In a famous song about Buon Ma Thuot city, musician Nguyen Cuong - a person deeply attached to the highland, said that: Here everything seems very real, yet tinged with illusion: "There is sunshine, there is wind, there is nameless nostalgia, nameless, my dear". Yet, it is precisely that nameless nostalgia that makes people from far away feel tormented and always keep a beautiful memory of this sunny and windy city...
There are days when the whole Buon Me Thuot is filled with the pure white scent of coffee flowers - Photo: AN YEN
For many people, when talking about the big cities on the Ba Dan plateau including Kon Tum, Pleiku, Buon Ma Thuot and Da Lat, the name Buon Ma Thuot evokes the most curiosity. Not only because of the dialect-like tone but also because this city is also called by many other names such as Ban Me Thuot, Buon Me Thuot or some people are more romantic, just call it briefly: Ban Me, Ban Me city.
Tracing the origin of place names is an interesting issue and one that researchers are interested in. According to what has been passed down, the correct name of the provincial capital of Dak Lak today is Buon Ma Thuot. Dr. Luong Thanh Son, a cultural researcher and former director of the Dak Lak Museum, talked to us about the remaining traces related to the origin of this place name.
Accordingly, hundreds of years ago, Buon Ma Thuot was still a land deep in the jungle. Until one day, the Ama Thuot chief came to reclaim the land, this new land had a name. However, at that time, Buon Ma Thuot was just a small village with a small population. It was not until more than a century ago, when the French moved the provincial capital of Dak Lak from Buon Don to here, that Buon Ma Thuot became an urban area attracting people from many places to settle.
Lac Giao Communal House was built in 1928, located at the corner of Phan Boi Chau and Dien Bien Phu streets, Buon Ma Thuot City, Dak Lak - Photo: KHA HUNG
Along with the indigenous ethnic groups, the Kinh people came here very early. Lac Giao Communal House was first built in 1928, considered an important gathering place and a vow of agreement for the Vietnamese people from all over the world who came to live in Buon Ma Thuot in the early days.
In the cultural consciousness of the Kinh people, the communal house is the place to worship Thanh Hoang. Thanh Hoang bears the mark of the historical and cultural process of the residents when they come to a new land to settle down. In 1932, King Bao Dai granted Dao Duy Tu the title of Thanh Hoang.
The conferment of the title of Thanh Hoang on Lac Giao communal house to affirm that the land belonged to the "Royal Dynasty" was extremely important at a time when there was a struggle for influence between the Hue court and France.
Not to mention that Dao Duy Tu - the character who was awarded the title of Than Hoang - is a cultural celebrity, a great talent in many fields: politics, military, culture, economics... especially he is the one who contributed to expanding the country, establishing many new lands, deserving to be honored by the world.
Lac Giao Communal House is a place that shelters, hides, and nurtures revolutionary children, so people often come here to burn incense to commemorate the fallen soldiers - Photo: KHA HUNG
In addition to Lac Giao communal house, Buon Ma Thuot city also has other unique architectural relics such as Sac Tu Khai Doan pagoda, one of the places that nurtured the flame of the Buddhist movement fighting for national liberation and unification.
Buon Ma Thuot is also a city with many ethnic groups living together, including Kinh people, the two indigenous ethnic groups M'Nong and Ede, of which the Ede people make up the majority. Therefore, when coming to Buon Ma Thuot, we will witness the scene of villages in the city, the city in the village. This special feature creates an attraction for visitors from afar when visiting Buon Ma Thuot city. Many famous ancient villages such as Pan Lam village, Kosia village...
Buon Ma Thuot City is also considered the capital of the Central Highlands coffee kingdom. Coffee trees have brought prosperity to this land. The soil, climate and climate create a unique flavor for Buon Me coffee - one of the big brands not only in the Central Highlands, Vietnam but also in other countries in the region and the world.
Enjoying coffee is enjoying the taste of the Central Highlands mountains and forests - Photo: AN YEN
Nearly half a century after the country's reunification, Buon Ma Thuot city has changed a lot. From a small town, it has become a first-class urban area, the provincial capital of Dak Lak province and one of the central economic development cities in the Central Highlands region. Infrastructure is developed and all aspects of life of Buon Ma Thuot people are increasingly improved. Tay Nguyen University is currently one of the prestigious regional universities, training tens of thousands of bachelors and engineers each year for the Central Highlands provinces and cities and for the whole country.
March, the season when bees go to collect honey, the festival season of Buon Ma Thuot will be the place where the cultural quintessence of the ethnic groups on the plateau converges, and at the same time, it is also the place where unique cultural activities are exchanged between many regions. Following each other are the well-known festivals such as the Gong Festival, Elephant Festival, Coffee Festival, Food Festival... Coming to Buon Ma Thuot, walking around and admiring the land and sky of the Central Highlands, to see a typical highland city is the favorite of many people.
Buon Ma Thuot Coffee - Photo: AN YEN
One spring day, in the bustling festival atmosphere or sitting quietly somewhere watching the yellow sunflowers, immersed in the characteristic coffee flavor, each of us must have our own way of feeling about this city. But one thing is for sure, all of us, with our hearts promising that one day, carrying our love for Buon Ma Thuot city, will make our hearts silently remind us of the promise: that if we love each other, let's find our way back here, even just once...
From Da Thao
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