Kon Tum Wooden Church is more than 100 years old, bearing the bold colors of the Central Highlands

Kon Tum Cathedral (or Wooden Church) is a Catholic church located on Nguyen Hue Street in Kon Tum city, Kon Tum province, initiated by French priests in 1913 and completed in 1918.

Kon Tum wooden church is more than 100 years old and is made of red wood (ceiling and walls are built of soil mixed with straw) designed according to Roman architecture, combined with the stilt house architecture of the Ba Na people from ancient times. Pattern lines and highlights on the material should reflect the culture and beliefs of the Central Highlands people.

The church is a closed building including: a synagogue, a reception house, a display house for ethnic and religious products, and a communal house. There are also orphanages, sewing and brocade weaving facilities, and carpentry facilities.

The church was built by skilled carpenters from Binh Dinh and Quang Ngai. The material that accounts for the largest quantity is cypress wood. The ceiling and walls are built of soil mixed with straw in the traditional house style of Central Vietnam people. On the straw wall are brilliant stained glass paintings of God and the Virgin Mary.

The church’s garden area has a statue of the Virgin Mary holding the Baby Jesus with both hands, made from a pristine wooden trunk, carved in the rustic style of the Central Highlands ethnic groups. In addition, crosses and decorative statues outside and inside the church such as lambs and saint statues made from forest tree roots further enhance the space with the bold colors of the Central Highlands.

Located on the clear, romantic Dak Bla river, Kon Tum city is always the destination of many tourists who like to explore the wild and majestic features of the vast green forest. In addition, visitors can also enjoy specialties of the Central Highlands mountains and forests such as can wine, grilled chicken with black bamboo shoots, bamboo-tube rice…