Buon Ma Thuot

The name Buôn Ma Thuột derives from the language of the Ê Đê as the village of Ama Y Thuột, who held considerable power and prestige as the head of his village, where Buôn Ma Thuột now stands, in the late 19th century.

In 1904, according to a decree by the Supreme Council of the Governor-General of Indochina, Đắk Lắk Province was established with its provincial capital in Buôn Ma Thuột. In 1913, Đắk Lắk Province was dissolved and merged into Kon Tum Province, causing Buôn Ma Thuột to lose its status as the provincial capital. However, in 1923, the Governor-General of Indochina issued a decree to re-establish Đắk Lắk Province, with Buôn Ma Thuột once again serving as the administrative center. From the 1930s to 1954, Buôn Ma Thuột experienced significant development with the construction of numerous administrative, commercial, and military infrastructure projects by the French colonial government. The town gradually became a key hub connecting the Central Highlands with the central provinces of Vietnam. …

The city is located at 12.6667° N 108.0500° E, 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).

Although coffee was introduced to Vietnam as early as 1870, in Đắk Lắk, it only began widespread cultivation in the 1930s by the French. The basalt soil in the Central Highlands proved particularly suitable for coffee cultivation, leading to an increase in coffee growing areas. Currently, according to statistics, Đắk Lắk has more than 175,000 hectares of coffee (in reality, over 200,000 hectares, as some areas are not included in the official plan). Đắk Lắk is recognized as having the highest coffee yield in the world, significantly contributing to Vietnam's position as the second largest coffee exporter globally, with robusta coffee ranking first. Almost every district in Đắk Lắk grows coffee, but Buôn Ma Thuột coffee is considered the highest quality with a distinctive flavor, earning the city the title "coffee capital." Buôn Ma Thuột aspires to become a global centre for coffee. …