Two important coffee-growing provinces in Vietnam’s Central Highlands were tense yesterday after several days of land and rights protests by thousands of ethnic minority people. The protests in the provinces of Dak Lak and Gia Lai were the biggest known for years. Residents and diplomats said the protests appeared to have been started by disputes including land encroachment by members of the Vietnamese majority. The relocation of large numbers of lowland-residing Vietnamese people to the highlands has created friction with members of ethnic groups who have lived there for generations.