Dak Lak Province

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Đắk Lắk
Location of Đắk Lắk Province
Provinces of Vietnam
Administration
People's Council Chair
People's Committee Chair
Geography
Capital Buôn Ma Thuột
Region Central Highlands
Area 13,062 km²
Demographics
Population
 • Density
1,667,000(2004)
127.6/km²
Ethnicities Vietnamese, Ê Đê, Nùng, Tày
Calling code 50
ISO 3166-2 VN-33
Website www.daklak.gov.vn

Dak Lak (in Vietnamese, Đắk Lắk pronunciation ) is a Province of Vietnam. The name is sometimes spelled Dac Lac (Đắc Lắc), which is more in keeping with Vietnamese spelling, but the official spelling is Dak Lak. It is located in Vietnam's Central Highlands, and is home to a high number of indigenous people who are not ethnically Vietnamese (Việt).

Lăk Lake, near the Mnong village of Buôn Jun
Lăk Lake, near the Mnong village of Buôn Jun

Contents

[edit] Geography

Đắk Lắk is based around the Đắk Lắk plateau, around six hundred metres above sea level.1

About 60 km south of Buon Ma Thuot is Lak Lake. Overlooking the lake is the old Summer residence of Emperor Bao Dai which has been renovated into a hotel. Surrounding the lake is Jun Village, home of the Jun people. The villagers have a peculiar form of fishing where they attach metal rods to a car battery and run the rods through the water zapping and stunning the fish and then collecting them to keep in a tank at the village until they are needed.

[edit] Economy

Lăk Lake, in the Mnong village of Buôn Jun
Lăk Lake, in the Mnong village of Buôn Jun

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.



[edit] History

The area now known as Đắk Lắk was originally controlled by the Kingdom of Champa. When Champa was conquered and annexed by Vietnam in the 15th century, Đắk Lắk was brought under loose Vietnamese rule. Later, in 1540, a noble named Bùi Tá Hán was appointed by the Vietnamese authorities to direct the settlement of the area by ethnic Vietnamese, bringing the highlands under more effective Vietnamese control. Military outposts were established in the area to guard against possible aggression from the west. Later, when Vietnam was occupied by the French, the French established a large number of plantations in the area. Resistance to French rule was strong in Đắk Lắk, with various minority tribes leading a number of significant rebellions. The most notable was a twenty-three year campaign led by N’Trang Lơng, a Mnong tribal leader. Later, Đắk Lắk was part of South Vietnam, and saw considerable action in the Vietnam War.

Until recently, Đắk Nông was a part of Đắk Lắk, but is now an independent province.

[edit] Administration

Politically, Đắk Lắk is divided into thirteen districts:

The provincial capital, Buôn Ma Thuột , is a separate municipality.

[edit] External links


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