ZnO nanowires were synthesized by vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) process using ZnO and graphite powders on the sapphire substrate coated with an Au film as a catalyst. ZnO nanowires had two prominent emission bands; i) near-band edge (NBE) emission band at 380 nm, and ii) a relatively stronger deep level (DL) emission band ($I_{NBE}/I_{DL}$ <1). In order for the ZnO nanowires to be utilized as an effective material for UV emitting devices, the photoluminescence intensity of NBE needs to be improved with the decreased intensity of DL. In the current study, hydrogen plasma treatment was performed to improve the photoluminescence characteristics of ZnO nanowires. With the hydrogen plasma treatment time of more than 120 sec, the extent of performance improvement was gradually decreased. However, the intensity ratio of NBE to DL ($I_{NBE}/I_{DL}$) was significantly improved to about 4 with a relatively short plasma treatment time of 90 sec, suggesting hydrogen plasma treatment is a promising approach to improve the photoluminescence properties of ZnO nanowires.