Kontum is the capital of Kontum Province in Vietnam's Central Highlands.
Kontum is a relaxed little town with few sights. What nevertheless puts it on the map of interesting places in Vietnam are the surrounding minority villages, including settlements of the Sedang, Bahnar, Jarai, Gieh Trieng and Rengao ethnic groups. Each village has a rong, a huge and impressive communal house where the villagers gather for special occasions. Strangely enough, French Catholics missionaries were quite successful in this remote part of the country, converting some of the minorities and leaving churches behind.
- Bahnar Orphanage. Visitors and donations welcome.
- Catholic Seminary, 56 Tran Hung Dao. Houses a small minority museum, but the colonial-style building itself is well worth a visit.
- Montagnard Church. Built in 1913 and restored in the 1990s. It is remarkable for its blending of local artistic tradition and Christian symbols: Bahnar villages, elephants, a scale model of a rong.
- Tan Huong Church.
Kontum's major draw are the villages of the indigenous hill-tribes . It is recommended you go with a guide, since he or she will be able to communicate in the minority language and keep you from inadvertently breaking taboos.
- Kon Tum Tourist, 2 Phan Dinh Phung (Ground floor, Dakbla Hotel, +84 60 861626. 07:00-11:00 & 13:00-16:00. If you are on a tight itinerary, it might be good to fix things beforehand, since they are often crowded with tour groups. Though some of the Bahnar villages actually form a part of Kontum's eastern and western edge, the ones farther away are more interesting. Highlights would be the different kinds of rong, the cemeteries of the Jarai, and joining a rice-wine party with the locals.
There is the usual selection of hole-in-the-wall restaurants or street side stalls, mainly on Tran Phu, around the market and on the road running parallel to the river. On the northern parallel to Tran Phu just a few houses from the corner with Phan Dinh Phung, there is a small vegetarian restaurant (an chay). They serve excellent faux-meat with dishes described as tuna, chicken, crab, and the like.
- Dakbla Restaurant, 168 D Nguyen Hue. Separate from the hotel of the same name, Dakbla is nicely themed with decorations from the surrounding minority peoples. Wide variety of food including local and Western staples, excellent wild boar. Popular with tourists. English spoken. 25,000-150,000 dong.
- Nghia, 12 Le Loi. Solid vegetarian option with rice, pho, and bun dishes. 20,000 dong.
All over town you'll find beautiful garden cafes to while away the hours.
- Cafe Eva, 5 Phan Chu Trinh (Eastern end, +84 603862944. Home to a local artist and a lot of his oeuvre is on display in the garden and the three-storey house resembling a stilt house. The place is a favourite among Vietnamese locals. The owner, Mr. An can also share in-depth knowledge of the Montagnards' culture and arrange day tours of Bahnar villages or explorations of indigenous culture, with local homestays.
- Dakbla Hotel Restaurant. Nice terrace from which you get excellent views of the sun setting over the Dakbla River.
- Sunrise Café, 102 Nguyen Hué. Quiet two-storey café with good coffee and honest and nice staff.
The Central Highlands are a high-risk region for malaria. Wear long trousers and shirt sleeves after dusk.
To Laos via Bo Y border crossing. From Kontum you can get to Attapeu or Pakse in Laos with a bus that leaves from Pleiku. Details about schedules and right bus stop can be had from Kon Tum Tourist. More adventurous travellers can get a local bus to Ngoc Hoi and a moto ride to the border . On the Lao side you might have to hitch a ride to Attapeu (120 km) as at least as of Oct 2007 there wasn't any public transport here. However, be warned that traffic on road going from Bo Y border crossing to Attapeu is sparce and there aren't any villages until only 40-30 km before Attapeu.