Pleiku is a city in central
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, located in the
Central Highlands 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
Montagnard () is an umbrella term for the various indigenous peoples of the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The French term () signifies a mountain dweller, and is a carryover from the French colonial period in Vietnam. In Vietnamese, they a ...
, although now it is inhabited primarily by the
Kinh
The Vietnamese people ( vi, người Việt, lit=Viet people) or Kinh people ( vi, người Kinh) are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to modern-day Northern Vietnam and Southern China (Jing Islands, Dongxing, Guangxi). The native lang ...
ethnic group. The city 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. The city sits at the junction of several national roads—
National Route 14 to
Kon Tum
Kon Tum is the capital city of Kon Tum Province in Vietnam. It is located inland in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam, near the borders of Laos and Cambodia.
History
After the People's Army of Vietnam invaded South Vietnam on March 30, 1 ...
in the north and
Buôn Ma Thuột in the south and
National Route 19 to
Stœng Trêng in
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
in the west (via
Ratanakiri Province) and to
Bình Định Province
B, or b, is the second letter of the Latin-script alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' bee'' (pronounced ), plural ''bees''. It r ...
in the east. The city is home to the
Hoàng Anh Gia Lai football club. Pleiku is served by
Pleiku Airport in the near outskirts of the city.
History
First Indochina War
At the end of the
First Indochina War
The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam) began in French Indochina from 19 December 1946 to 20 July 1954 between France and Việt Minh (Democratic Republic of Vi ...
, in June 1954, the
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...
''Groupe Mobile 100'' was ordered to fall back from
An Khê
An Khê is a town (''thị xã'') of Gia Lai province in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam.
As of 2003 the district had a population of 63,118. The district covers an area of 199 km². The district capital lies at An Khê.
Locat ...
to Pleiku and then to reopen Route Coloniale 14 between Pleiku and
Buôn Ma Thuột. This led to the last battle of the war: the
Battle of Mang Yang Pass.
Second Indochina War
![Minh Thanh Temple in Pleiku](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Minh_Thanh_Temple_in_Pleiku.jpg)
Pleiku was strategically important during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
because it was the primary terminus of the military supply logistics corridor extending westwards along Highway 19 from the coastal population centre and port facilities of
Qui Nhơn
Quy Nhon ( vi, Quy Nhơn ) is a coastal city in Bình Định province in central Vietnam. It is composed of 16 wards and five communes with a total of . Quy Nhon is the capital of Bình Định province. As of 2019 its population was 457,400. H ...
. Additionally, its central location on the plateau, between Kon Tum to the north,
Buôn Ma Thuột to the south, and the
North Vietnamese Army
The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; vi, Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam, QĐNDVN), also recognized as the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) or the Vietnamese Army (), is the military force of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the armed win ...
's base areas inside
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
to the west made Pleiku the main centre of defense of the entire highland region of the
Republic of Vietnam
South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
. This was obvious to both sides; the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
established an armed presence very early in the conflict at
Camp Holloway
Camp Holloway is a former U.S. Army base near Pleiku in central Vietnam.
History
Camp Holloway was established in 1962. It was located along Route 19 approximately 3km east of Pleiku in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The camp was named in 1 ...
, 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.
[Karnow, Stanley. ''Vietnam: A History'', New York: Penguin Books, (1984), p. 428, ]
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
National Route 19 leading from
Qui Nhơn
Quy Nhon ( vi, Quy Nhơn ) is a coastal city in Bình Định province in central Vietnam. It is composed of 16 wards and five communes with a total of . Quy Nhon is the capital of Bình Định province. As of 2019 its population was 457,400. H ...
, the president,
Nguyễn Văn Thiệu
Nguyễn Văn Thiệu (; 5 April 1923 – 29 September 2001) was a South Vietnamese military officer and politician who was the president of South Vietnam from 1967 to 1975. He was a general in the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, Republic o ...
, ordered the hasty evacuation of Pleiku. The military operation to attempt the withdrawal of ARVN forces, down the poorly maintained tertiary road LTL-7B through
Ayun Pa to
Tuy Hòa
Tuy Hòa () is the capital city of Phú Yên Province in south-central Vietnam. The city has a total area of and a population of 202,030 (in 2012). The city is located approximately midway between Nha Trang and Qui Nhơn. The city is formulate ...
, led to a catastrophe in which over 100,000 evacuees from Pleiku and Kon Tum were killed or left stranded without support.
Climate
References
{{Authority control
Populated places in Gia Lai province
Districts of Gia Lai province
Cities in Vietnam
Provincial capitals in Vietnam