Due to the looming Tet holiday in early February, we chose to condense our time in Vietnam into 8 days to avoid the inconveniences of being in the country during Tet. As such we planned only one full day in rural Kontum and wanted to get a real sense of the area. We found a great tour guide who was available to show us around on a motorbike tour. Along with his sidekick, Ashley and I each rode back seat through the countryside, stopping first at a large reservoir surrounded by bare hills, known as Rocket Ridge, a former battleground during the Vietnam War. From there we visited a few different ethnic villages, some practicing Catholicism, others indigenous beliefs.
We sat for afternoon snacks with two friends of our guide, and sampled the local fare, such as homemade tamarind candy. Back in the town for lunch, our guides suggested a back alley pho joint that certainly didn’t disappoint. With a bit of extra time before our short flight from nearby Pleiku to Ho Chi Minh, we visited a french Catholic mission, and a Catholic church. According to our guide, he and his family hid in the crawlspace underneath the church during the Battle of Kontum.
As the sun went down we were put on the bus out of town to Pleiku airport, feeling like we had gotten a glimpse into a portion of Vietnamese culture not often seen by the outside world.
AJ - RTW adventure 
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