(Cinet)- Kon Tum, one of five provinces in the Central Highlands, is the focal area of economic exchanges of the Central Coast region and the country. It has many tangible and intangible cultural heritages in great values and a lot of famous scenic spots. Many of them were recognized internationally.
Kon Tum borders Quang Nam in the North, Gia Lai in the South, Quang Ngai in the East, Laos and Campuchia in the West. The province covers an area of 9.676,5 square kilometres, and its population was 432.865 peoples (according to statistic in 2009).
Cultural Heritage
The system of tangible and intangible cultural heritages in Kon Tum is very rich and unique in the following forms: archaeology, customary law, residencial culture, the rong house - the long house, food culture; oral and written language, carving arts, patterns, weaving brocake, knitting...
In particular, the Space of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands was recognized by UNESCO as Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Nowadays, Kon Tum has five historical monuments and landscapes ranked nationally: Kon Tum Jail; Dak Glei Jail; the victory Statue of Dak To - Tan Canh; the historical place of Plei Kan, Mang Denk landscape, 8 historical and cultural heritages rated at provincial level.
Some religious buildings are rather unique like wooden church, Catholic Seminary Kon Tum, Vo Lam Communal House, Luong Khe Communal House, Trung Luong Communal House..., promoting the value of the lives of the people here.
Kon Tum is also known as the cradle for the first type of Rong House, a symbol of culture in the Central Highlands to express human creativity in the natural ecological environment, build the characteristics of forest culture, community and natural cohesion. The treasure of epics in Central Highlands is one of unique cultural values.
Performing Arts
Kon Tum has many unique types of performances: gong culture and traditional instruments, folk arts, carved wood sculptures.
In terms of folk arts, folk songs have many typical kinds including: recitative, rhythm especially dual love songs, repartee singing, lullaby...
In Kon Tum, ethnic musical instruments are made from the material types such as bamboo, wood, gourd shell, horn, animal skin...but they are extremely rich, diverse and unique.
There are many different types of instruments, basically belonging to the sets:
Percussion: gong (made by copper), T’rung, drums (materials of bamboo, wood, leather)
Legni: KlongPut, DinhTuk, Dinh Pu, flutes and Pan-pipe (bamboo) and horns, leaf-horn.
String: Ting Ning, Goong (shells of gourds), M'bin (wood), etc. Destination
Kon Tum has many natural landscapes such as Ya Ly Lake, Mang Den pine forest, Dak Nung waterfalls, Dak To hot springs and special-use forests, natural conservation areas...They are likely to shape landscapes and health resorts. 
The ecological landscape can be combined with the historical revolutionary sites, the villages of indigenous cultural traditions to form the route of eco-tourism.
The system of traditional villages and festivals and special culinary values makes a difference to travelers to Kon Tum.