BUON ME THUOT

also spelled Ban Me Thuot, formerly Lac Giao, largest city in the central highlands, west-central Vietnam. At an elevation of 1,759 feet (536 m), it lies at the southern end of the Dac Lac Plateau, 55 miles (89 km) north-northwest of Da Lat. It has teacher-training and vocational schools, hospitals, and a commercial airport. There are coffee, tea, and rubber plantations in the surrounding area. Rice is grown in the Krong River valley to the west. The region is dominated by the Cham-speaking Rhade. Buon Me Thuot is linked by highway to Pleiku in the northern central highlands and to Nha Trang on the coast. In 1975 the city was the site of the opening attack of the offensive that resulted in the capitulation of the South Vietnamese government at its capital, Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City). Pop. (1971 est.) 64,585.