History of Dak Lak Province

Buon Ma Thuot is the provincial capital of Dak Lak province and the largest city in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam.

Buôn Ma Thuột, originally from the Ê Đê language, means "village or hamlet of Ama Thuột." It derives from the name of the village of Ama Thuột – the name of the wealthiest and most powerful chieftain in the region; from there, surrounding villages were formed, developing into the city of Buôn Ma Thuột today.

From the mid-12th century, ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands rose up to fight against the Champa invasion. In 1470, when Champa invaded the southern border of Dai Viet, they were defeated by the Le Dynasty's army. After defeating Champa, the Le Dynasty, on the one hand, respected the boundary between the areas inhabited by the Central Highlands ethnic minorities and the lowlands; on the other hand, it implemented policies to maintain relations between the Kinh people and the ethnic minorities.

In 1540, when Bui Ta Han was appointed by the court as the Governor of Nam Ngai, overseeing the mountainous ethnic minority regions in the West, he encouraged migration to establish settlements in the mountains, expanded trade between the Kinh and ethnic minorities, recommended local chieftains and tribal leaders, and bestowed the titles of Hoa Xa and Thuy Xa kings. From then until the reigns of the Nguyen dynasty, the Central Highlands-Daklak region was known as the Man region, indirectly managed by the court. Administratively, the Man region was divided into 4 districts and 5 provinces, and militarily , the Nguyen dynasty established several military outposts, conducted border patrols and guarded the border, and prevented Siamese invasions.

In the late 19th century, the French colonialists intensified their espionage and intelligence gathering activities under various guises, aiming to serve their plan to invade the Central Highlands and Daklak. By 1898, they concentrated their forces to capture Buon Don and gradually expanded the war to conquer the entire Daklak plateau.

After occupying Daklak, the French colonialists began building their administrative apparatus, establishing the Daklak province in 1904 according to a decree of the Governor-General of Indochina. They divided Daklak into five districts, imposing direct rule and implementing a "divide and rule" policy. However, it was precisely from this harsh oppression and exploitation that the people of Daklak's ethnic groups continuously and bravely rose up against the French colonialists, under the leadership of their chieftains. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the province continuously witnessed uprisings and armed struggles; such as the uprising of Ama Jhao (1890-1904), the struggle of N'Trang Gưh (1900-1914), and the uprising of Oi H'Mai (1903-1909). Most notably, there was the uprising of the M'nong people led by N'Trang Lơng, which lasted 23 years (1912-1935) and attracted people of various ethnic groups, not only in the Dak Nong plateau, but also in the Central Highlands and Cambodia.

Alongside the armed struggles and uprisings led by tribal chiefs, the province also saw the emergence of several legitimate political movements by civil servants, officials, intellectuals, and students against the French colonial policy of divide and conquer, and against the policy of keeping the people ignorant and despising the indigenous ethnic groups. A prime example is the struggle led by two patriotic Ede teachers, Y Jút and Yút (1925-1926).

During this period, due to the colonial policy of establishing plantations, a class of laborers emerged in Daklak who were exploited and mistreated by the plantation workers. To resist the brutal oppression and exploitation of the French colonialists, the plantation workers organized numerous struggles in various forms. Typical examples of the workers' struggle during this period include the struggle of the Maillot plantation workers in 1927, the struggle of the Rossi plantation workers in CHPI in 1933, the Buon Ho road and bridge workers in 1935, and later the CADA plantation workers...

As World War II drew to a close, especially after the Japanese coup against the French on March 9, 1945, the revolutionary movement in the province flourished. Various organizations and mass associations were established, attracting workers, peasants, intellectuals, youth, and women to participate in Viet Minh activities. On August 24, 1945, following the uprising at the CADA plantation, the general uprising to seize power broke out successfully in Buon Ma Thuot: tens of thousands of people rose up simultaneously to support the uprising committee, seizing power for the people, establishing a revolutionary government, and ushering in a new era: an era of independence, freedom, and the people mastering their own destiny.

After the abolition of the fascist colonial regime, the people of various ethnic groups united and worked together to build a new regime. Under the leadership of the Party and the Viet Minh Committee, the people of Daklak enthusiastically participated in consolidating the government, building the armed forces, fighting against hunger and illiteracy, and fulfilling the sacred rights and duties that the revolution had brought.

On December 30, 1945, the French army returned for its second invasion. The people of Buon Ma Thuot and the people of various ethnic groups in the province rose up to fight. The nine-year long, arduous, and fierce resistance ultimately resulted in victory.

But as soon as the resistance war against the French ended, the American imperialists intervened in the South, plotting to invade the South and permanently divide our country. Along with the people of the whole country, the people of Daklak province continued to fight against more dangerous and cruel enemies: the American imperialists and their puppet regime.

During more than 20 years of occupation, the US imperialists and their puppet regime concentrated immense military and political resources to build Dak Lak into a crucial strategic area, employing numerous tactics to crush the revolutionary spirit of the people of Dak Lak's ethnic groups. However, overcoming immense sacrifices and heavy losses, the people and soldiers of all ethnic groups stood shoulder to shoulder, persistently fighting and successively thwarting the enemy's schemes and tactics, achieving glorious victories: the 1960-1961 uprising to break the enemy's grip, the 1964-1965 campaign to dismantle hamlets and liberate the countryside, the 1968 Tet Offensive, and the defeat of the US-puppet regime's rapid pacification program from 1969-1972. Ultimately, this led to the victory at Buon Ma Thuot (March 10, 1975), marking the beginning of the General Offensive and Uprising to liberate the South, unify the country, and usher in a new era: the era of independence, freedom, unity, and the entire nation moving towards Socialism.

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