Kon Tum

KON TUM PROVINCE

Square: 9,690.5 km2.
Population: 443,4 thousand people (2010)
City: Kon Tum City
Districts: Dak Glei, Ngoc Hoi, Dak To, Kon Ray, Kon Plong, Dak Ha, Tu Mo Rong, Sa Thay.

OVERVIEW

Coming to Kontum, visitors enjoy mountainous landscapes like Ngok Linh Mountain, Chu Mon Ray Primitive Forest, Dak Tre Tourist Site, and Dak To Hot Spring. Tourists are interesting in historical relics such as Kontum Former Prison, Dak Glei Prison, Ho Chi Minh Trail, Dak To, Tan Canh Battle Field.

HISTORY

The name Kon Tum comes from the name of a village of the Bahnar ethnic group. In the Bahnar language, kon means "village" and tum means "pool". Prior to the adoption of quốc ngữ, the name was rendered in Hán tự (Sino-Vietnamese characters)

GEOGRAPHY

Kon Tum is on Central Highlands. It shares border with Laos, Cambodia on the west, Quang Nam Province on the north, Quang Ngai Province on the east and Gia Lai Province on the south.

On the north, there is highest granite mountain region in Southern Vietnam with Ngok Linh 2,598m and Ngoc Phan 2,251m. It is source of Tranh, Thu Bon, Tra Khuc, Ba rivers.

Forest covers 50% total of Kon Tum area with valuable wood, rare birds. Basalt soil is suitable to plan rubber, coffee, tea, sugar cane. The province has 26,000ha grassland that gives good condition to raise cattle.

CLIMATE

Kon Tum has feature climate of Central Highland. That is tropical monsoon one. There are two seasons. The rain season lasts from May to October. The dry season lasts from November to April next year.

Annual average temperature is 23.4ºC. Annual average rainfall is 1,884mm.

TOURISM

Coming to Kon Tum, visitors enjoy mountainous landscapes like Ngok Linh Mountain, Chu Mon Ray Primitive Forest, Dak Tre Tourist Site, and Dak To Hot Spring. Tourists are interesting in historical relics such as Kon Tum Former Prison, Dak Glei Prison, Ho Chi Minh Trail, Dak To, Tan Canh Battle Field.

Visitors would observe beautiful wooden stilt houses in Ba Na villages and Communal House (Nha Rong) that only be found in villages on the north of the Central Highlands.

TRANSPORT

Kon Tum is 246km from Buon Ma Thuot, 215km from Quy Nhon, 49km from Pleiku. National Highway No.14 runs from west of Quang Nam, vie Kon Tum Town, then to Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Ho Chi Minh City. National Highway No.24 connects Kon Tum to Quang Ngai