Located in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam, Pleiku Gia Lai is home to 28 ethnic groups in Vietnam, of which the Kinh people account for more than 80% of the total population. This city is famous for Central Highlands Gong culture and Central Highlands epics. Epic of the Central Highlands was born around the 16th century, with hundreds of works. Gongs in the Central Highlands have existed for thousands of generations and in 2005, the Central Highlands Gong cultural space was recognized by UNESCO as the intangible and oral culture of mankind.
I - Where is Pleiku Vietnam?
Source: Internet
This city is located in the North of the Central Highlands of Vietnam, at an altitude of 700-800m above sea level. It is more than 1200km from Hanoi and about 600km from Ho Chi Minh City. It is considered as the cultural-economic-political center of Gia Lai province. From other destinations in Vietnam, the best ways to travel here are by airplane and by bus.
1 - Traveling to Pleiku City by airplane
Source: Bazzan
The nearest airport is Pleiku Airport
- Address: 17/3 street, Thong Nhat ward, right in the city center.
- IATA code PXU and ICAO code VVPK.
- Airlines Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways, Jetstar Pacific currently have flights to this airport from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong.
2 - Traveling to Pleiku Vietnam by bus
If traveling by bus, passengers will get off at Duc Long Gia Lai bus station. There are daily bus routes from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang City, Hue, Dak Lak, Vung Tau City, Can Tho, Laos, Cambodia,... to Duc Trong Gia Lai bus station.
Duc Long Gia Lai bus station address: No.43 Ly Nam De Street, Tra Ba Ward, city center
Here are some bus operators that have bus routes to Pleiku Gia Lai from some major cities in Vietnam:
From Hanoi
Travel time: 25 hours. Some buses are as follow:
Thuan Tien bus
- Departure from Nuoc Ngam Bus Station - Giai Phong Street, Hoang Mai District, Hanoi
- Departure time: 9am
- Contact: 0905079596 - 0934964414
- Ticket price: 600,000 VND/person ($25.8)
Thuan Y bus
- Departure from Nuoc Ngam Bus Station
- Departure time: 8:30am
- Contact: 02693877877 - 0965728855
- Ticket price: 600,000 VND/person ($25.8)
From Danang City
Travel time from Danang City to Pleiku City by bus is about 7 hours. Some buses are as follow:
Duc Dat bus:
- Departure from Da Nang central bus station - Ton Duc Thang Street, Lien Chieu District, Danang City at 8pm
- Contact: 1900779938
- Ticket price: 220,000 VND/person ($9.5)
Hong Hai Limousine
- Departure from Danang City at 7:45pm, 8:15pm, 8:30pm, 9pm
- Contact: http://xekhachhonghai.com
- Ticket price: 200,000 - 400,000 VND/person ($8.6 - 17.2)
From Nha Trang City
Lien Hung bus from Nha Trang to Pleiku
- Departure from Southern Bus Station - No.58 23/10 Street, Vinh Trung Ward, Nha Trang City
- Departure time: 7:30pm
- Contact: 19002679
- Ticket price: 245,000 VND/person ($10.56)
From Ho Chi Minh City
Thuan Tien bus
- Departure from Mien Dong bus station - No.292 Dinh Bo Linh Street, Ward 26, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City
- Departure time: 9am
- Contact: 0901926969
- Ticket price: 250,000 VND/person ($10.77)
Truong Thanh bus
- Departure from Mien Dong bus station at 7pm
- Contact: 0985281281
- Ticket price: 300,000 VND/person ($13)
II - Pleiku weather & the best time to visit
Source: VnExpress
Belonging to the tropical monsoon climate, there are 2 seasons here: rainy season (from May - October) and dry season (November - April). The average temperature here is about 23.5°C (the highest temperature can reach 36°C and the lowest can drop to 6°C but not often).
The best time to travel in Pleiku City is in the dry season because at this time the weather is dry and sunny, suitable for traveling & participating in outdoor activities. Especially in November - January, there are many interesting festival activities such as the new rice festival, Gong festival, buffalo stabbing festival, etc. This is the time when wild sunflowers bloom, creating a brilliant highland natural scene.
III - What to do in Pleiku Vietnam?
The recommended way to get around and explore the scenic spots in this city is to rent a motorbike at a price of 100,000 - 200,000 VND/day ($4.3 - 8.6). Some motorbike rental shops:
Gia Lai motorbike and car rental
- Address: No.35 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, Hoa Lu Ward, city center
- Contact: 096 610 87 77
Gia Lai scooter for rent
- Address: No.111A Truong Son Street, Yen The Ward, city center
- Contact: 0869697981 or chothuexemaygialai@gmail.com
- Website: https://thuexemaygialai.com/
Pleiku motorbike for rent
- Address: No.420 Truong Chinh Street, Tra Ba Ward, city center
- Contact: 098 864 44 46
1 - Visiting T'nung lake - top 4 attractions in Pleiku City
Source: Phan Nguyen
Lake T'Nung or Bien Ho, belonging to Lam Vien Bien Ho - Chu Dang Ya Ecotourism Area, is a natural lake, formed on the crater of a volcano that has stopped erupting for millions of years. The reason people call T'Nung Lake "Bien Ho" is because this lake covers an extremely large area. The water of T'Nung lake is always clear and deep-blue like the sparkling eyes of a girl. A romantic scenery is made up of winding roads, green pine tree lines, and a fresh large lake.
- Location: Bien Ho commune, Pleiku City - about 7km to the north of the city center
- Ticket price: 10,000 VND/person ($0.43). Tickets are sold at the entrance to Lam Vien Bien Ho - Chu Dang Ya eco-tourism area at No.202 Ton Duc Thang street, Bien Ho commune.
2 - Dong Xanh cultural park
Located on a vast green field, the park is likened to a "miniature Central Highlands" with many meaningful and typical architectural works represented for the culture of the Central Highlands.
Dong Xanh cultural park is an impressive attraction in Pleiku Gia Lai - Source: Internet
At the park gate, you are impressed by the vividly carved stone statues of 2 elephants (Elephants are very close animals in the life of the Central Highlands people in general).
Entering the park, you will be amazed by the large, well-built space. There is a cultural area of ethnic groups with the architecture of Rong house & stilt house, T'nung musical instrument, statues simulating the life of ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands; the area of the temple of the Hung Kings with statues of 18 Hung Kings made of bronze...
In this Pleiku attraction, there are also some typical works such as One Pillar Pagoda - built as a prototype according to One Pillar Pagoda in Hanoi; statues of King of Water & King of Fire - 2 important symbols in the beliefs of the Central Highlands; and fossil trees dating back hundreds of millions of years,...
Location: An Phu commune - about 10km from the city center along Highway 19.
3 - Minh Thanh Pagoda - the most unique temple in the Central Highlands
The architecture of Minh Thanh Pagoda is a harmonious combination of Vietnamese, Tibetan and Japanese architectural styles. Visiting Pleiku City, it must be a great pity if you miss this unique pagoda. The pagoda has a large campus, which is interspersed with many miniatures such as green trees and lakes, creating a green and airy natural space. Visitors can admire a unique architecture and enjoy the peaceful space of this sacred spiritual place.
Minh Thanh Pagoda is a must-visied tourist spot in Pleiku Vietnam - Source: Internet
The most impressive works in the pagoda include: 7.5m high stone statue of Amitabha Buddha weighing nearly 40 tons placed in the heart of Lien Tri Lake, the largest bronze incense burner in Vietnam, the 9-storey Xa Loi stupa with a height of 70m, 3000 Buddha statues are neatly arranged, 8 Arhat statues are made from jackfruit wood with a height of 1.3m and a weight of 300kg, painted with golden lacquer.
Location: No.348 Nguyen Viet Xuan Street, Hoi Phu Ward - about 2km to the southwest of the city center
4 - Gia Lai Museum in Pleiku City Center
Gia Lai Museum - Source: Internet
Gia Lai Museum in the city center stores and displays nearly 7,000 artifacts, including rare antiques that keep cultural imprints of the ethnic groups here.
Address: No.21 Tran Hung Dao street, Tay Son Ward, city center
Suggested itinerary of discovery:
- Morning: Dong Xanh cultural park, Minh Thanh pagoda
- Afternoon: Gia Lai museum, T'Nung Lake
5 - Cuisine of Pleiku Vietnam
Source: Internet
Top 3 local specialties that you should not miss:
Gia Lai dry pho
When served, Gia Lai Dry Pho includes 2 separate parts, broth, and noodles. The clear broth is stewed from the bones of the tube for many hours along with typical spices to create the typical aroma for the pho broth. The noodles are flexible, topped with chicken, minced meat, fried onions, and herbs. A bowl of dry pho costs about 35,000 VND ($1.5).
Places to eat delicious Gia Lai dry pho in Pleiku Gia Lai:
- Hong dry pho - No.4 Nguyen Van Troi Street, Hoi Thuong Ward
- Ngoc Son dry pho - No.15 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hoi Thuong Ward
Grilled chicken, bamboo-tube rice
After seasoning with local spices, the chicken is clamped to a bamboo stick & roasted over a charcoal oven. Bamboo tube rice is made from fragrant sticky rice, put in a bamboo tube, and grilled over charcoal with chicken. The flavors of the two dishes blend wonderfully to create a combo that you should not miss when visiting Pleiku. Bamboo tube rice costs 20,000 VND/tube ($0.9) and Grilled chicken costs about 200,000 VND/serving ($8.6)
Places to enjoy:
- Ga Nuong Bazan - No.480 Le Duan Street, Phu Dong Ward
- Ga Nuong Com Lam Bien Ho - Ky Con Street, Yen The Ward
Noodles with fermented crab sauce
This is a famous specialty in Gia Lai. Firm crabs are fermented to make crab sauce. Because of natural fermentation, the taste of crab noodle soup is quite strong. A bowl of crab noodle soup costs from 10,000 VND - 20,000 VND ($0.4 - 0.9).
Places to enjoy:
No.87 Phan Dinh Phung Street, Yen Do Ward or No.19 Phung Hung Street, Yen The Ward.
IV - Other information about Pleiku tourism
1 - Pleiku accommodation
You can choose one of the following hotels:
7S Hotel Pleiku
- Address: No.3 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, Hoa Lu Ward,
- Price: 1,300,000 VND/room/night ($56)
- Contact: 0269 3827 779
Hoang Anh Gia Lai Hotel
- Address: No.01 Phu Dong Street, Hoi Phu Ward
- Price: 1,000,000 VND/room/night ($43)
- Contact: 0269 3873 776
Boston Hotel
- Address: No.212 Su Van Hanh Street, Hoi Thuong Ward
- Price: 900,000 VND/room/night ($38.7)
- Contact: 0269 6269 269
There are a myriad of hotels in Pleiku City - Source: Agoda
Mekong Gia Lai Hotel
- Address: No.102/2 Le Duan Street, Phu Dong Ward
- Price: 400,000 VND/room/night ($17.2)
- Contact: 0269 3888 886
Hai Yen Hotel
- Address: No.59 Ta Quang Buu Street, Hoa Lu Ward
- Price: 300,000 VND/room/night ($8.6)
- Price: 0269 3822 777
- Website: http://www.khachsankhaiyen.com
Nha Toi Homestay
- Address: No.439 Ngo Quyen Street, Tra Da Commune
- Price: 250,000 VND/room/night ($13)
- Contact: 090 535 82 55
2 - Top-rated Pleiku restaurants
Some of the best restaurants that you can refer to:
Lang Nuong Tay Nguyen Restaurant - Mountain Cuisine
Lang Nuong Tay Nguyen is a famous local restaurant serving grilled dishes such as Grilled Chicken with bamboo tube Rice, and many grilled dishes from pork and beef.
- Address: Alley 196 Le Thanh Ton Street, Dien Hong Ward
- Price: 100,000 VND/item ($4.3)
- Menu: grilled chicken, lam rice, grilled beef with pink fire, grilled pork,...
Thien Thanh Garden Restaurant
- Address: No.58 Pham Van Dong Street, Hoa Lu Ward, Pleiku City
- Price: 50,000 VND/dish ($2)
- Menu: Lam rice, grilled chicken, grilled wild boar,...
Trau Cau Restaurant
- Address: No.57 Thong Nhat Street, Dien Hong Ward
- Contact: 0269 3821 935
Ga Nuong Bazan
Ga Nuong Bazan restaurant is surrounded by the fresh atmosphere of mountains and forests. You can enjoy the signature dishes such as bamboo tube rice, grilled dishes,...
- Address: No.480 Le Duan Street, Thang Loi Ward
- Price: 20,000 VND/dish ($0.9)
- Menu: vegetable dishes (boiled, fried, steamed,..), grilled shrimp, pork ear salad, bamboo tube rice,...
That is an intensely detail-heavy travel guide to Pleiku Vietnam from the Local Travel Idea that provides you with some interesting things in terms of attractions, culture, and people.
