Buôn Ma Thuột, Đắk Lắk Province, Central Highlands, Vietnam

🇻🇳 Buôn Ma Thuột or sometimes Buôn Mê Thuột or Ban Mê Thuột, is the capital city of Đắk Lắk Province in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.

The city is the largest in Vietnam's Central Highlands region, and is famous as the regional "capital of coffee".

Buôn Ma Thuột is served by Buôn Ma Thuột Airport.

Geography The city is located right at the heart of the Central Highlands of Vietnam, 1300 km from Hanoi, 500 km from Da Nang, and 350 km from Ho Chi Minh City. Lying on a fairly flat highland, at an average height of 536 m (1,759 ft) above sea level, Buôn Ma Thuột has a vital role in Vietnam's national security and defense system. Buôn Ma Thuột is the capital of Đắk Lắk Province and also the biggest city in the Central Highlands region (Tây Nguyên).

History In 1904 Đắk Lắk Province was established by the French and Buôn Ma Thuột was selected as the provincial administrative centre, rather than the trading centre of Đôn on the Srepok River. Buôn Ma Thuột was originally settled by the Ê Đê, but due to the incoming Việt settlement after the Vietnam War and the active acculturation policy, less than 15% (around 40,000) are still Montagnards. An important battle took place there at the end of the Vietnam war.

Institutions Buôn Ma Thuột is the site of Tây Nguyên University, which was founded in 1977 and has educated more than 27,000 students. The TNU offers training in 37 university programs, 8 college programs, and 6 college-university interlinking programs and pre-university programs.

Economy Coffee, fruit, and rubber play an important part in its economy. Recently, there have been efforts to harness the province's considerable potential for hydroelectric generation. The Jun people take advantage of the small tourist trade that passes through, giving elephant rides through the village and across the lake.