An Khê

An Khê is a town (thị xã) of Gia Lai Province in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam.

For the episode from The West Wing, see An Khe (The West Wing).

An Khê

An Khe Town
Town (Class-4)
Town of An Khê
The Center of An Khê town
Country Vietnam
RegionCentral Highlands
ProvinceGia Lai Province
CapitalAn Khê
Area
 • Total77.25 sq mi (200.07 km2)
Population
 (2019)
 • Total81,600
Time zoneUTC+7 (Indochina Time)

As of 2003 the district had a population of 63,118.[1] The district covers an area of 199 km². The district capital lies at An Khê.[1]

Located on the main highway, QL-19, between Qui Nhơn on the coast and Pleiku in the Central Highlands, An Khê was of strategic significance during the Vietnam War.

History

First Indochina War

The Battle of Mang Yang Pass, the last major battle of the First Indochinese War, started near An Khê: on June 24, 1954, French colonial Groupe Mobile 100 received orders to abandon its defensive position at An Khê and to fall back to the safer Pleiku, some 50 miles away over Route Coloniale 19. At the road marker 'Kilometer 15' the column was ambushed by Việt Minh troops belonging to the 803rd Regiment and suffered heavy losses.

Second Indochina War

In August 1965 the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division established their main base, Camp Radcliff, near An Khê. In September of that year, the Battle of An Ninh took place about 30 km east of the town. Camp Radcliff remained in use by various U.S. Army units until late 1970 after which it was turned over to the ARVN.

  • An Khê airfield, 1965

References
  1. "Districts of Vietnam". Statoids. Archived from the original on 1 March 2009. Retrieved March 13, 2009.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.