Kon Tum Travel Guide: Kon Tum is the farthest province of the Central Highlands, having border gates with Laos and Cambodia, so it is also known as “Indochina fork”. This place not only impresses visitors with the sound of chickens crowing in the three countries of Indochina but also majestic landscape, unique culture, and sincere and friendly people. Food in Kom Tum cheap, delicious and strange is also a plus point for visitors to come to Kom Tum.

Top 10 foods in Kon Tum

Kon Tum Travel Guide

What is the best time to travel Kon Tum?

The climate in Kon Tum is similar to that of other Central Highlands provinces, because it is a mountainous area, so it is quite cool and fresh. According to experienced backpackers to Kon Tum, the end of the year, around December is the most beautiful and wonderful time to travel and explore Kon Tum.

In particular, this is the time when wild sunflowers bloom brilliantly throughout the roads and mountains of Kom Tum, the terraces in on harvest season are yellow ripe and the unique festivals of many ethnic groups happen here.

How to go to Kon Tum?

By airplane

Kon Tum does not have an airport, so the only way to get to Kon Tum by air is to fly to Pleiku, then take a bus for about 30 – 35,000 VND/ticket or taxi to Kon Tum 50km away. Attention: Promotion, get discount up to -20 – 40% when booking through Agoda in May Currently, there are 3 direct flights to Pleiku airport: Hanoi – Pleiku, Ho Chi Minh – Pleiku, Danang – Pleiku. The flight Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City – Pleiku has one flight every day, but the flight Da Nang – Pleiku will have no flights on Mondays and Wednesdays. Depending on the starting point and the airline you choose, the ticket price varies, but in general, the price of a tourist ticket to Kon Tum is quite high. Average about 1,800,000 VND/ticket/time.

By coach

+ From Hanoi and the northern provinces: You can go to Giap Bat Station to catch the car to Kon Tum. For example, Dang Khoa car (060 3864606 – 0905 010269); Viet Tan car (060 3913999 – 0169 6823334 (5)).

+ From the city. Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces: You can contact a number of vehicles such as Dang Khoa (060 3864606 – 08 22478379 – 0985222679), Viet Tan (060 3913999 – 0986 823355), Tay Nguyen (060 3918888 – 0913 468502 – 0982878889), Tu Thau (060 3863999 – 0903 531458), Dong Tien (060 3862108 – 0982 512323)….to know the bus time and book tickets.

+ From Da Nang and the central provinces: You can contact Mai Linh bus (0511 3792929) to make a reservation and ask about the time of the bus.

How to go around Kon Tum City?

You can use a taxi, rent a motorbike or a car to move around in Kon Tum City and to surrounding attractions and tourist attractions.

In Kon Tum, there are Mai Linh taxis (060 3838383) and Vinh Son taxis (060 38585855). As for motorbikes, you can ask the hotel reception, guest houses to rent, the price is about 100,000 – 120,000 VND / motorbike.

Where to stay safe and quality?

Kon Tum City is quite small, according to experience self-sufficient travel, most of the hotels and guest house concentrate on main streets such as Phan Dinh Phung, Truong Chinh, Duy Tan … Hotels and guest house in the area are quite cheap, good quality, fully equipped and the receptionists here are always ready to serve you when you need them. Some hotels even have restaurants serving delicious Kon Tum specialties.

Two of the rated hotels that should stay when traveling to Kon Tum are Indochine Hotel Kon Tum and Kon Tum Provincial Party Committee Guest House (60 3862 853). In addition, you can refer to some other Kon Tum hotels here or call directly to the following guest house and hotels to ask for rooms:

• Family Kon Tum Hotel (060 3862 448) – 235 Tran Hung Dao Street.
• Binh Minh Hotel (060 3862 694) – No. 204 Tran Hung Dao.
• Huu Nghi Hotel (060 3911 560) – No. 73 Ba Trieu.
• Thinh Vuong Hotel (060 3914 729) – 16B Nguyen Trai.

In addition, in Kon Tum, you can stay at homestays in cultural villages such as Kon K’lor and Kon K’Tu cultural villages, the price is about 40 – 50,000/person. At the homestays, you can both learn the life and culture of the ethnic groups here and have the opportunity to enjoy traditional dishes, participate in festivals, listen to old stories…

Places to visit in Kon Tum

Bishop’s Palace of Kon Tum

Bishop’s Palace of Kon Tum is the largest Catholic institution in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Kon Tum Bishop’s Palace is located at 146 Tran Hung Dao Street, Thong Nhat Ward.

Kon Tum Wooden Church

Located on Nguyen Hue Street, the Cathedral was built by French priests from 1913 to 1918. The architect designed the building in Roman style combined with the architecture of the Ba Na people’s stilt houses. At the top of the tower is a high precious wooden cross, showing the majesty and eternity of the cathedral. Made entirely of wood, the building is also known as the Kon Tum wooden church.

Kon K’Tu Ancient Village

Kon K’Tu ancient village, Dak Ro Wa Commune is a village of the Bana ethnic group living in the city’s suburbs. The village is about 5km from the center, on the banks of the Dak Bla River, not too densely populated, not having much modern breath.

Kon K’lor Communal House

The current Kon K’lor communal house has a length of 17m, a width of 6m, and a roof height of 22m. This is considered the largest communal house in Kon Tum and the Central Highlands in general. The house is designed in a traditional style with all materials of wood, bamboo, leaves with delicate patterns and motifs typical of the Ba Na ethnic group. In particular, the entire new pillar and floor are made of rare wood. The house is located near the Dak Bla River and the Kon K’lor suspension bridge.

 

Kon K’lor Suspension Bridge

This is the largest cable-stayed suspension bridge in Kon Tum, connecting the two banks of the Dak Bla river, built on February 3, 1993, and completed on May 1, 1994. Today, the Kon K’lor suspension bridge has become the pride of the Kon Tum people and is a must-see destination for tourists when visiting this Central Highlands.

Indochine Cafe

Located right next to the Dak Bla bridge, this cafe is part of the Indochine hotel complex along the Dak Bla River. This is a cafe with strange architecture, completely made of bamboo. By making the most of natural energy sources such as wind, cool air from the lake, shade from the bamboo roof, the shop is always airy and cool.

Kon Tum Prison

Kon Tum Prison is located on the Dak Bla River, where political prisoners were imprisoned during the revolutionary climax of the Xo Viet Nghe Tinh revolution.

Kon Tum Mausoleum

The museum is currently a 3-storey building with modern architecture in the traditional shape of the Central Highlands. This is cultural and architectural work, a convergence of cultural and historical heritages, an attractive destination for domestic and foreign tourists to visit, travel, study and do scientific research. Kon Tum Museum’s storage system is currently storing more than 26,000 artifacts and documents; in which there are rare and precious artifacts and collections such as archaeological artifacts and ethnographic artifacts such as baskets, gongs, costumes, and jewelry; collections of documentary photos, films, paintings, maps and artifacts through historical periods.

Bac Ai Pagoda (Charity Pagoda)

The pagoda belongs to the Northern sect and was built in 1932. In general, the Bac Ai temple was built in the north-south direction, the first is the three-way gate, then is the main hall in the center and the left and right are east house, west house. Outside the main hall is a flower garden, where tombs, kitchen, shrines to worshiping village gods, mountain gods, and are concentrated.

Kon Bring Village

Kon Bring Community Tourism Culture Village is one of the four community-based cultural and tourism villages of Kon Plong district. The village is located along Highway 24, about 3km east of the district center.

Dak Ke Lake

Dak Ke Lake, whose original name is Toong Ro Poong Lake, covers an area of about 3 hectares. This is a lake in the legend of 7 lakes and 3 waterfalls of Mang Den. You can walk around the lake under the cool weather of this land, at the lake, there are also a number of services for tourists.

 

Dak Ke Waterfall

According to legend, the stream flowing down to the waterfall is an area where mountain goats and wild goats come to drink water, so the locals call it Koi Keh (Koi: stream; Keh: mountain goat, wild goat) or Dak Ke (Dak: water; Keh: mountain goat, wild goat).

Pa Sy Waterfall

Pa Sy Waterfall is made up of the 3 largest streams in Mang Den, located at an altitude of 1,500 meters above sea level. Pa Sy waterfall is not as majestic and noisy as other famous beautiful waterfalls in the Central Highlands, but gentle with a white stream.

Dam Bri Lake

Dam Bri Lake is one of the famous relaxation and culinary spots of Mang Den, this is a place chosen by many tourists to rest, eat and fish when coming to Mang Den every weekend.

Toong Dam Lake

“Toong” in the Mo Nam language (a branch of the Xe Dang ethnic group) means “lake”. There are many legends about the story of 7 lakes, and 7 lakes are called after the names of 7 brother gods: Toong Po, Toong Ro Poong, Toong Zo Ri, Toong Ziu, Toong Xang, Toong Ly Lung and Toong Dam; In which, Toong Dam is the largest lake. Toong Dam is located on Highway 24, near the field airport (old) when Kon Plong fought the enemy. The lake is immense, the shore is far away, lying between vast wild trees.

E Ban Farm

With cool weather like Da Lat, Mang Den has many conditions to develop agricultural farms. You can come here to visit and learn about the production processes as well as take beautiful photos in the middle of nature. E Ban Farm is located in Mang Canh commune, after reaching Pa Sy waterfall, you go about 1km more to arrive.

Mang Den Pine Forest

About 10 km from the center of Kon Plong is a vast pine forest at an altitude of 1100m. There are pine trees that have been planted long ago, standing tall and tall. Compared to the Da Lat pine forest, the Mang Den pine forest has more varieties. There are species of animals such as chamois, pheasants. However, the pine forest here is not as large as the pine forest in Da Lat.

Lo Ba Waterfall

Lo Ba waterfall is about 40m high. The water of this waterfall originates from the high mountain peaks from Mang But, Dak Tang, and Mang Canh, carrying the cold air of the mountains and forests flowing through the high, steep terrain, rushing down the stream to make white foam. Lo Ba Waterfall is quite wild and is located deep in the primeval forest, so few people know about it. But for those who have come here, they are constantly admiring and admiring the charm of the waterfall. The beauty of the waterfall is created by the stream winding through the rocky slopes stretching in the branch of Mang Den forest before pouring into the Dak Snghé river, then merging into the Dak Bla river, down to Se San.

Statue of Lady of Mang Den

More than 1km east of the administrative center of the district, there is Notre Dame Hill, one of the famous spiritual and cultural tourist destinations. Discovered in 2004, the statue of the Virgin Mary is present in the mountains and wild nature, attracting tens of thousands of pilgrims every year.

Khanh Lam Pagoda

The pagoda was built in 2012 on a hill with a quiet scene of the primeval large forest. In addition to the meaning of sightseeing, visitors also find here spiritual meanings for the soul and life, especially Buddhist tourists.

Đak Glei Prison

Dak Glei Prison is located to the north of Dak Glei Town, Dak Glei district, about 30km from the district center, located on Chang Tuc Hill, a branch of Poon Dak Rac Mountain. Here, the French colonialists imprisoned and exiled the most loyal revolutionary soldiers from 1932 to 1935.

Ngoc Linh Mountain

Ngoc Linh Lien Son is a mountain chain covering 4 provinces of Kon Tum, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, and Gia Lai, starting from Ngoc Lum Heo in the northwest to Ngoc Ro in the southeast. In which, Ngoc Linh is the highest mountain. Ngoc Linh Mountain attracts people’s hearts not only because of its external beauty but also because of the spiritual meanings and values present in the lives of ethnic minorities for generations. Young people who love climbing can choose Ngoc Linh as a destination for their trip. To be able to climb this mountain you need to move to Ngoc Linh commune and then ask local people for support.

Long Loi Flower Garden

Long Loi Flower Garden (Bazana Farm), located in Kon Trang Long Loi village, about 2km from the center of Dak Ha Town. With the unique architectural features of a Bana village located along the Po Ko River along with the unique traditional cultural values that are still being preserved, it has made a highlight for Dak Ha District tourism and is a popular autumn destination. attract tourists from all over the world.

Charlie Hill

Charlie Hill – Peak 1015 in Tan Canh commune is a place contiguous between three districts: Sa Thay, Dak To, and Ngoc Hoi. This place is famous for many fierce battles in the war between the Vietnamese army and the US army.

Dak To – Tan Canh Relic

The relic site is located on Ho Chi Minh Road, 40km from Kon Tum City, about 1km southwest of Dak To Town, about 40km from the Vietnam-Laos border with a total area of 370,500m2, including the Base Area E42, military zone Phoenix Airport and L19 Airport. This is the fiercest battlefield of the Central Highlands region, the strongest US base in the war.

Dak To Hot Spring

Dak To hot spring is located in village 3, Kon Dao Commune. The space of this eco-tourism area is quiet, the climate is cool, suitable for eco-tourism and relaxation. However, so far this area has not been paid enough attention, so it cannot be developed into a tourist attraction of Kon Tum known by many people.

Koi To Waterfall

Koi To Waterfall is located in hamlet 7, Dak Koi Commune. According to the old village elders, the waterfall was called “Waterfall Tui” by the villagers. However, after a young man named A HTo in another village fell in love with a girl in Kon Trang No village, but being opposed by the girl’s family, the boy left sadly, when he passed the waterfall that was flowing very hard, he drowned. Since then, people have changed the name “Waterfall Tui” to “Koi To Waterfall” today. The waterfall has an altitude of more than 700m above sea level, surrounded by primeval forest. Moreover, the waterfall has three adjacent lakes, quite deep and wide, which will be an ideal stop for tourists to rest.

Dak Snghe Waterfall

Dak Snghe Waterfall is located in 2 communes of Dak To Lung and Tan Lap commune, an unspoiled waterfall located in the Dak Snghé river. The waterfall has many steps, airy and charming scenery.

Indochina fork

This is the endpoint of the Vietnam-Laos borderline and the beginning point of the Vietnam-Cambodia borderline, the intersection of three borderlines between Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. This place is located not far from Bo Y border gate but about 80km from the center of Kon Tum city. To come here, remember to stop by the border guard station to ask for permission.

Chu Mom Ray National Park

Chu Mom Ray National Park is the largest nature reserve in Kon Tum province and is recognized as a national reserve and a nature reserve. Chu Mom Ray plays an important role in the protection and development of rare plants and animals in the country. At Chu Mon Ray reserve, scientists have recorded nearly 1,500 species of plants and 620 species of animals.

Monkey Waterfall

Chu Mom Ray National Park is the largest nature reserve in Kon Tum province and is recognized as a national reserve and a nature reserve. Chu Mom Ray plays an important role in the protection and development of rare plants and animals of the country. At Chu Mon Ray reserve, scientists have recorded nearly 1,500 species of plants and 620 species of animals.

Bat Cave Waterfall

Bat Cave Waterfall and streams near the Bat Cave area is one of the beautiful landscapes in Chu Mom Ray National Park. However, this tourist route is quite risky, moreover, the conditions are not allowed, so the management board of the garden has no intention of putting it into tourism.

Ba Rgoc Village

Located in the west of Sa Son Commune, Ba Roc Village is home to 185 households with 720 people. Most of the residents here are Gia Rai ethnic people with many unique and pristine traditional cultures that are still preserved to this day. The village is located at the foot of Chu Mom Ray mountain and is surrounded by a winding stream creating a charming natural setting and cool climate.

Mang Ri terraced fields

In Mang Ri, most of the wet rice area is cultivated on terraced fields. Looking down from above, terraced fields are halfway up the hill, interspersed with villages with beautiful soaring roofs like a picture of a beautiful landscape. In the ripe rice season, the fields in Mang Ri are yellow, stretching, and the heavy rice flowers are layered on top of the terraced fields in the golden sunshine and peaceful natural scenery at the foot of Ngoc Linh mountain.

Siu Puong Waterfall

This is a beautiful waterfall of Tu Mo Rong, located in Dak Na Commune. The waterfall is formed by many small waterfalls and has a height of more than 100m.

4-Floor Waterfall

This waterfall is located about 100m from Highway 40B, in Dak Chum II village, Tu Mo Rong Commune. The waterfall has 4 continuous floors with unspoiled beauty. Walking from the foot of the waterfall to the top of the mountain is about 1,500m, with many lakes and rich plants, creating an attractive natural landscape, very suitable for tourism to experience.

Se San Fishing Village

Se San fishing village is located in Ia Toi commune, Ia H’Drai district. This is the place where nearly 10 years ago, 29 households in the provinces of An Giang, Ca Mau and Can Tho came and set up villages to settle down and live by fishing and aquaculture. The serenity, poetic and uniqueness of Se San fishing village is the choice for those who want to explore and experience the unspoiled nature.

What and where to eat in Kon Tum?

Special traditional dishes in Kon Tum

The food in Kon Tum is quite cheap, you can eat at any restaurant and eatery throughout Kon Tum. In addition to the delicious specialties of the Central Highlands, the traditional dishes in Kon Tum include sticky rice with bamboo shoots Leaf salad, weaver ant salad, sour noodles, sour fish, dried noodle soup, night sticky rice, wild vegetables, and various types of buffalo and goat meat.

Bamboo shoot sticky rice in Kom Tum

Yellow ant fish salad in Kom Tum

Specialty hamster meat in Kon Tum

Kom Tum Lam Rice

Kon Tum Grilled Chicken

Some great restaurants in Kon Tum

• Crab noodle dish – Address: Le Hong Phong – Phan Chu Trinh intersection.
• Grilled meat vermicelli – Address: Phan Chu Trinh street, near the intersection of Tran Phu – Phan Chu Trinh or address: Nguyen Hue street.
• Wild meat, pigeon porridge, dry noodle soup – Address: Urea street, Thong Nhat ward, Kon Tum City.
• Buffalo meat dish – Address: Kon Tum City Square.
• Fried sticky rice – Address: Tran Phu park (near Kon Tum High School).
• Dried Pho – Cay Bang restaurant – Address: Ba Trieu street (from the beginning of Phan Dinh Phung street turn left).
• Banh Beo with shrimp paste – Address: Phan Chu Trinh street, Kontum town, or Hoang Van Thu street.
• Leaf salad shop (owner Le Van Lam) – Address: Dinh Tien Hoang street, Kon Tum town. Note: this is the best salad shop in the region with more than 50 types of salad leaves.
• Pho Van restaurant – Address: the intersection of Phan Dinh Phung and Le Loi streets.
• Night sticky rice shop – Address: Tran Quang Khai street.
• Mixed duck – Address: Kon Tum market.

What to buy as a gift is the most suitable?

Kon Tum Travel Guide