Pleiku City

Pleiku City (Vietnamese: "Pờ-lây-cu") or ((Plây Cu) is a city in central Vietnam, located in that nation's central highland region. It is the capital of the Gia Lai Province.

The town is the centre of the urban district of Pleiku which covers an area of 261 km².

As of the 2009 census the district had a recorded population of 162, 051 inhabitants.

The city is home to the Hoàng Anh Gia Lai football club.

History

Pleiku was strategically important during the Vietnam War because it was the primary terminus of the military supply logistics corridor extending westwards along Highway 19 from the coastal population center and port facilities of Qui Nhơn. Additionally, its central location on the plateau, between Kon Tum in the north, Buôn Ma Thuột to the south, and the North Vietnamese Army's base areas inside Cambodia to the west made Pleiku the main center of defense of the entire highland region of the Republic of Vietnam. This was obvious to both sides; the United States established an armed presence very early in the conflict at Camp Holloway, and the Việt Cộng attack this base in early 1965, this was one of the key escalating events that brought U.S. troops into the conflict. On 15 June 1972, Cathay Pacific Flight 700Z, operating a Convair 880 (VR-HFZ) from Bangkok to Hong Kong, disintegrated and crashed while the aircraft was flying at 29,000 feet (8,800 m) over Pleiku, Vietnam after a bomb exploded in a suitcase placed under a seat in the cabin, killing all 81 people on board.

After the fall of Buôn Ma Thuột to a major North Vietnamese assault in early 1975, and the resulting insecurity of Highway 19 leading from Qui Nhơn, President Thiệu ordered the hasty evacuation of Pleiku. The military operation to attempt the withdrawal of ARVN forces down poorly maintained tertiary road LTL-7B through Cheo Reo to Tuy Hòa led to a horrific catastrophe in which over a hundred thousand evacuees from Pleiku and Kon Tum were killed or left stranded without support.

Tourism

Attractions

Plei Chuet Montagnard Church, Camp Holloway, T'Nung Lake ( Ia Nueng), Fossil Tree Water Park, Bien Ho Crater Lake. Highly recommended : Half-day tours of Banhar and Jarai Ethnic Minority villages, a day-long tribal village hiking tour, Boat Tours of Ayunha Lake, Veterans tours, one-day hiking tour through four Bahnar villages.

Most travellers who find themselves here tend to be on the way to somewhere else, including the nearby Cambodia and Lao border crossing. At first glance little entices foreigners to linger as the redevelopment of the city after it was torched at the end of the Vietnam War has created a sprawling, charmless, nondescript town. By contrast, quaint Kon Tum, just 45 kilometres north of Pleiku, is far more welcoming to the small trickle of travellers that do make it to northern part of the Central Highlands. While both boast the same ethnic diversity, interesting culture and traditions worthy of exploration, Kon Tum has developed to make it accessible to visitors.

Minh Tinh Temple

Built only a few years ago, this large and splendid Buddhist temple, surrounded by water features and statues, sits south of the city centre. Its best feature is a gorgeous nine-tiered pagoda that's lit up at night, dragons curl up from the corners of the roof of the main temple building.

The temple is located at 14A Nguyen Viet Xuan, the Phu Ward, Dist. Pleiku, Gia Lai province. It's about 2 kilometers from the city center on the south-west.

In front of the hall, there are two towers: bell tower and declaration tower, a stone statue of Buddha Amitabha, 7.5 meters high, weighing 40 tons was enshrined solemn between lakes Liench'ih and the throne hall. In front of the statue is a bronze incense burner 4 meters high and weighs 4 tons.

Phu Cuong Waterfall

Surrounded by lush vegetation, Phu Cuong Waterfall, or Tac Phu Cuong, is a dramatic cascade that slides over red rock and thunderously tumbles down 38 metres. The sight is truly breathtaking, Located off QL 25 down an unassuming country road, a set of rusty metal stairs leads down to an enormous boulder garden. Carefully make your way over the rocks to get an unobstructed view of the falls.

It’s difficult to visit during rainy season (May to October) because of high water and wet, slippery rocks. The best time to go is just after rainy season has ended, when it is safe to climb over the rocks and the cascade is still full – the pounding of the water will make your heart race. There’s less water as dry season progresses.

Bien Ho Crater Lake

Locals also call it T'Nung or Ea Nueng, which means a "sea on the mountain". It used to be a volcanic crater that erupted millions of years ago. Bien Ho is located seven kilometers from Pleiku City along National Highway 14, where you turn right for another three kilometers to reach your destination.

 The road to T'nung Lake is through a green canopy of pine trees. At the end of the slope is a beautiful house where tourists can get some fresh air, pose for photos and contemplate the charms of the lake. T'nung Lake looks like an emerald with its clear, green water. Both the lake itself and surrounding area boasts stunning scenery, making it the pride of Pleiku City.

Visitors can take a hollowed-tree boat or a dugout canoe to explore hidden charms of the lake and discover the magnificence of exotic lifestyles in harmony with wild nature. There tourists will see the abundant and varied fauna and flora.

Culture

 You can also visit villages of ethnic minorities living on the bank of the lake on the occasion of their festivals. Travelers will enjoy lively interesting dances and singing by the highlanders. Mountain girls in Gia Lai show their grace, innocence but are a little shy. However, they are quite friendly if tourists are kind and respectful.

 Wild boar roasted over the coal stove is a typical specialty of ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands. The wild boar is stuffed with citronella leaves, and mixed with different spices such as galingale, garlic and honey. Each boar is weighed at some five to fifteen kilograms and as it feasts on natural food like vegetables, it is lean meat with very little fat.

 Besides, tourists will have chance to taste com lam (bamboo-tube rice), ruou can (wine drunk out of a jar through pipes), xoi la (sticky rice wrapped in leaves), ca lang (hemibagrus) and other flavors of the uplands.

Ayun Ha Lake (Vietnamese: Hồ Ayun Hạ) is an artificial lake in Gia Lai Province, The lake was formed when the Ayun River was stopped early in 1994, to start the construction of a dam and lake for irrigation. The flooded area of the lake district belongs to the commune of HBong Chu Se.

The lake has a surface area of 37 km2, and has a length of 25 km, and is 5 km at its widest.

The minority groups are the cause of government restrictions on foreigners. Anti-government protests in 2001 and 2004 in Buon Ma Thuot and Pleiku over indigenous land rights and autonomy by Montagnards were brutally suppressed by the government and ever since, travellers wishing to visit minority villages must have a guide and permit. This is unfortunate since this means visitors are directed towards set tours to approved villages. Gai Lai Eco Tourist offers guided Bahnar village visits and trekking. These are certainly real villages, but it removes most hope of any sort of spontaneity and seeing a fuller picture.

Orientation

If travelling to Pleiku by bus, note that Pleiku is often referred to as Gia Lai — it’s pronounced “yah lai”.
Free WiFi is a standard amenity in hotels. Banks and ATMs with international networks are found throughout. The post office is located near the corner of Hung Vuong and Tran Hung Dao Street and is open from 07:00 to 21:00 daily.

There’s a large grocery store Vinatextmart and a smaller shop across the street. Find them at 114 Hai Ba Trung.

Climate

The Central Highlands has two seasons: the dry season is from November to April, rainy season lasts from May to October. Bear in mind that Pleiku boasts the highest rainfall in the Central Highlands.

Food

There is very famous traditional noodle in Pleiku called " Phở Khô Gia Lai". The noodle is served separately from the soup. You can find this kind of food everywhere in every noodle store or hawker.

Accommodation

There are quite a few hotels in Pleiku: Hoang Ngoc Hotel, Ngoc Se Hotel, HAGL Hotel, Duc Long 2 Hotel and more….

Transport

Road

The city sits at the junction of several national roads—National Road 14 to Kon Tum in the north and Buôn Ma Thuột in the south and National Road 19 to Stœng Trêng in Cambodia in the west (via Ratanakiri Province) and to Bình Định Province in the east.

By bus

Duc Long Bus Station is located 3km east of the city center and has buses to other provinces and Laos. A xe om should be no more than 20,000d, but you may be able to bargain it down to 15000d. There are local buses to the city center, but they are not frequent.

There are frequent buses to Quy Nhon. Mai Linh buses depart at 0730 and 1330. Mai Linh has a night bus that leaves Da Nang at 20:45 and reaches Pleiku in the early morning (230,000 as of Oct 2012). There are also frequent buses to and from Buon Ma Thuot.

Mai Linh and Dien Hong have buses to Laos - Attapeu, Xekong, and Pakse. Mai Linh buses to Attapeu take around 7 hours, to Pakse around 12 hours. Departure in Attapeu is at 0700 and in Pleiku 0730. The fares include lunch in Ngoc Hoi.

Direct buses from Hanoi charge 650,000d as of Oct 2012. There are also direct buses from Ho Chi Minh City

Air

Pleiku Airport; in the near outskirts of the city. Vietnam Airlines flies to Pleiku Airport (Gia Lai).

Pleiku Airport (IATA: PXU, ICAO: VVPK) is a domestic airport, located in Gia Lai Province in southern of Vietnam. Vietnam Airlines flies from here to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi as well as Da Nang; See link.

Source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleiku

http://wikitravel.org/en/Pleiku

http://www.vietnamairlines.travel/pleiku.flights-in-vietnam.vietnam-airlines