(VOVWORLD) - Buon Ma Thuot city, the coffee capital of Vietnam, is the economic locomotive of the Central Highlands. Home to 40 ethnic minority groups, Buon Ma Thuot is a fast-growing urban center intent on retaining its vibrant ethnic culture.
Ako Dhong village in Tan Loi ward, Buon Ma Thuot city, is changing for the better. Several new long stilt houses in the traditional style of the E De people have been built recently. Villager Ama Jenni built one to commemorate the founder of Ako Dhong village. Ama Jenni says the village hope to become more popular because of the colorful culture that the locals are preserving.
“This memorial house for late village chief Ama H’Rin is part of our cultural preservation effort. It will attract more visitors, who will contribute to this effort once they see the cultural values it is preserving,” said Ama Jenni.
In the E De language ‘Ako Dhong’ means ‘upstream’. This village surrounded by forest is blessed with abundant water all year around. Ako Dhong, where three generations often live together in one long house, has been on Dak Lak province’s tourism map for some time. The local people have invested generously in tourism services. A large tourism site called Ako Ea built by H’Kjăp Niê includes a souvenir shop, a café with a stunning view, and rooms made of all-natural materials.
Nie said, “47 ethnic groups live in the Central Highlands. The cultures of some of them are relatively unknown. We want tourists who come here to feel at home, sleeping, eating, and living as the locals do.”
 Ako Dhong is the richest and most beautiful village in the Central Highlands. |
Urbanization is increasing in Buon Ma Thuot, but plenty of space is given to clean, green streets, parks, and squares. A book and coffee street, inaugurated four years ago, has become a popular spot for visitors to enjoy a cup of coffee and contemplate life, for artists to show their latest work, and for entrepreneurs to cultivate their business. Hoang Danh Huu, Director of the Miss E De Coffee Company, is an investor in this book and coffee street.
“This street took shape thanks to investment incentives the local authorities offered businesses to promote a reading culture, a coffee culture, and Central Highlands culture to a wider public,” said Huu.
 The Buon Ma Thuot book and coffee street |
According to Vu Van Hung, Chairman of the Buon Ma Thuot municipal People’s Committee, this city is a major destination on the global coffee map. The city has research institutes for agro-forestry and epidemiology, a national university, and a regional center for plant varieties.
Hung said, “The Politburo has directed that Buon Ma Thuot evolve into a green, ecological, and smart urban center, bold in cultural identity. We’re working to attract new urban development projects to Buon Ma Thuot.”