Hi Hive community, how are you today ? I still work regularly 8 hours a day, but I still don't forget to be here to share with everyone about my trips and lands in Vietnam. These shares also nurture my passion for travel and also let my friends know more about the beauty of Vietnam. Today I continue to share with everyone about a land in the Central Highlands. This place has a very special geographical position because it is a border landmark between 3 Indochinese countries, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. At this point, many people probably know that the place I mentioned is Kon Tum. Kon Tum is a mountainous province located to the west of Vietnam, where it borders Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, and Gia Lai. To get to Kon Tum you can only go by road. To get to Kontum, if you start from Quang Ngai you have to pass Violac pass, and if you start from Quang Nam you have to go through Lo Xo pass. These two passes are very dangerous, so if you come here, you should go by bus. I am a motorcycle enthusiast, so of course, I came here by motorbike through the Lo xo pass. If I have the opportunity, I will share with everyone about these 2 passes. I had the opportunity to stay in Kon Tum for a long time, the first thing I felt was that the atmosphere here was very cool. In the early morning or late afternoon, the weather is very pleasant. Kon Tum city is the only city in Kon Tum province, almost all tourist attractions are near the city. Attractions located near Kontum city such as wooden church, Kon Klor suspension bridge, Kon Klor communal house... These are famous places in Kon Tum that everyone who comes here must visit once. I came to Kon Tum on the occasion of the complicated Covid 19 situation, so I couldn't visit the wooden church, you can learn more about this place through the following link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nh%C3%A0_th%E1%BB%9D_ch%C3%ADnh_t%C3%B2a_Kon_Tum
Fortunately, I was able to visit Kon Klor suspension bridge and Kon Klor communal house. Kon Klor suspension bridge was built in the early 90s of the 19th century, the bridge was caught across the Dak Bla river connecting Kon Tum city and Dak Ro Wa commune. The entire bridge is quite prominent with the red color, under the sunset sunlight reflected from the Dak Bla river, creating a special highlight of Kon Tum. It can be said that the Kon Klor suspension bridge is a feature when it comes to Kon Tum. It is mentioned in almost every article, blog, or TV show when introducing Kon Tum. Near the top of Kon Klor bridge towards Kon Tum city is the Kon Klor communal house. The communal house is the place of community activities of the people, the place to organize large festivals or meetings of the people. The communal house has a very unique architecture, built mainly of wood, bamboo and thatched with dry grass. The floor is made high away from the ground, this is the common architecture of the ethnic groups in the Central Highlands to avoid wild animals. Nowadays, many communal houses are built with modern concrete but still retain the characteristics of the old communal houses.
Another impressive point in Kon Tum is that the bougainvillea here blooms beautifully. Because of the dry climate, it is very suitable for bougainvillea to grow.
More than 60km from Kon Tum city is Mang Den place. This place is considered as the second Da Lat of Vietnam, the air is very cool and fresh, very suitable for traveling and relaxing. Compared to Da Lat, however, Mang Den is not as developed as Da Lat, so tourism here has not been exploited much, so it is still attractive if you are a person who loves to explore. The first impression when coming to Mang Den is the road to Mang Den. Both sides of the road are straight pine forests, and there are many flowers on the side of the road. Visitors coming here must stop to check in on this road. The road here stretches, shaded by pine forests on both sides, so it is very beautiful. The road is now very empty of traffic, so it is easy to get good photos. However, it is not recommended that people take pictures on the road that may have an accident. The photos I took here at noon so there was little traffic and were carefully reviewed before taking.
In Mang Den, there is a famous tourist area called Pa Sy waterfall. This is a quite famous eco-tourism area with the highlight of Pa Sy waterfall. It offers a full range of accommodation, dining, and sightseeing services. Here you can immerse yourself in nature with the space between the mountains and forests, visit flower gardens, bathe in streams, enjoy the unique delicacies of Kon Tum. In the tourist area, there are large and colorful flower gardens, so the girls who come here are spoiled for beautiful photos. This place is suitable for a group of friends or family to come here on weekends. If you have the opportunity to visit Mang Den, you should choose Pa Sy waterfall tourist area as a destination in your itinerary.
The second place I have the opportunity to visit when coming to Mang Den is Khanh Lam Pagoda. Khanh Lam Pagoda is also quite close to Pa Sy waterfall tourist area, so it is very convenient for you to visit. The pagoda was built on a hill more than 1000 m high, surrounded by perennial forests. Because the pagoda is quite high, to get to the temple you have to go through hundreds of steps interspersed with old trees. Because it is covered by large trees, the atmosphere at the temple is very quiet, you can only hear the wind, birdsong, and chanting. This place is very suitable for you if you want to find a place to calm your soul, get rid of worries and worries.
In addition to famous tourist spots, cool and fresh air, the food in Kon Tum is equally famous. Grilled chicken is wild pepper served with lam rice is one of those special dishes. Chicken is raised naturally in the garden, so the chicken is very tough, soft, and fragrant, not friable. When grilled, wild pepper leaves are stuffed inside, making the chicken dish an irresistible aroma. Chicken is served with lam rice - this is sticky rice cooked in a bamboo tube, so it is very flexible, fragrant with the smell of glutinous rice and the smell of fresh bamboo, dipped with bean salt, so it is very delicious. A portion of grilled chicken served with lam rice costs from 200,000 VND to 300,000 VND, so it is suitable for 2 to 4 people to eat. You can find many shops selling this dish in any tourist spot of Kon Tum. The second delicious dish that I had the opportunity to enjoy was the leaf salad. This name also clearly shows that the main ingredient of this dish is leaves. There are more than 30 types of leaves used for this dish, from everyday herbs such as cinnamon, coriander, perilla... to wild vegetables such as mango leaves, brocade leaves, figs ... All All kinds of leaves are arranged on a tray around which are toppings such as boiled meat, shrimp, pork skin, peanuts.. accompanied by a special dipping sauce. This dipping sauce is not simply fish sauce mixed with garlic and chili, but it is made from fermented glutinous rice, then mixed with dried shrimp, bacon, batches, and many other spices. From simple ingredients, Kon Tum leaf salad is delicious, if you eat it once, you will want to enjoy it a second time.
In addition to the above tourist attractions, Mang Den as well as Kon Tum also have many other famous tourist attractions such as Bac Ai Pagoda, Chu Rom May National Park, Kon Tum Bishop's Palace, Dak Ke Lake... Kon Tum, There are also many famous dishes such as salted beef and yellow ants, red vermicelli, roasted pork, wine sim ... It's difficult to once come to Kon Tum but experience all the beautiful scenes and cuisine here. So if you have the chance to come to Kon Tum, please experience all the beautiful scenes and delicious dishes here to share with all your friends. Hope my article will be the motivation for you to come to Kontum. Wishing everyone a lot of fun in the Hive community. Hope everyone will always follow and support me.