Gia Lai province
Mountainous and in the wet season very, very wet, Gia Lai province sits in the centre of Vietnam's Central Highlands. The provincial capital, Pleiku, sits at the junction of Routes 19 and 14, making it the crossroads for any exploration of the Highlands.
Pleiku town was absolutely hammered during the Vietnam War, with the North Vietnamese razing it to the ground. It was rebuilt in the 1980's with considerable Soviet assistance, creating a concrete egg-carton style town that is totally devoid of charm -- and we're being polite.
While the town can be used as a base to explore the surrounds, many choose to use it as a junction point, heading north to Kon Tum or south to Buon Ma Thuot, where there is more to see, the locals, on average, tend to be friendlier and the towns better geared to foreign visitors.
