having thin skin, low fat, firm and very nutritious meat. When processing, they are marinated with spices from the mountains and forests such as coriander, coriander root, lemongrass, and chili. The whole pig is roasted on a charcoal fire until the skin is crispy and golden, emitting a rich aroma and offering sweet meat.
Red bun (vermicelli)
Attractive from color to flavor, red vermicelli is one of the delicious dishes in Kon Tum Province that you should not miss. A bowl of red vermicelli impresses with colorful colors from the red of cashews and tomatoes, the bright green of raw vegetables and the brown color of fish cakes, crab paste, and the white color of boiled quail eggs. Going to red vermicelli shops when the weather is cold, slurping a bowl and enjoying the atmosphere of this highland will be an interesting experience for you.
Ghe wine
Ghe wine is a special drink of ethnic minorities in the mountainous Kon Tum Vietnam, an indispensable flavor in many of their festivals. Made from the main ingredients of glutinous rice or cassava and a special yeast made from more than 20 types of leaves and roots of forest trees, pounded and mixed together for sweetness, and then dried under the sun. When the locals wanted to make the wine, they just squeezed and sprinkled that dried mixture on rice, corn... in an appropriate ratio, then sealed the whole thing with banana leaves and let it rest for more than 15 days.
Kon Tum sour fish
Sour fish is a rustic dish for people in mountainous areas here, with bream being the main ingredient, a carp-like fish with a flatter and smaller body that lives in rivers and streams in the Central Highlands. After all scales, guts and gills are removed, the fish is cut into small pieces about 2 - 3 cm, then drained until dry and mixed with salt, betel leaves, chili peppers, and so on. Then, Kon Tum people put the fish into clean and dry tubes, then tightly seal at both ends and then place it in the kitchen for a few days, though the longer it takes, the more delicious it will be. You will be able to feel the salty taste of salt, the spicy taste of wild chili, the sweet taste of the beep leaves and the sour taste because this mixture has been fermented…
Kon Tum leaf salad
As the name suggests, this specialty is all leaves with more than 50 types such as cabbage leaves, perilla, cloves, fig leaves, apricot leaves, onions, basil, and so on. There are also rare leaves such as mango, guava,… and many leaves are unique to the Central Highlands but many people do not know all the names. In the middle of the leaf tray is a plate of side dishes including boiled bacon, a few slices of carp, roasted river shrimp, thinly sliced pork skin,... and green chili, roasted whole-grain forest pepper, salt, and onions. The special and most remarkable thing about this leaf salad is the dipping sauce that has been deodorized through a little hot oil, mixed with duck eggs, sticky rice, dried shrimp and satay.
2 - Where to stay in Kon Tum Vietnam?
Kon Tum Indochine Hotel - Source: kontumtrip
Kon Tum Indochine Hotel
Facing the Dak Bla River, this hotel has 8 floors with 63 rooms fully equipped with luxurious and high-class amenities, designed with a cozy and elegant vibe. There is a buffet restaurant and outdoor cafe with relaxing space in the bamboo trees, gym and karaoke room, as well as bicycle rental service.
- Address: No.30 Bach Dang Street, Quyet Thang Ward, Kon Tum City
- Room rate: 614,000 - 932,000 VND / room / night ($27 - 41)
- Contact: 0260 3863 334 - 0260 3863 335 - 091 876 6611
Konklor Hotel
As a small family-friendly hotel, this Kon Tum hotel offers 50 secluded rooms of various types, each with a private balcony. The Konklor Hotel campus is airy and spacious, filled with trees, flowers and a lake, as well as sun terraces and gift shops.
- Address: No.38 Bac Kan Street, Thang Loi Ward, Kon Tum City
- Room rate: 381,610 VND / room / night ($16.77)
- Contact: 02603 861 555
Kon Tum Home Sweet Homestay
This is a unique space with modern decor in the mountains and forests of the Central Highlands, including 3 types of rooms: single room, double room and dormitory room. This Kom Tum Homestay has a very spacious courtyard, which also is a beautifully decorated communal dining area with tables and chairs.
- Address: Kon Tu 2 Village, DakBla Commune, Kon Tum City
- Room rate: 180,000 - 270,000 VND / room / night ($7.9 - 11.87)
- Contact: 097 657 8250
Nang house 82
This is a small homestay suitable for a family or group of 20 - 25 people, fully equipped with convenient services and garden views. Each room at Nang House 82 has a patio, a kitchen, a dining area and a seating area, offering bicycle and car rental services.
- Address: No.485/3 Pham Van Dong, Le Loi Ward, Kon Tum City
- Room rate: 300,000 - 2,200,000 VND / room / night ($13.18 - 96.68)
- Contact: 090 275 92 04
La Maison Homestay Mang Den
Located in a prime location, this is the most popular homestay in this province, consisting of 8 well-appointed rooms, a sun terrace, a shared lounge and a picnic area, accompanying various services. Each of the rooms here has a fully equipped kitchen, and a bathroom with a smart bidet and a walk-in shower.
- Address: No.31 Tran Quang Khai Street, Dak Long Ward, Kon Plong District
- Room rate: 550,000 VND / room / night ($24.17)
- Contact: 096 727 51 68
3 - Explore Kon Tum Vietnam with Central Highlands tours
Since the majority of the attractions are clustered together, it is very convenient to be able to visit in a short period of about 3 - 4 days. However, to be able to experience the fullest and more about the mountainous space, you should pick and follow a Central Highlands tour. If you go on one, you won’t have to worry about travel planning, finding places to eat and rest, moving between locations, and so on. For a full-of-experiences trip to Kon Tum Province, you can refer to the following tour operators:
Hanoi Sun Travel
- Time: 4 Days 3 Nights
- Price: 4,000,000 - 5,000,000 VND / person ($131.84 - 175.78)
- Contact: 024 6663 4455 - 0945 532 939 - 0986 414 175
- Website: https://vi-vn.facebook.com/HaNoiSunTravel
VietSense Travel
- Time: 4 Days 3 Nights
- Price: 3,090,000 - 4,135,000 VND / person ($135.8 - 181.7)
- Contact: 1900 5455 19 - 0916 172 338
- Website: https://vietsensetravel.com
Kon Tum is a province located in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam, with majestic mountainous landscapes and pleasant cool weather, suitable for tourism. In addition to the unique architecture and historical sites, coming here you can also immerse yourself in the culture of the ethnic minorities. We hope the above information will assist you in your trip to Kon Tum Vietnam.
