Kon Tum is the northernmost mountainous province in the Central Highlands region, the Central of Vietnam. It borders Quảng Nam to the north, Gia Lai to the south, Quảng Ngãi to the east, Sekong, Attapeu of Laos and Ratanakiri of Cambodia in the west. Kon Tum shares borders with Laos and Cambodia. It has an area of 9677.30 km2 and a population of approximately 530,000. The economy is primarily agricultural.

Name

The name Kon Tum comes from the name of a village of the Bahnar ethnic group. In the Bahnar language, kon means "village" and tum means "pool". Prior to the adoption of the Vietnamese alphabet in the 1920s, the name was rendered as.

Administrative divisions

Kon Tum is subdivided into ten district-level sub-divisions: They are further subdivided into six commune-level towns (or townlets), 83 communes, and 10 wards.

Geography

The capital city is Kon Tum, located on the Đăk Bla River. The southern border with Gia Lai follows the Sê San river up to Yali Falls Dam, as well as part of the Dak Bla, Dak Pokei and Dak Poe rivers. The Sa Thầy River, a tributary of the Sê San, also runs through the province. The province is primarily located in the Sê San river basin, though parts are also in the headwaters of the Vu Gia, Trà Khúc and Sekong Rivers.

Demographics

Ethnic groups in Kon Tum province include the Viet, Bahnar, Brau, Giẻ Triêng, Jarai, Rơ Măm, and Xo Dang.

Notable residents