Kon Tum Museum, Kon Tum Province, Vietnam

4blackeaglejim 5:00 PM May 1, 2018

a portrait of the past in the Central Highlands
Unlike the northern mountains of Vietnam, traditional culture has all but vanished from the Central Highlands and most ethnic minority villages are quite modernized and often Christian. However, for insights into what used to prevail in the area, a visit to the fine Kon Tum Museum is a must. The exhibits cover every aspect of traditional life, from models of domestic chores like making clothing, preparing food, using tools, baskets and implements, to religious rites, including the carving of grave figures and playing gongs. To augment the museum tour, go to the Bahnar village in the southeastern part of the city suburbs, at the end of Bắc Kạn Road, where vestiges of the traditional way of life remain, Only a few families live in stilted houses and folks do not dress in traditional garments, but the village has a nhà rông (communal house), made of wood, on stilts and with a very tall, steep, thatched roof. It’s still in use for weddings, festivals and meetings. The nhà rông is a symbol of Central Highlands culture, even though their traditional use is fast disappearing. Nowadays they are erected mainly as symbols of the past, outside any village environment, and a fine example of one is next to the suspension bridge at the end of Bắc Kạn Road.

3AGeo1 5:00 PM Jan 12, 2017

Good display about ethnic minorities in the region
This is a fairly small museum but it has a very informative display focussed on the local ethnic minorities (costumes, some traditional occupations etc) with information in both English and Vietnamese. The quality of the English used was very high (not always the case with museums in Vietnam). The rest of the museum displays focused on animals that used to be found in the area, minerals and topography. These displays didn't have English language information but were pretty self explanatory. Worth going to if you have a spare 1/2 hour while in Kon Tum.