Current Time in Binjai, Indonesia

Binjai is a city in the province of North Sumatra, Indonesia, lying about twenty kilometres west of the provincial capital Medan on the coastal plain that stretches between the Strait of Malacca and the Barisan mountains. The Bingai and Mencirim rivers cross the district, and the surrounding land is a patchwork of oil palm, rubber and fruit plantations. Beyond the fields, the blue outline of the mountains that hold the great rainforests of Sumatra rises to the west.

Roughly two hundred and ninety thousand people live here. Although administratively an independent city, Binjai functions in practice as part of the greater Medan region, and many residents work or study in the larger city. Its own economy rests on agriculture and food processing, on rubber and palm oil, on trade along the busy trans-Sumatran highway and on small industry. Binjai is best known throughout Indonesia for its rambutan, a sweet red-haired tropical fruit, and a local variety carries the city's name.

The name itself is said to come from a large binjai tree, a relative of the mango, that once stood by the river where traders gathered. The area formed part of the Sultanate of Langkat, a Malay state that grew wealthy in the late nineteenth century when tobacco and rubber plantations were opened by Dutch companies and oil was discovered nearby at Pangkalan Brandan, among the earliest petroleum fields in Southeast Asia. Binjai developed as a plantation and railway town, receiving Javanese labourers, Chinese merchants and Karo Batak migrants from the highlands, and it became a separate municipality after independence.

The city itself is calm and green, with a central square, colonial-era shophouses, mosques, Chinese temples and churches standing close together. Visitors enjoy the fruit markets, the Chinese temple complexes and the parks along the river. Its main importance for travellers, however, is as a gateway. The road west leads to Bukit Lawang on the edge of Gunung Leuser National Park, one of the few places on earth where wild orangutans can be seen in their natural habitat, with jungle treks, river tubing and rainforest lodges. Further routes lead to the highland town of Berastagi with its active volcanoes and to the vast crater lake of Toba.

Binjai is notably diverse, with Malay, Karo, Javanese, Batak Toba, Mandailing, Chinese and Indian communities living side by side, and its food reflects this mixture, from soto and nasi goreng to Karo grilled dishes, Chinese noodles and Indian curries. Religious festivals of several faiths are celebrated openly and often together.

The city lies on the main highway and railway between Medan and Aceh, so buses and trains are frequent, and Kualanamu International Airport is around ninety minutes away. Several private universities, an Islamic institute and numerous colleges serve local students, with the large universities of Medan close at hand.

Binjai is worth knowing as a friendly, fruit-growing city and the doorway to the rainforests of northern Sumatra.