Pleiku

Pleiku, Vietnamese Play Ku, city, central Vietnam, located in the central highlands. The city has a hospital, a commercial airfield, and several air bases that are a legacy of its strategic importance during the later stages of the Vietnam War (1965–75). It lies in a mountainous region inhabited mainly by Bahnar and Jarai peoples, sometimes referred to as Montagnards (French: “Mountain Dwellers”). Tea, coffee, handicrafts, timber, and upland rice are the main products of the region. Pleiku is at the crossroads of several upland highways, including the road north to Cong Tum and the road west to Stœng Trêng, Cambodia. Pop. (1999) 95,196; (2009) 162,051.