Kon Tum
Quite possibly the friendliest city in Vietnam, when people stop you on the street in Kon Tum to ask where you’re from, it’s because they’re actually interested. In the Bahnar villages, discreetly hidden behind trim rows of Vietnamese houses on the town’s outskirts, the kids love to pose for giggly photos and the adults may even invite you into their homes for a chat.

So far Kon Tum remains largely unspoiled and the authorities remain blessedly invisible. There are several sights in the town itself, and this is also a gateway to the historic Ho Chi Minh Trail.

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Getting there & around
Kon Tum is easy to traverse on foot, but xe om are in ready supply. It shouldn’t cost more than 10, 000d to get anywhere on the back of a bike.

The local Vietnam Airlines (862 282; 129 Ð Ba Trieu; 7-11am & 1-5pm Mon-Sat) office can handle air-travel bookings; the nearest airport is in Pleiku.

Kon Tum’s bus station (Ð 279 Phan Dinh Phung) has plenty of services to Pleiku (30, 000d, one hour) and Danang (85, 000d, five hours). The newly opened Bo Y border crossing into Laos lies 86km northeast of Kon Tum. There are buses that leave Quy Nhon on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, passing through Kon Tum en route to Pakse. These services are new and don’t seem to have a fixed stopping point or schedule as yet. The best thing to do is to inquire at the bus station for the latest details. Another option is to catch a bus to Ngoc Hoi (30, 000d, two hours, one daily) and then pick up a Lao minivan returning to Attapeu (80, 000k, three hours). Note that Lao visas are not available at this border, so you’ll have to arrange one in Danang or HCMC.

Hwy 14 north and south of Kon Tum is now in very good repair. Pleiku is 49km south and Danang 300km north.

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About Hanoi Vietnam | Around Ho Chi Minh City | About Halong Bay Vietnam | Ba Be National Park | Ba Vi National Park | Bac Lieu | Bai Tu Long Bay  | Bo Nau Cave (Pelican cave) |  Beaches North of Nha Trang |  Ben Tre | Buon Ma Thuot | Ca Mau  | Dien Bien Phu | Dong Hoi | Ha Giang | Haiphong | Halong City | Ho Coc Beach | Dong Hoi | Kon Tum | Kim Quy Grotto | Lang Son | Lao Cai | Long Hai | Luon Grotto | Long Xuyen | Mai Chau | Mekong Delta | Mui Ne Beach | My Tho | Phan Rang & Thap Cham | Phan Thiet | Phat Diem | Phong Nha Cave | Phu Quoc Island | Pleiku | Quang Ngai | Rach Gia | Soc Trang | Song Cau | Tam Coc | Tam Dao  | Tay Ninh | Thay & Tay Phuong Pagodas | Tra Co Beach | Tra Vinh | Tuy Hoa  | Van Don Island  | Vinh Long | Vung Tau |