# Kon Tum

Kon Tum is the capital city of Kon Tum Province in Vietnam. It is located inland in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam, near the borders of Laos and Cambodia.
Historically, this area has been inhabited by the indigenous Ba Na people, which led to the name Kon Tum, meaning "Village by the Lake" in the Ba Na language. Its unique location features flat and fertile land, enriched by the Dak Bla River, and a convergence of various ethnic groups over time. Among these, the Kinh people, hailing from provinces such as Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, and Binh Dinh, have settled here. In the years 1841-1850, French missionaries, en route to the Central Highlands, established the first Christian mission in this region. By 1893, the colonial French authorities established the Kon Tum administrative agency, headed by Father Vialleton, and from that point, the name Kon Tum became officially used. Subsequently, the provincial administrative unit adopted this name. Kon Tum City, once a sparsely populated and desolate area, has evolved into a hub for settlement, commerce, and governance throughout the province's rich history. Currently, Kon Tum City holds the status of City (Class-2).

## Geography

Kon Tum City is situated in the southern part of Kon Tum Province, within a basin landscape at an elevation of approximately 525 meters above sea level. It is encircled by the Dak Bla River valley. The city is located 547 kilometers north of Ho Chi Minh City, 292 kilometers south of Da Nang, and 1,087 kilometers south of the capital Hanoi. Additionally, it is 50 kilometers from Pleiku and 229 kilometers from Buon Ma Thuot. Kon Tum City shares its geographical boundaries as follows:
* To the east, it borders Kon Ray District.
* To the west, it borders Sa Thay District.
* To the south, it shares borders with Chu Pah District in Gia Lai Province.
* To the north, it borders Dak Ha District.
The city covers an area of 433 square kilometers and had a population of 205,762 people in the year 2021, with a population density of 475 people per square kilometer.
In 2019, Kon Tum City had a land area of 432.98 square kilometers and a population of 168,264 people. Among these, 102,051 residents lived in urban areas, constituting 61% of the population, while 66,213 people resided in rural areas, making up the remaining 39%. The population density in the city was approximately 389 people per square kilometer.
Kon Tum City is home to 20 different ethnic groups living together.

## Chu Hreng Mountain

Chu Hreng mountain range is located in the south of Kon Tum city with a total length of about 11km, the mountain direction runs in the Northwest - Southeast direction, starting from Kon K'Tu Village, Dak Ro Wa commune and ending. Ending at Sao Mai Pass, Hoa Binh commune, Kon Tum city, adjacent to Chu Pao mountain range in Ia Khui commune, Chu Pah district, Gia Lai province. Mostly along the top of the mountain range is the administrative boundary between Gia Lai and Kon Tum provinces. Chu Hreng Mountain has the highest point equivalent to 1,152m above sea level.

## History

After the People's Army of Vietnam invaded South Vietnam on March 30, 1972 during the Easter Offensive, two divisions attempted to capture Kon Tum, but failed. In March 1975, however, Kon Tum was overrun during the Ho Chi Minh Campaign and large numbers of refugees were forced to flee east to the south central coast.
Kon Tum has several vestiges of the French colonial period, as well as several tribal villages directly in the suburbs of the Vietnamese-reconstructed town. Among the town's landmarks, there is a Roman Catholic wooden church on discrete stilts and a large French-built seminary which hosts a small museum on local hill tribes. French missionary presence in Kon Tum traces back to 1851.

## Climate

Kon Tum has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) with a wet season from April to November, a dry season from November to April, and consistently very warm-to-hot temperatures with high-to-oppressive humidity year-round.
Climate data for Kon Tum, elevation 536 m (1,759 ft) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 35.5 (95.9) | 38.2 (100.8) | 39.8 (103.6) | 39.5 (103.1) | 39.5 (103.1) | 35.6 (96.1) | 34.2 (93.6) | 34.0 (93.2) | 34.5 (94.1) | 35.0 (95.0) | 33.7 (92.7) | 35.1 (95.2) | 39.8 (103.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 28.0 (82.4) | 30.3 (86.5) | 32.4 (90.3) | 33.2 (91.8) | 31.7 (89.1) | 29.8 (85.6) | 29.1 (84.4) | 28.9 (84.0) | 29.1 (84.4) | 29.1 (84.4) | 28.1 (82.6) | 27.0 (80.6) | 29.7 (85.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 21.1 (70.0) | 22.8 (73.0) | 24.8 (76.6) | 25.9 (78.6) | 25.7 (78.3) | 25.0 (77.0) | 24.5 (76.1) | 24.2 (75.6) | 24.0 (75.2) | 23.6 (74.5) | 22.6 (72.7) | 21.1 (70.0) | 23.8 (74.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 15.6 (60.1) | 16.9 (62.4) | 19.3 (66.7) | 21.3 (70.3) | 22.1 (71.8) | 22.2 (72.0) | 21.9 (71.4) | 21.8 (71.2) | 21.4 (70.5) | 20.1 (68.2) | 18.5 (65.3) | 16.5 (61.7) | 19.8 (67.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 4.9 (40.8) | 5.9 (42.6) | 8.5 (47.3) | 13.3 (55.9) | 15.9 (60.6) | 13.9 (57.0) | 16.9 (62.4) | 17.8 (64.0) | 16.3 (61.3) | 11.9 (53.4) | 8.9 (48.0) | 5.9 (42.6) | 4.9 (40.8) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 1.0 (0.04) | 7.0 (0.28) | 39.6 (1.56) | 97.3 (3.83) | 237.2 (9.34) | 257.0 (10.12) | 314.1 (12.37) | 336.1 (13.23) | 313.1 (12.33) | 180.3 (7.10) | 58.0 (2.28) | 8.0 (0.31) | 1,854.7 (73.02) |
| Average rainy days | 0.5 | 1.1 | 4.7 | 9.4 | 18.2 | 21.2 | 24.2 | 25.6 | 22.3 | 13.8 | 6.1 | 1.5 | 148.3 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 70.8 | 68.3 | 68.2 | 71.7 | 78.7 | 83.6 | 85.1 | 86.5 | 85.7 | 81.2 | 76.7 | 73.3 | 77.2 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 269.3 | 253.6 | 264.8 | 235.6 | 203.6 | 152.6 | 138.6 | 127.4 | 125.9 | 181.5 | 208.1 | 241.7 | 2,569.6 |
| Source 1: Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology ||||||||||||||
| Source 2: The Yearbook of Indochina (1932-1933) ||||||||||||||