History of Pleiku

I moved to Pleiku nestled in the South Centrail Highlands of Vietnam in 2020. I’ve since been absolutely fascinated in the history of this beautiful, unique town. And the short history is certainly colorful! Established by the French to “pacify” the nearby Jrai and Bahnar people, in the 1960s it became one of the most significant places in the Second Indochina War due to it’s position on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. I research and write about the topics I can find based on American and Vietnamese sources (recommended reading from the Gia Lai Provincial Museum).

Pleiku, Gia Lai, Vietnam

Tây Sơn Thượng Đạo – An Khê

One thing I love is visiting historic sites. Another thing I love is the central highlands of Vietnam. And it’s exactly those twin passions that brought me to the town of An Khê. There sits, right in the heart of this town, perched not far from the Ba River, the venerable site of Tây Sơn…
Disneyland & The Golf Course: A Tour of Wartime An Khê

This post is about An Khê which is a town 70km east of Pleiku via the Mang Yang pass and 55km west of Quy Nhon via the An Khê pass. Situated between these two difficult mountain passes, the town has always been an important gateway to the insulated highland interior of Gia Lai and Kontum.…
Christmas In Wartime Gia Lai

“Christmas, 1967” The sand bags look the same:a dismal green-grey bag leaks red clayupon the bags below. Outside the perimeter,children pick though the garbage,thrown out waste of a thousand men.Christmas in Pleiku, 1967, war fillsthe surrounding hills. Across the valleywe see cloud puffs of artillery and at night red, green, amber flares dangle,shining bright beneath…
The Battle of Plei Ring

The dirt road gave way abruptly to a stretch of wet concrete drying under the sun. Nearby, men were clearing up after a days work. A glance at Google Maps suggested I was only 1.5 kilometers from my destination, so I decided to park my moped on the verge and began walking. From behind a…
Chu Dang Ya

“Teacher Will!” a small voice calls out. I turn and scan the bustling crowd to see a group of my former students grinning and waving yellow flowers, dressed in striking black Jrai clothes with intricate brocaded trim. They’re selling dã quỳ wreaths, made from the bright yellow tithonia diversifolia flowers. The occasion? The annual Chu…
Pirate Radio in Wartime Pleiku

House hunting in a small Vietnamese city, like I’ve recently been doing here in Pleiku, is pretty stressful. There are no letting agents—just a Facebook group that moves at lightning speed. Thankfully, getting out to actually view places has been rather fun for me to offset the stress; it’s given me a chance to explore…