Daklak - The roof of the western highlands

DAKLAK PROVINCE

Caption:         Buon Ma Thuot City

Ethnic group:            Viet (Kinh), Ede, Nung, M’Nong, Tay

Highlight:       BuonDon Vilage, Lak Lake, Yorkdon national ParkTOURIST ATTRACTIONS

Khai Doan Pagoda

The pagoda was built in 1951-1953 on a large area at 89A Phan Boi Chau Road, Thong Nhat Ward, Buon Ma Thuot City. This is a pagoda of the Viet residents in Dak Lak Province. Architecturally, the pagoda consists of three parallel buildings: a three-entrance two-storey gate (7m high, 10.5m wide), a main sanctuary, and a patriarch-worshipping house. The Palace of Avalokitesvara is built separately; its columns are decorated with dragons and clouds.

The main sanctuary, where Sakyamuni is worshipped, has two parts: the front looks like the long house of the ethnic minorities in Central Highlands, but the columns and beams are in the Viet style. The rear is very modern. In the pagoda, there is a 380-kg bell bronze cast in 1954.

Buon Ma Thuot Penitentiary

Nowadays in this excelling BuonMaThuot City many young people are probably surprised when they are told that over 50 yeas ago. The City was thinly populated surrounded by great wild jungle and considered as unwholesome jungle, malarain water, few people in plains wanted to set their steps on this place . At that time, there was a Penitentiary (special jail for political prisoner) where had many cruel measures applied by French colonialist. If you want to learn about the area. the people here , you can not help visiting this historic vestige classified by the Government. At this Penitentiary, you are told stories about glorious revolulionary tradition of former communist.

BuonMaThuot Penitentiary is not only a crime evidence of French colonialism but also a significant training school of many persistent revolutions of Vietnam such as: Ho Tung Mau, Phan Dang Luu, Nguyen Chi Thanh, To Huu… and a lot of talent revolutionists all the country.
BuonMaThuot Penitentiary played a great important role in the August revolution in Daklak. The communists who were put into this Penitentiary became men of sowing revolulionary seeds on the highlands .

BuonMaThuot Penitentiary for Vietnamese patriots was widened and built more concretely from 1900 to 1930 on the base of a prison.
Presently coming to BuonMaThuot Penitentiary, you will wellness such cruel evidences of French colonialist. Thereby, you will think of the penitentiary under the former cruel and hard regime as a hell of French colonialist. When the time passes by, those evidences still impress deeply in everybody ’s mind . During your visitation, you will surely grieve. thrill because of observing many bilboes as well as more admire manly revolutionists who were not afraid of sacrifice, resolvedly defeated their enemy and contributed to disenthralling of our nation.

Buon Don

Don Village lies in Krong Ana Commune, Buon Don District, 42km from Buon Ma Thuot City. It wins kudos not only for its magnificent landscapes, its customs bearing the deep imprints of the Central Highlands, but also for its tradition of hunting and taming elephants.

Nobody knows when the art of elephant-hunting and taming began in Don Village, and how many elephants have been tamed so far. It is said that long ago, there was a powerful leader. He reigned over a large area of land, and brought its fame to as far as Myanmar, India, and France through commercial and cultural exchanges. Talented elephant hunters and tamers in Don Village are called Kru (king of elephant hunting). They pass down their skills to their children only. It takes six, seven months, or even up to a year to tame a wild elephant.

Don Village is proud of its natural forest eco-environment, the violent Serepok River, and many attractive tourist sites. Here, tourists have chances to ride elephants to explore and conquer nature. Fascinating extras include crossbow shooting, fish roasting, can alcohol drinking, sleeping in stilt house, suspension bridge crossing, and much more. Visiting Don Village in spring (on March), tourists can take part in the Elephant Racing Festival. The beautiful landscape and the rustic life of Don Village make visitors feel it worth their journey to the Central Highlands.

Maijo tourist attractions in Don village:

Tomb of king of elephant hunter

The real name of the king of elephant hunters is N'Thu Knul, a tribal chief. He is also worshipped as founder of the craft of hunting and taming elephants in Don Village. During his life, he had tamed hundreds of elephants. In 1861, he caught a white elephant and presented it to the Royal family in Thailand. The Thai King conferred on him the title of 'Khunjunob' (King of elephant hunters). A year after his death, in 1939, his nephew R'Leo Knul held the ceremony of 'grave abandoning' and had a tomb built for him in the M'Nong-Laos architectural style.
The tomb of R'Leo Knul himself lies next to his uncle's tomb. Born in 1871, he succeeded Khunjunob as tribal chief, and developed the tradition of elephant hunting and taming in Don Village. R'Leo Knul tamed a white elephant for the late emperor Bao Dai and helped him form an elephant hunting team named Bao Dai Royal. R'Leo Knul died in 1941 at the age of 70. In 1950, former Emperor Bao Dai held the ceremony of 'grave abandoning' and had a tomb built for him.

Vestiges of ancient stilt house

The ancient stilt house bearing the Laos architectural style lies at Tri Village. Its two gables jut out to the sky. The three-compartment stilt house consists of 8,726 planks of 2x12x35cm of ca chit wood, which can be easily tenoned. The house was constructed on 7 October 1883 according to the design of a Laotian carpentry artisan Kha-Vi-Vong-Sao.His assistants included 14 major workers, 10 subordinate workers, and 18 elephants.
The construction lasted one year four months and twelve days. The stilt house was completed on 9 December 1885 and priced at twelve long-tusked elephants. In 1929, the house was disassembled and moved to its present-day place, 1km away from its former location, to avoid a fire.

Fare for visiting the house costs 50,000VND.

Lak Lake
Lak Lake, located 56km from Buon Ma Thuot, is in the southern part of the province, close to National Highway 26. This great body of water, hemmed between low mountains, is home to many kinds of wading birds.
On the shore of Lak Lake, there is a magnificent palace, which was owned by the last Nguyen King, Bao Dai. Standing on the
second floor balcony, there is a panoramic view of the valley and lake below. There are also the remains of the royal boat that was used for short cruises by Bao Dai when he stayed there.
Nearby the lake is Jun village, a symbolic village of the M'Nong ethnic group. Staying overnight in Jun village, you will have an opportunity to hear and enjoy Gong music. The lake views are fantastic.

YokDon National Park
The YokDon National Park lies in Krong Na Commune, Buon Don District, 40km west of Buon Ma Thuot City. As one of the largest national parks in Viet Nam, it covers 115,545 hectares, not including 10,000 hectares of its belt zone.
YokDon National Park is proud of its bio-diversity, which attracts both tourists and scientists. Its jungles bear the characteristics of tropical forests in Southeast Asia. According to primary survey, YokDon boasts 464 species of flora, most of which are Michelia (ngoc lan). In dry seasons, it is still cool, just like the climate in Da Lat, and orchids are still in full bloom.
The most attractive thing for tourists to see in this park is its diverse kinds of forest. Nowhere else in Viet Nam preserves so many species of precious birds and animals as in YokDon National Park. This natural park is home to 62 animal species, 196 bird species, 46 reptile species, 15 fresh water fish species and thousands of insect species. Of the 56 precious animal species of Indochina, YokDon National Park preserves 38, of which 17 are listed in the World Red Book. This park is the only place in Viet Nam where great numbers of precious animals are still preserved: elephants, wild bulls, gayals, sambar deer, peacocks, water varans, and so on.
Visiting YokDon National Park, tourists can ride on elephant's back to make a sightseeing tour in the forest, or to wade across Serepok River. They can enjoy traditional specialties or drink can alcohol together with the locals while listening to village patriarch's stories about legends of this land. Coming to YokDon National Park, you will have a chance to discover fascinating things, which surely leave unforgettable impressions on your mind.

FESTIVALS

Elephant Race Festival
Around 22nd-26th March in even years
The Elephant Race Festival takes place in the spring in Buon Don or in the sparse forest surrounding the Serepok River (Dak Lak). The race track is an even ground, 1 to 2km long and wide enough for ten elephants to stand side by side.

At the horn signal, the mahouts take their elephants to the start line. When the start command is given, all the elephants rush forward to the beat of drums and gongs, accompanied by the cheers of the spectators.
Elephant races are the largest festival to take place in the Central Highlands bearing the martial spirit of the M'Nong ethnic group. M'Nong men are well known for their bravery and experience in hunting wild elephants.

Celebration for Mature Man
This celebration of the E De ethnic minority lasts for two entire days and is celebrated to mark the coming of age of E De boys. Many tribal rites are performed along with cultural activities, such as reciting popular stories.