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Pleiku is a town in central Vietnam, located in that nation's central highland region. It is the...

Pleiku is a town in central Vietnam, located in that nation's central highland region. It is the capital of the Gia Lai Province; it is inhabited primarily by the Bahnar and Jarai ethnic groups, sometimes known as the Montagnards or Degar. 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. The town sits at the junction of several highways - the northern road to Kontum and the highway west to Stœng Trêng in Cambodia. The city is home to the Hoang Anh Gia Lai club. Pleiku is served by Pleiku Airport in the near outskirt of the city. It 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 Nhon. Additionally, its central location on the plateau, between Kontum in the north, and Ban Me Thuot to the south, and the North Vietnamese Army's base areas in 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.