The Central Highlands (), South Central Highlands (), Western Highlands () or Midland Highlands () is a
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
located in the south
central part of
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. It contains the provinces of
Đắk Lắk,
Đắk Nông,
Gia Lai,
Kon Tum, and
Lâm Đồng.
Geography

The Central Highlands are a series of plateaus bordering the lower part of
Laos
Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
and northeastern
Cambodia
Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
, namely Kon Tum Plateau at 500m, Kon Plông Plateau, Kon Hà Nừng Plateau, Pleiku Plateau at 800m, Mdrak Plateau at approximately 500m, Đắk Lắk Plateau at around 800m, Mơ Nông Plateau with the height of about 800–1000m,
Lâm Viên Plateau of approximately 1500m and Di Linh Plateau of about 900–1000m. All of these plateaus are situated south of the
Annamite Range.
The Central Highlands are mostly drained by tributaries of the
Mekong
The Mekong or Mekong River ( , ) is a transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth-longest river and the third-longest in Asia with an estimated length of and a drainage area of , discharging of wat ...
. The Sesan or
Tonlé San river drains the northern portion of the highlands, and the
Srepok River
The Srepok River (, ; Yagrai: Eă Srêpôkô; ) is a major tributary of the Mekong River.
Geography
Srepok River runs from Đắk Lắk Province in the Central Highlands of Vietnam through the Ratanakiri and Stung Treng provinces in Cambodi ...
the southern. A series of shorter rivers run from the eastern edge of the highlands to the Vietnamese coast.
Tây Nguyên can be divided into three subregions according to their deviation in topography and climate, namely: North Tây Nguyên (Bắc Tây Nguyên) (inclusive of Kon Tum and Gia Lai provinces), Middle Tây Nguyên (Trung Tây Nguyên) (covering provinces of Đắk Lắk and Đắk Nông), South Tây Nguyên (Nam Tây Nguyên) (Lâm Đồng). Trung Tây Nguyên has a lower altitude and therefore has a higher temperature than the other two subregions.
Provinces
History
The native inhabitants of the Central Highlands (
Montagnards, Mountain peoples) are various peoples that mainly belonged to the two major
Austronesian (Highland
Chamic) and
Austroasiatic
The Austroasiatic languages ( ) are a large language family spoken throughout Mainland Southeast Asia, South Asia and East Asia. These languages are natively spoken by the majority of the population in Vietnam and Cambodia, and by minority popu ...
(
Bahnaric) ethnolinguistic families. According to Peng et al. (2010) & Liu et al. (2020), Austronesian Chamic groups were well known of being seafarers with the original homeland of
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
, might have migrated to present-day Central Vietnam by sea from Maritime Southeast Asia around ~ 2,500 kya, while were making contact/or possibly absorbed the previously earlier Austroasiatic inhabitants (research shows shared high frequencies of AA-associated ancestry among Vietnam's Austronesian Chamic highlanders than Austronesian Chamic lowlanders which are more related with Taiwanese AN groups).
Throughout pre-modern history, the Central Highlands were not under the control of surrounding lowland classical kingdoms, thus much of prehistoric indigenous cultures were preserved. Highlands and mountains acted like barricades that curtailed much of the lowland influences on the Central Highlands people. The region falls into the geographical category described by
James C. Scott as ''terra
zomia'', a huge mountainous landmass of Mainland Southeast Asia (including Southern China and Northeast India).
During the early fifteenth century, the northern part of Central Highlands (around present-day
An Khê) had a dubious ruler named
Śrī Gajarāja (King of the Elephants) with the title "The great king of the Montagnards of ''Madhyamagrāma''" ("big village"), who was a vassal of
Cham king
Indravarman VI (r. 1400–1441) in the lowland. Despite geographic barriers, the Cham extensively used the Highlands as their resources backyard to provide medieval commodities. They also built several temples in the Highlands, for example, the temple of Yang Prong (in
Đắk Lắk province) constructed by king
Simhavarman III (r. 1288–1307). It is evident that Chamic-speaking peoples of the lowlands had engaged direct contacts and trade with the peoples of the Central Highlands for a long time before Kinh Vietnamese colonialism, resulting in mutual linguistic borrowings in both colloquial languages and cultural similarities.
Ethnic
Vietnamese (Kinh) people arrived in the area (after France annexed this area into Vietnam in 1889
[Lê Đình Chi. ''Người Thượng Miền Nam Việt Nam''. Gardena, CA: Văn Mới, 2006. p. 401-449]). The Vietnamese now outnumber the indigenous Degars after state-sponsored settlement directed by both the government of the
Republic of Vietnam
South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the French Union, with it ...
and the current Communist government of the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. The Montagnards have fought against and resisted all Vietnamese settlers, from the
anti-Communist
Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...
South Vietnamese government, the
Viet Cong
The Viet Cong (VC) was an epithet and umbrella term to refer to the communist-driven armed movement and united front organization in South Vietnam. It was formally organized as and led by the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, and ...
, to the Communist government of unified Vietnam.
The Champa state and Chams in the lowlands were traditional suzerains whom the Montagnards in the highlands acknowledged as their lords, while autonomy was held by the Montagnards. After 1945, concept of "Nam tiến" and the southward expansion was celebrated by Vietnamese scholars. The Pays Montagnard du Sud-Indochinois was the name of the Central Highlands from 1946 under
French Indochina
French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1941 as the Indochinese Federation, was a group of French dependent territories in Southeast Asia from 1887 to 1954. It was initial ...
.
Up until French rule, the Central Highlands was almost never entered by the Vietnamese since they viewed it as a savage (Moi-Montagnard) populated area with fierce animals like tigers, "poisoned water" and "evil malevolent spirits". The Vietnamese expressed interest in the land after the French transformed it into a profitable plantation area to grow crops on,
in addition to the natural resources from the forests, minerals and rich earth and realization of its crucial geographical importance.
An insurgency was waged by Montagnards in
FULRO against South Vietnam and then unified Communist Vietnam.
A settlement program of ethnic Kinh Vietnamese by the government of the Republic of Vietnam was implemented
and now a Kinh majority predominates in the highland areas. After mass demonstrations and protests during 2001 and 2004 by ethnic
hill tribe minorities against the communist government, foreigners were banned from the Central Highlands for a period of time.
Ethnic groups
Below is a list of officially recognized
ethnic groups
An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, rel ...
in Vietnam that are indigenous to the Central Highlands and nearby areas. They speak
Austroasiatic languages
The Austroasiatic languages ( ) are a large language family spoken throughout Mainland Southeast Asia, South Asia and East Asia. These languages are natively spoken by the majority of the population in Vietnam and Cambodia, and by minority popu ...
of the
Katuic and
Bahnaric, as well as
Chamic languages
The Chamic languages, also known as Aceh–Chamic and Acehnese–Chamic, are a group of ten languages spoken in Aceh (Sumatra, Indonesia) and in parts of Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Hainan, China. The Chamic languages are a subgroup of Malay ...
(which belong to the
Austronesian language family
The Austronesian languages ( ) are a language family widely spoken throughout Maritime Southeast Asia, parts of Mainland Southeast Asia, Madagascar, the islands of the Pacific Ocean and Taiwan (by Taiwanese indigenous peoples). They are spoken b ...
). Population statistics are from the 2009 Vietnam Population Census.
*''
Katuic speakers''
**
Bru (2009 population: 74,506):
Quảng Trị Province
**
Cơ Tu (2009 population: 61,588):
Quảng Nam Province
**
Tà Ôi (2009 population: 43,886):
Thừa Thiên-Huế Province and
Quảng Trị Province
*''
Bahnaric speakers''
**''West Bahnaric''
***
Brâu (2009 population: 397):
Kon Tum Province
**''East Bahnaric''
***
Co (2009 population: 33,817):
Quảng Ngãi Province
Quảng Ngãi is a northern coastal Provinces of Vietnam, province in the South Central Coast region, the Central Vietnam, Central of Vietnam. It borders Quảng Nam to the north, Bình Định to the south, Kon Tum province, Kon Tum to the ...
**''North Bahnaric''
***
Xơ Đăng (2009 population: 169,501):
Kon Tum Province and
Quảng Nam Province
***
Hrê (2009 population: 127,420):
Quảng Ngãi Province
Quảng Ngãi is a northern coastal Provinces of Vietnam, province in the South Central Coast region, the Central Vietnam, Central of Vietnam. It borders Quảng Nam to the north, Bình Định to the south, Kon Tum province, Kon Tum to the ...
***
Rơ Măm (2009 population: 436):
Kon Tum Province
**''Central Bahnaric''
***
Ba Na (2009 population: 227,716):
Gia Lai Province
Gia Lai is a northern mountainous Provinces of Vietnam, province in the Central Highlands (Vietnam), Central Highlands region, the Central Vietnam, Central of Vietnam. It borders Kon Tum province, Kon Tum in the north, Quảng Ngãi province, Qu ...
and
Kon Tum Province
***
Giẻ Triêng (2009 population: 50,962):
Kon Tum Province and
Quảng Nam Province
**''South Bahnaric''
***
Chơ Ro (2009 population: 26,855):
Đồng Nai Province
***
Cờ Ho (2009 population: 166,112):
Lâm Đồng Province
***
Mạ (2009 population: 41,405):
Lâm Đồng Province
***
X’Tiêng (2009 population: 85,436):
Bình Phước Province
***
Mnông (2009 population: 102,741):
Đắk Lắk Province and
Đắk Nông Province
*''
Chamic speakers''
**
Chăm (2009 population: 161,729):
Ninh Thuận Province and
Bình Thuận Province
**
Chu Ru (2009 population: 19,314):
Lâm Đồng Province
**
Ê Đê (2009 population: 331,194):
Đắk Lắk Province
**
Gia Rai (2009 population: 411,275):
Gia Lai Province
Gia Lai is a northern mountainous Provinces of Vietnam, province in the Central Highlands (Vietnam), Central Highlands region, the Central Vietnam, Central of Vietnam. It borders Kon Tum province, Kon Tum in the north, Quảng Ngãi province, Qu ...
**
Ra Glai (2009 population: 122,245):
Ninh Thuận Province and
Khánh Hòa Province
Listed by
province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
, from north to south as well as west to east:
*
Quảng Trị Province:
Bru (''
Katuic''),
Tà Ôi (''
Katuic'')
*
Thừa Thiên-Huế Province:
Tà Ôi (''
Katuic'')
*
Quảng Nam Province:
Cơ Tu (''
Katuic''),
Xơ Đăng (''North
Bahnaric''),
Giẻ Triêng (''Central
Bahnaric'')
*
Quảng Ngãi Province
Quảng Ngãi is a northern coastal Provinces of Vietnam, province in the South Central Coast region, the Central Vietnam, Central of Vietnam. It borders Quảng Nam to the north, Bình Định to the south, Kon Tum province, Kon Tum to the ...
:
Hrê (''North
Bahnaric''),
Co (''East
Bahnaric'')
*
Kon Tum Province:
Giẻ Triêng (''Central
Bahnaric''),
Ba Na (''Central
Bahnaric''),
Xơ Đăng (''North
Bahnaric''),
Rơ Măm (''North
Bahnaric''),
Brâu (''West
Bahnaric'')
*
Gia Lai Province
Gia Lai is a northern mountainous Provinces of Vietnam, province in the Central Highlands (Vietnam), Central Highlands region, the Central Vietnam, Central of Vietnam. It borders Kon Tum province, Kon Tum in the north, Quảng Ngãi province, Qu ...
:
Gia Rai (''
Chamic''),
Ba Na (''Central
Bahnaric'')
*
Đắk Lắk Province:
Ê Đê (''
Chamic''),
Mnông (''South
Bahnaric'')
*
Khánh Hòa Province:
Ra Glai (''
Chamic'')
*
Đắk Nông Province:
Mnông (''South
Bahnaric'')
*
Lâm Đồng Province:
Chu Ru (''
Chamic''),
Mạ (''South
Bahnaric''),
Cờ Ho (''South
Bahnaric'')
*
Ninh Thuận Province:
Ra Glai (''
Chamic''),
Chăm (''
Chamic'')
*
Bình Phước Province:
X’Tiêng (''South
Bahnaric'')
*
Đồng Nai Province:
Chơ Ro (South ''
Bahnaric'')
*
Bình Thuận Province:
Chăm (''
Chamic'')
Culture
Bahnar is the second ethnic group, after the Kinh people, to have their language written based on
Latin script
The Latin script, also known as the Roman script, is a writing system based on the letters of the classical Latin alphabet, derived from a form of the Greek alphabet which was in use in the ancient Greek city of Cumae in Magna Graecia. The Gree ...
by French missionaries in 1861. The Ede people, then, had their writing system in 1923. The first known
epic poetry
In poetry, an epic is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. With regard t ...
Dam San was compiled and published in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, under the name Le Chanson de DamSan. The bilingual Ede-French edition was then released in 1933 by the
French School of the Far East
The French School of the Far East (, ; also translated as The French School of Asian StudiesPreferred translation by EFEO staff. SeEFEO official website), abbreviated EFEO, is an associated college of PSL University dedicated to the study of ...
's magazine in
Hanoi
Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...
. In February 1949, a priceless prehistoric lithophone named Ndut Lieng Krak was discovered in
Dak Lak, which is now kept at the Museum of Mankind, Paris. The
space of gong culture in the Central Highlands of Vietnam was recognized by
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on January 15, 2005.
Economy, natural resources, society, and environment
In comparison with other regions in Vietnam, the Central Highlands has to encounter great difficulties in socio-economic conditions such as the skilled labor shortage, poor infrastructure, possibilities of ethnic-group conflict in a small area and a low standard of living. This area, however, has many advantages in natural resources. The region is home to nearly 2 million
hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...
s of fertile basalt, making up for 60% of the national
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
soil, which is very suitable for industrial crops such as
coffee
Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...
, cocoa, pepper,
mulberry
''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of 19 species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 subordinat ...
, and
tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...
. Coffee is the most important industrial commodity of the Central Highlands. The current coffee area here is over 290 thousand hectares, accounting for 4/5 of the country's coffee area.
Dak Lak is the province with the widest coffee area (170 thousand hectares) and
Buon Ma Thuot coffee is famous for its high quality. The Central Highlands is also the second-largest
rubber tree region after the
Southeast
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, ...
, mainly in
Gia Lai and
Dak Lak. The Central Highlands is the most enormous
mulberry
''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of 19 species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 subordinat ...
and silkworm area in our country as well, the most in
Bao Loc Lam Dong. This place has a consortium of the largest silk incubators exported in Vietnam.
Unequal land and resource allocation also spark many disputes. Previously, the government aimed to exploit the Central Highlands of Vietnam by establishing a system of state-owned agriculture and forestry farms (before 1993, there were major agricultural-forestry-industry Union Enterprises, which switched to central or provincial agriculture and forestry farms after the same year). In reality, these economic organizations control most of the Central Highlands’ land. In
Dak Lak province, by 1985, three agricultural-forestry-industry Union Enterprises managed 1,058,000 hectares, which accounted for half of the province's area, plus 1,600,000 hectares of state-owned
rubber tree growing area. In total, the state runs 90% of
Dak Lak’s area, and 60% of
Gia Lai’s. Overall, by 1985, 70% of the Central Highlands’ surface area was under the state's management. After 1993, although there was a shift in management mechanism, this number only decreased by 26%.
Forest resources and forestry land areas in Tay Nguyen are facing the risk of serious attenuation due to different reasons, such as small unowned area of deep forest is being trespassed by newly arrived migrants for residential and production purposes (which rapidly increases the agricultural land in the whole region), as well as deforestation and illegal exploitation of forest products. Due to the attenuation of forest resources, the output of logging has constantly been decreasing, from 600 to 700 thousand square meters in the late 1980s - early 1990s to about 200-300 thousand square meters per year at the moment. Currently, local authorities are experimenting with allocating, leasing forestry land to organizations, households and individuals for stable usage and forest allocation, and contracting to forests protection for households and communities in the villages.
With the geographical advantages of highland and numerous waterfalls,
hydropower
Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, ...
resources of the area are large and are used effectively. Two hydroelectric power stations built in this region before are
Da Nhim (160.00 kW) on
Da Nhim River (source of
Dong Nai River) and Dray H’inh (120.000 kW) on
Serepok River. Moreover, the Yaly Hydropower Project has been in operation since 2000; other projects such as Bon Ron-Dai Ninh and Play Krong have been expected to build recently. Tay Nguyen (the central highland of Vietnam) does not abound in mineral resources but is abundant in
bauxite
Bauxite () is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)), and diaspore (α-AlO(OH) ...
reserves measuring at billions of tons.
According to old
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
documents, the Central Highlands holds about 8 billion
ton
Ton is any of several units of measure of mass, volume or force. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses.
As a unit of mass, ''ton'' can mean:
* the '' long ton'', which is
* the ''tonne'', also called the ''metric ...
s of
bauxite
Bauxite () is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)), and diaspore (α-AlO(OH) ...
reserve. On November 1, 2007, the
Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
signed Decision no.167 to approve the zoning plan for exploration, mining, processing and using of
bauxite
Bauxite () is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)), and diaspore (α-AlO(OH) ...
ore in the 2007–2015, orientation to 2025. Vietnam National Coal - Mineral Industries Group is currently exploring and investing in some
bauxite exploring, alumina mining projects in the Central Highlands. However, this implementation has generated fierce opposition from scientists and local people due to the environmental destruction and the negative impacts on social culture, especially the indigenous culture of the Central Highlands.
Tourist attractions
Đắk Lắk
With an average elevation of 400 - 800m above sea level,
Dak Lak Province is located in the Dak Lak Plateau, which is one of the three largest plateaus in the Central Highlands.
Dak Lak borders
Gia Lai to the north and north-east,
Lam Dong to the south,
Cambodia
Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
to the west,
Phu Yen
Phu may refer to:
Places
*PHU (Polish-Hungarian Union), personal union between Poland and Hungary in 14th century.
People Given name
* Phu Dorjee (died 1987), first Indian to climb Mount Everest without oxygen
* Phu Dorjee Sherpa (died 1969), fi ...
and
Khanh Hoa to the east.
Dak Lak is home to many majestic waterfalls and lakes such as Thuy Tien Waterfall, Lak Lake, Buon Triet Lake, Ea Kao Lake.
There are primeval forests,
Yok Don National Park and Ea Kao Ecological Park.
Don village is well known for elephant hunting and taming, historical relics such as
Cham ''tơers'' in the 13th century,
Bao Dai Palace and Buon Ma Thuot Prison.
Ðắk Nông
Dak Nong Province is located in the southwest of
Central Vietnam, at the end of the
Truong Son Range and lies on a large plateau with an elevation of 500 meters above sea level.
Dak Nong is renowned for the majestic landscape of waterfalls, nighttime campfires with the sound of gongs and the local-favored stem wine.
The Srepok river with its tributaries form numerous stunning cascades, which can be mild at some points, and real havoc at another. Even more noticeable are Gia Long waterfall with the shape of a wildly sleeping mountain girl and Dray Nur waterfall, which resembles a Great wall of nature. Besides, there are also falls of Dieu Thanh, Three Layers and Dray Sap, also known as Smoke waterfall since it is obscured by layers of water mist all year round.
Gia Lai
Gia Lai is a province in the mountainous region located in the north of The Central Highlands with an elevation of 600-800m.
Gia Lai borders
Kon Tum in the north,
Dak Lak in the south,
Cambodia
Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
in the west, and
Quang Ngai,
Binh Dinh,
Phu Yen
Phu may refer to:
Places
*PHU (Polish-Hungarian Union), personal union between Poland and Hungary in 14th century.
People Given name
* Phu Dorjee (died 1987), first Indian to climb Mount Everest without oxygen
* Phu Dorjee Sherpa (died 1969), fi ...
in the east.
This region possesses a long history and an ancient culture. This culture's identity is intricately involved with ethnic minorities, primarily Gia Rai and Ba Na. Their specificities are exhibited through communal houses, stilt houses, funeral houses, traditional festivals, costumes and musical instruments.
Gia lai is home to numerous lakes, streams, waterfalls, mountain passes, and primeval forests where natural scenes hold the stunning wilderness of The Central Highlands such as Kon Ka Kinh and Kon Cha Rang tropical forests.
Coming to Gia Lai, Xung Khoeng waterfall (Chu Prong district) and Phu Cuong waterfall (Chu Se district) are indispensable destinations. There are many mesmerizing streams such as White Rock Creek, Dream Spring. Moreover, other landscapes are not as beautiful as Mong ferry on Pa river,
Pleiku Lake on an immense and tranquil mountain, Ham Rong Mountain with a height of 1.092m whose ridge is an inactive crater.
Kon Tum
Kon Tum is a province to the north of Gia Lai - Kon Tum plateau, which is one of the three biggest ones in Tay Nguyen.
Kom Tum City is built on
Đắk Bla riverside, a branch of Pơ Ko river. It is also a former French Administrative Center. French missionaries arrived here in 1851.
There are Ngoc Linh Mountain, Chu Mon Ray, Sa Thay primitive forest, Đắk Tre tourism area, and Đắk Tô hot springs. There are more than 20 ethnic groups, the most populated of whom are Ba Na, Xo Dang, Gie Triêng, Gia Rai, B Rau, Ro Min, etc.
Most of the ethnic minorities live by shifting cultivation and hunting. There is a diverse and colorful culture in the community of ethnic groups in Tay Nguyen.
Transport
The region is served by 3 airports:
*
Lien Khuong International Airport (serving
Lâm Đồng)
*
Buon Ma Thuot Airport (serving
Đắk Lắk and
Đăk Nông)
*
Pleiku Airport (for
Gia Lai and
Kon Tum)
Agriculture
Tây Nguyên contains in it many primitive forests and is protected in its
national park
A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...
s, such as
Cát Tiên National Park,
Yok Đôn National Park,
Kon Ka Kinh National Park. The region has an average altitude of 500–600 m with
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
soil, suitable for planting
coffee tree,
cacao,
pepper, and
white mulberry.
Cashew
Cashew is the common name of a tropical evergreen tree ''Anacardium occidentale'', in the family Anacardiaceae. It is native to South America and is the source of the cashew nut and the cashew apple, an accessory fruit. The tree can grow as t ...
and
rubber plants are also planted here. Coffee is the most important product of Tây Nguyên, with production centred in Đắk Lắk Province. The provincial capital of Buôn Ma Thuột hosts a number of major coffee factories, including ones owned by major producer
Trung Nguyên. Tây Nguyên is also the third natural
bauxite
Bauxite () is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)), and diaspore (α-AlO(OH) ...
source in the world. Plans for bauxite mining in the area have met with some controversy, both because of the environmental impact of the proposed operations and because of labour issues.
Flora and fauna
Tây Nguyên is home to the most prominent and also the most endangered species in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, namely, the
Indochinese tiger
The Indochinese tiger is a population of the '' Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies that is native to Southeast Asia. This population occurs in Myanmar and Thailand. In 2011, the population was thought to comprise 342 individuals, including 85 in ...
, the
gaur
The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ) is a large bovine native to the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable species, Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 ...
, the
Wild Asian Water Buffalo
The wild water buffalo (''Bubalus arnee''), also called Asian buffalo, Asiatic buffalo and wild buffalo, is a large bovine native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It has been listed as ''Endangered'' in the IUCN Red List since 19 ...
, the
banteng
The banteng (''Bos javanicus''; ), also known as tembadau, is a species of wild Bovinae, bovine found in Southeast Asia.
The head-and-body length is between . Wild banteng are typically larger and heavier than their Bali cattle, domesticated ...
, and the
Asian elephant
The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living ''Elephas'' species. It is the largest living land animal in Asia and the second largest living Elephantidae, elephantid in the world. It is char ...
.
In 2012, at least three Vietnamese soldiers were arrested and imprisoned for their online pictures showing them torturing and killing
Gray-shanked douc Langurs
The Colobinae or leaf-eating monkeys are a family (biology), subfamily of the Old World monkey family that includes 61 species in 11 genus, genera, including the black-and-white colobus, the large-nosed proboscis monkey, and the gray langurs. So ...
.
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Regions of Vietnam
Geography of Vietnam
Highlands