Pleiku and Bien Ho

A Central Highlands City Of Red Basalt Soil, Tea And Rubber, With Bien Ho, A Deep Volcanic Crater Lake Known As The Eye Of Pleiku, A Hilltop Pagoda And Jarai And Bahnar Villages With Their Carved Cemeteries And Communal Houses. A Basecamp For The Highlands Between Kon Tum And Buon Ma Thuot. A Quiet Stop, Not A Destination · Pleiku, Gia Lai

Pleiku is the provincial capital of Gia Lai in the northern Central Highlands, a cool, hilly city of about 1,000 m with an airport linking Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Its best-known sight is Bien Ho, also called T'Nung Lake, a deep blue crater lake in an old volcano about 7 km north of town, ringed by pine and eucalyptus. Closer to the centre, Minh Thanh Pagoda sits on a hilltop with views over the roofs. The countryside holds Jarai and Bahnar villages, tall communal rong houses and cemeteries with carved wooden tomb figures that are among the region's most distinctive art. Kon Tum and Buon Ma Thuot are only nearby, not a short hop. It suits people already crossing the Highlands and anyone curious about Jarai and Bahnar culture. It is worth the detour for the lake and the villages. It is not a beach, a temple city or a place for a fast tick-off. Rain falls hard from June to October, so go in the dry months.

Pleiku city and Bien Ho (the T'Nung crater lake), about 7 km north of Pleiku in Gia Lai province, in the Central Highlands, Pleiku, Gia Lai, Vietnam

Bien Ho is open in daylight, commonly from early morning to late afternoon, and the lakeside park may charge a small gate fee; the shore viewpoints on the road are FREE. Boats and paddle craft run when the weather allows and can be CLOSED in strong wind, storm or heavy rain. Minh Thanh Pagoda is open daily during the day and is FREE; ask staff about midday pauses. Village rong houses and cemeteries have no fixed hours and are visited with a guide or by asking a neighbour, and they are CLOSED to visitors during funerals and ceremonies. Cafes and shops in Pleiku open early and close by evening.

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