Pleiku Thành phố Pleiku
—  Urban district and town  —
Location in Gia Lai Province
Pleiku Location of in Vietnam
Coordinates: 13°59′N 108°0′E / 13.983°N 108°E / 13.983; 108
Country	Vietnam
Province	Gia Lai
Area
• Total	261 km2 (101 sq mi)
Elevation[1]	740 m (2,420 ft)
Population (2003)
• Total	186,763

Pleiku is a town in central Vietnam, located in that nation's central highland region. It is the capital of the Gia Lai Province; Many years ago, it was inhabited primarily by the Bahnar and Jarai ethnic groups, sometimes known as the Montagnards or Degar. But now, it is inhabited primarily by Kinh ethnic group. The town is the centre of the urban district of Pleiku which covers an area of 261 km². As of 2003 the district had a population of 186,763.^[2] The town sits at the junction of several national roads—National Road 14 to Kon Tum in the north and Buon Ma Thuot in the south and National Road 19 to Stœng Trêng in Cambodia in the west (via Ratanakiri Province) and to Binh Dinh Province in the east.

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

Pleiku is served by Pleiku Airport in the near outskirts of the city.

History[link]

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 Kontum 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 strategically obvious to both sides; the U.S. established an armed presence very early in the conflict at Camp Holloway, and the Việt Cộng attack on this base in early 1965 was one of the key escalating events that brought U.S. troops into the conflict.

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 Kontum were killed or left stranded without support.

Notable People Born in Pleiku[link]

Amerasian Vietnamese singer, Phi Nhung was born in Pleiku.

References[link]

1. ^ Pleiku, Sheet L7014 6636-IV, Defense Mapping Agency, Washington, 1965.
2. ^ "Districts of Vietnam". Statoids. http://www.statoids.com/yvn.html. Retrieved March 13, 2009. 

External links[link]

Coordinates: 13°59′N 108°00′E / 13.983°N 108°E / 13.983; 108

v t e Cities in Vietnam Centrally-controlled cities Special-class Hanoi Ho Chi Minh 1st-class Can Tho Da Nang Hai Phong Provincial cities 1st-class Buon Ma Thuot Da Lat Huế Nam Dinh Nha Trang Qui Nhon Thai Nguyen Viet Tri Vinh 2nd-class Bien Hoa Ca Mau Ha Long Hai Duong Long Xuyen My Tho Phan Thiet Pleiku Thanh Hoa Vung Tau 3rd-class Bac Lieu Bac Giang Bac Ninh Bao Loc Ben Tre Cao Lanh Cam Ranh Dong Ha Dong Hoi Dien Bien Phu Ha Tinh Hoa Binh Hoi An Hung Yen Kon Tum Lang Son Lao Cai Mong Cai Ninh Binh Phan Rang-Thap Cham Phu Ly Quang Ngai Rach Gia Soc Trang Son La Tam Ky Tan An Thai Binh Tra Vinh Tuy Hoa Tuyen Quang Vi Thanh Vinh Long Vinh Yen Yen Bai

v t e Districts of Central Highlands (Tay Nguyen) Dak Lak province Buon Ma Thuot  · Buon Don  · Buon Ho  · Cu Kuin  · Cu M'gar  · Ea Sup  · Krong Ana  · Krong Bong  · Krong Buk  · Krong Nang  · Krong Pak  · Lak  · M'Drak Dak Nong province Gia Nghia  · Cu Jut  · Dak Mil  · Dak Glong  · Dak R'Lap  · Dak Song  · Krong No  · Tuy Duc Gia Lai province Pleiku  · An Khe  · Ayun Pa  · Chu Pah  · Chu Puh  · Chu Prong  · Chu Se  · Dak Doa  · Dak Po  · Duc Co  · Ia Grai  · Ia Pa  · K'Bang  · Kong Chro  · Krong Pa  · Mang Yang  · Phu Thien Kon Tum province Kon Tum  · Dak Glei  · Dak Ha  · Dak To  · Kon Plong  · Kon Ray  · Ngoc Hoi  · Sa Thay  · Tu Mo Rong Lam Dong province Da Lat  · Bao Loc  · Bao Lam  · Cat Tien  · Da Huoai  · Da Teh  · Dam Rong  · Don Duong  · Duc Trong  · Lac Duong  · Lam Ha

External links[link]

Siu Black

Siu Black (born in Pleitonghia Commune, near the city of Kontum in Kon Tum Province, South Vietnam, August 27, 1967) is a prominent Vietnamese popular singer from the Central Highlands. She is a member of the Ba Na (Bahnar) ethnic group.

She graduated from Dac Lac Arts School and joined the Dac Lac Arts Troupe in 1989. She then worked at the Kon Tum Electricity Company from 1993 before finding success as a singer.

She has been mentored by the singer Y Moan ^[1] and has recorded several of the songs of Nguyễn Cường, and her renditions have achieved great popularity.^[2]

In 2007 she served as a judge on the Vietnam Idol television program.^[3] and the first Asian Idol competition, held in Indonesia in December 2007, representing Vietnam Idol. Starting in September 2007, she will host a comedy variety show called 0 Degrees Diary (Vietnamese: Nhật ký 0 độ) on HTV9.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Interview with Siu Black, 2006

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