Kon Tum – Unspoiled Heart of the Central Highlands

Kon Tum is the capital of Kon Tum Province in Vietnam's northern Central Highlands and one of the region's most culturally authentic cities. The downtown area features the stunning Kon Tum Wooden Cathedral (1913) – a unique blend of French Gothic and Bahnar stilt-house architecture. The surrounding highlands are home to the Bahnar and Jarai ethnic minorities, whose communal rong houses (longhouses with soaring thatched roofs), elaborate cemeteries and gong festivals reflect cultures largely unchanged for centuries. Kon Tum was also an important node on the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the Vietnam War, and the city has several war history sites. Scenic highland roads wind to Ngoc Linh Mountain (2,598 m, the tallest in the Central Highlands).