Located not far from the bustling town of the highlands, Ako Dhong village has always kept its ancient appearance along with the thousand-year-old traditional culture of the Ede people in this land of Buon Ma Thuot.
Traveling to Dak Lak‘s capital Buon Ma Thuot, you will have a lot of choices about destinations and if you want to discover a true traditional space of the Ede people, then come to Ako Dhong village , also known as Co village. Village. This is one of the attractive destinations for you to explore the “village within the city” space with a lot of interesting things waiting for you.
Buon Ako Dhong village in the city, an attractive destination in Buon Ma Thuot. Photo:@diuphung
Locating the Ako Dhong merchant, the meaning of the name Ako Dhong
Buon Ako Dhong is located right near the center of Buon Ma Thuot city, so visitors can find and visit very easily. This beautiful village is located at the end of Tran Nhat Duat street, only 20km from the center and north. Visitors can easily reach Ako Dhong village by many different means. Especially for tourists staying in the central area, they can rent a motorbike to directly visit this beautiful village, and at the same time can conveniently visit other destinations of the city actively.
It is located just 2km from the city center. Photo:@mr.karma_97
In the Ede language, Ako Dhong means valley upstream of the stream, “Ako” means headwater and “Dhong” means valley, this name also means rich village, or tile house. Kinh people often call Ako Dhong to Buon Co Thon citadel for easy calling. The name of the village also comes from the fact that this place is the starting point of many streams such as Ea Ding, Ea Pii, Thun M’nung Ea Giang, Ea Dung, and the largest stream in Buon Ma Thuot is Ea Nuol stream.
The name Ako Dhong means the headwater valley of the stream. Photo:@thanhthu.3012.
What’s so attractive about Buon Ako Dhong?
Traveling in Ako Dhong , visitors will see the image of an ancient Ede village with longhouses with unique architecture. Walking around the village, visitors will have the opportunity to take a closer look at the beautiful and peaceful scenery. The people in the village are also very friendly, ready to become a home guide to help visitors discover more about the house architecture, lifestyle and cultural beauty of their ethnic people.
Buon Ako Dhong has many interesting things waiting for you to discover. Photo:@andykeynguyen.
Buon Ako Dhong has more than 30 typical longhouses, these houses are shaped like a big boats. The main door will be on the left side of the house, the windows open to the side, the wooden ceiling looks like the roof of a boat. A longhouse of the Ede will have 2 parts including the front half, “Gah”, which is the place for the host to welcome guests and the common living space of the family. The second half is “Ok” which is the private space of family members and the kitchen.
Buon has 30 traditional longhouses of the Ede people. Photo:@vgne.e
Prominent in this village is the house of the old Ama H’Rin, who once led the villages to clear the flower forest and founded the famous Ako Dhong village. The village elder’s house is considered as the soul of the village and when looking at the village, people will also remember the legendary chief of the village.
Following the gentle slopes leading to the end of the village, visitors will be walking under the rows of green trees, at the end of the slope is a large lake with clear water with a wooden bridge spanning the cool thatched huts. On the side of the lake, there are willow trees falling into the water, and the small roads around the lake have the vibrant colors of tortoise trees, creating a beautiful space.
Green path in Ako Dhong village. Photo: Lan Lan
In the space of Ako Dhong, visitors will encounter a cafe with a rustic appearance full of poetic birdsong, a great place to stop for visitors to enjoy the most peaceful moments.
The peaceful space of Ako Dhong will make you feel enchanted. RANH:@lilylala22
Traveling to Dak Lak and coming to Ako Dhong village , visitors certainly cannot ignore the gong music festivals of the people here. The gong for the Ede people is a sacred treasure, and one of the unique cultural and spiritual symbols. The gongs in Ako Dhong village are placed in the most solemn place of the central longhouse. Sit next to the jars of can wine, by the flickering firelight and listen to the resounding gongs echoing about the legends and epics of the early founding of the hamlet and village and the mysterious sound of the wild wilderness.
Visitors will have the opportunity to discover many interesting cultural features. Photo:@julia.tran92
Currently, Ako Dhong village also has stalls selling unique ethnic brocades to serve the needs of tourists near and far. Visitors in addition to visiting and shopping can also experience the very unique brocade weaving.
Don’t forget to enjoy delicious traditional dishes. Photo:
Returning to Buon Ma Thuot, visitors will not only be able to return to a vast sky of basalt red soil, but also be immersed in the unique cultural space of this land and Ako Dhong with traditional longhouses, tops and mountains. The flickering fire of the gongs or the loving wine jar of the people will be one of the great destinations for visitors’ journey. No need to go to the remote villages in the middle of the forest, but right in the heart of Buon Ma Thuot, you can still discover the culture of the Central Highlands echoing the epic of a thousand years.
Photo: Internet