Four auxins (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid \[2,4-D\], indole-3-acetic acid \[IAA\], indole-3-butyric acid \[IBA\], and naphthaleneacetic acid \[NAA\]), and five cytokinins (N⁶-\[2-isopentenyl\]-adenine \[2iP\], N⁶-benzyladenine \[BA\], 6-furfurylaminopurine \[kinetin\], 1-phenyl-3-(1,2,3-thiadiazol-5-yl)-urea \[TDZ\], and 6-\[4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-enylamino\]purine \[zeatin\]) were examined for their effects on direct embryo induction from leaf explants of Dendrobium cv. Chiengmai Pink cultured on 1/2 Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium. Whether in light or darkness, explants easily became necrotic and no embryos were obtained on growth regulator-free or auxin-containing media after 60 d of culture. By contrast, five cytokinins tested induced direct embryo formation from leaf explants, and explants cultured in light had a higher embryogenic response compared with those cultured in darkness. The best condition for direct embryo induction was at 18.16 μM TDZ cultured in light for 60 d, where 33% of explants formed a mean number of 33.6 embryos per explant. During subculture on growth regulator-free 1/2 MS medium, embryos gradually developed into plantlets. Secondary embryogenesis was occasionally found on sheath leaves of embryos. Regenerated plantlets were successfully transplanted and grown in a greenhouse environment.