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Pleiku
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Pleiku is a town with a
large ethnic minority.
Pleiku marks the junction of
roads leading to Kontum,
Buon Ma Thuot and Qui Nhon.
This town was almost totally
destroyed during the Vietnam
war as it was home to an
American base. If you intend
being here during the
monsoon season, you should
know that Pleiku boasts the
highest rainfall in the
Central Highlands
Jarai and Bahnar Tribes
The one thing worth seeing
in Pleiku is the Jarai and
Bahnar tribes that live
close by. The Jarai guild
houses on stilts with a
small hut out the front to
keep their rice. The Bahnar
also build their houses off
the ground on stilts and
have large balconies to work
on. They have a community
building called a Rong House
where the elders meet for
ceremonies and festivals.
Inside they keep gongs,
wine, drums and all the
precious ceremonial
artefacts. Shaman also use
this large building for
spiritual rituals such as
the ‘prayer for rain’. The
Rong House can only be
entered by men
The tombs of the tribes are
also very interesting. They
set up little thatch wooden
huts over the tomb upon
which they put the
possessions of the deceased.
Around the tomb there are
four wooden pillars. On top
are wooden carvings of men
or monkeys that are guards
to protect the body of the
dead. The ceremony is very
expensive so if the family
of the deceased cannot
afford it, the funeral party
is held up to three years
later
The entire village
population spends three days
at the burial sight where a
water buffalo is
ceremonially sacrificed and
subsequently used to feed
the village. The head of the
water buffalo is cut off and
hung on the tomb, and the
four hooves are cut off and
placed on the four corners
of the grave
Yaly Waterfall
There is a waterfall that
you can visit 15 km north of
Peiku towards Kontum. You
will come across a large
junction in the road where
you make a left turn and
continue to the end of the
road
Former Battlegrounds
There are number of former
battlegrounds which can be
visited from Pleiku
including Ham Rong Mount,
Plei Me post and the former
1st Cavalry
Division base at Hon Chong
(in An Khe district)
Buon Ma Thuot
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Like Kontum and Pleiku, the
main attraction of Buon Ma
Thuot is not in the town
itself but in the
surrounding area. There are
numerous ethnic minority
villages and also some
spectacular waterfalls, all
of which are within day trip
distances
Although on the Central
Highlands, Buon Ma Thuot is
at a lower altitude than
Dalat at 451 m, so does not
necessarily offer the same
escape from the hot weather
Ede Minority Hilltribe
The Ede tribe (or Rhode)
make the trip to Buon ma
Thuot worthwhile. The tribe
is primarily matriarchal.
The women own the property
and after marriage the man
must move in with the
woman’s family whose house
is extended to accommodate
them. The houses of the Ede
tribes are long (up to 30 m)
and thin (4 m). Each time
there is a wedding in the
family, the houses is
extended like carriages of a
train. Each section can be
closed off and has its own
door and kitchen. The houses
are also on stilts and under
the house they store wood,
food and even livestock
The Ede tribe have a
different ceremony for their
dead from the Bahnar at
Pleiku. They bury the
deceased just below the
surface of the ground so
that the spirit can fly to
the heavens. Around the
grave they keep wooden
carvings of elephant tusks
and on four pillars built
around the grave they have
four birds to protect the
dead. The Ede tribe practice
animistic beliefs
Hill tribe museum
There is a very interesting
Hill Tribe museum at No. 1
Doc Lap street. It shows
some of the local equipment
the Ede tribe use to hunt
elephants. The museum also
gives valuable information
about the culture of the
tribe
Lak lake
Lak Lake is situated 50 km
south of Buon Ma Thuot. To
see the lake you must get a
permit that costs USD 20 for
a group of people. It is
also possible to sleep in
the Ede houses there. In
this village, you can take
an elephant ride for about
three hours around the area
Dalat
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At one time Dalat was an
ideal holiday retreat, set
amongst the low hills of the
Central Highlands. It was
originally founded in 1897
by Alexander Yersin and
Dalat city was established
in 1912. The city served as
a hill station for the
French trying to escape the
heat of the plains and
delta. The city enjoys a
year round spring like
climate and this lovely
setting and ideal climate
have made the city a hit
with domestic and foreign
tourists alike
Dalat has a charming French
district behind the Rap 3-4
cinema, which is well worth
exploring. This is also
where a number of the hotels
are situated. In the centre
of town there is a large
fresh produce market which
sells some of the nicest
strawberries (when in
season) that you can ever
hope to taste!
Dalat is also the centre of
kitsch in Vietnam. Keep an
eye out for the Dalat
Cowboys, who ride around the
town on horseback. You an
also take a ride on a swan
boat in the lake or buy one
of the dozens of tacky
trinkets on sale in the
market.
Dalat has a lot worth
visiting, especially if you
are into kitsch. Dalat has
the only eighteen hole golf
course in Vietnam, and
anyone can play a round
there! A few hours could
quite easily be spent riding
bikes around the lake a
stopping off at the
interesting sights near it.
The Botanical gardens also
offers a lovely place to
hang out.
Bao Dai’s Summer Palace
Set atop the ridge
overlooking Dalat, this
residence is one of the more
bizarre building you can
visit. The building is best
described as complete art
deco, designed perhaps to be
in Paris rather than Dalat.
It used to be relaxing place
of Bao Dai, the last feudal
king of Vietnam which was
overthrown during the August
rebels in 1945. The palace
is deep in a pine forest
with flower gardens and the
embroidering artworks made
by talented charming girls
are really worth a half-day
visit.
Kontum
Kontum is a small town with
the surrounding area
littered with ethnic
minority villages. This was
also the site of some major
battles during the conflict
with the Americans, and even
now, decaying weapons and
shells abound. The large
friendly indigenous
population can be visited on
a foot tour from Kontum and
as a result of their limited
exposure to tourism, they
are still happy to see
foreigners. The distance
between Kontum and Pleiku is
46 km and on this road you
will get a glimpse of the
traditional minority houses
built on stilts. There are
also some waterfalls further
out of the town that can be
visited by motorbike
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The highland area was only
completely opened up to
tourism in mid 1994 and the
police here can still be a
bit touchy. If you are going
to wander the surrounding
areas, better to do it with
a guide as they can then
organize the police side of
the excursion. Another
danger of walking out of
town is that there is still
a large amount of left over
ordnance from the war, so be
careful. Who wants to get
blown up on their holidays?
Walking tours of the area
The best thing to do in
Kontum is to go for a wander
around the surrounding area.
You can easily keep yourself
busy for a day or two
thoroughly seeing the
region. There are still many
traditional hill tribe
villages in and around
Kontum, and the best way to
visit these is with a guide.
Kontum is still a fairly
small town and is not too
popular on the tourist trail
Seminary
One sight worth seeing in
Kontum is the seminary. The
seminary was built over 80
years ago and is still
looked after by a small
group of priests. The
building is still in quite
good condition and has a
grove of cherry blossoms in
the front yard
Churches
On Nguyen Hue street, there
is a large church which is
over 120 years old and is
now being renovated. This
church has beautiful stained
glass windows. Beside it is
the Montaguards church,
called a Rong House, which
is over 100 years old. This
is recognisable by an
extremely steep thatched
roof, and is set about 2 m
above the ground. The
Montaguard church is entered
by the tribes people only
once a year. Also in town is
a French Cathedral that is
worth a visit. It is white
but is streaked with black
as if it has survived a fire |
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The COASTLINE of Vietnam and
The CENTRAL HIGHLAND
of Vietnam
The Central Highlands of
Vietnam boast beautiful
natural features such as
relatively untouched
forests, waterfalls and
spectacular scenery, which
contrast with areas still
bearing the savage scars of
war. This are is inhabited
by a large number of ethnic
minority groups, still
living the traditional
lifestyle. These tribes can
be visited around Kontum,
Pleiku, Buon ma thuot, and
Da lat
The highland region becomes
a torrent of water in the
monsoon season attaining
some of the heaviest rain
falls in all of Vietnam.
During the summer season,
Dalat becomes a popular
destination as its high
altitude offers a slightly
cooler temperature than the
almost unbearable humid heat
of the southern plains. This
combined with its proximity
to Ho Chi Minh City has made
of the epicentre of bizarre
domestic tourism
This section follows a route
for those who enjoy getting
off the beaten tracks. It is
quite easy to include this
detour as a circuit from the
coast leaving and returning
from either Qui Nhon or Nha
Trang, with a separate
excursion required to reach
Dalat from Phan Rang or Ho
chi Minh City. You will need
to allow enough time for the
roads that ca be quite a
workout on the kidneys,
especially from Buon Ma
Thuot to Nha Trang. The
hilly landscape is also an
open invitation for the
local buses to break down.
Two weeks would allow ample
time to explore this
historically significant are
of Vietnam, whilst one week
will present you with the
bare essentials of the
region |
