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'Ho Chi Minh City' (Vietnamese: Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh ) is the largest city in Vietnam and is located near the Mekong Delta. Under the name 'Prey Nokor' (Khmer: ), it was the main port of Cambodia, before being annexed by the Vietnamese in the 17th century. Under the name 'Saigon' (Vietnamese: Sài Gòn; ), it was the capital of the French colony of Cochinchina, and later of the independent state of South Vietnam from 1954 to 1975. In 1975, Saigon was merged with the surrounding province of Gia Định and renamed Ho Chi Minh City (although the name ''Saigon'' is still frequently used, particularly by its citizens).
The city center is situated on the banks of the Saigon River, from the South China Sea [1] and south of Hanoi capital.
The metropolitan area which consists of Ho Chi Minh city metro area, Thu Dau Mot and surrounding towns has more than 9 million people, making it the largest metropolitan area in Vietnam and Indochina.

Contents

Origin of the name

Original Khmer name

Traditional Vietnamese name

Sino-Vietnamese etymology

Khmer etymology

Cantonese etymology

Current Vietnamese name

History

Geography and climate

Political and administrative system

Demographics

Economy

Education

Public Health

Transportation

Media, Culture and Entertainment

External links

Origin of the name

Original Khmer name

The city was known by its original Khmer inhabitants as 'Prey Nokor' (). Prey Nokor means "forest city", or "forest land" in Khmer (Prey = "forest"; Nokor = "city, land", from Sanskrit ''nagara'').
The name Prey Nokor is still the name used in Cambodia today, as well as the name used by the Khmer Krom minority living in the delta of the Mekong.

Traditional Vietnamese name

After Prey Nokor was settled by Vietnamese refugees from the north, in time it became known as 'Sài Gòn'. There is much debate about the origins of the Vietnamese name Sài Gòn, whose etymology is analyzed below.
It should be noted, however, that before the French colonization, the official Vietnamese name of Saigon was '' (chu nom: ). In 1862, the French discarded this official name and adopted the name "Saigon", which had always been the popular name.
From an orthographic point of view, the Vietnamese name Sài Gòn is written in two words, which is the traditional convention in Vietnamese spelling. Some people, however, write the name of the city as SàiGòn or Sàigòn in order to save space or give it a more westernized look.

Sino-Vietnamese etymology

A frequently heard and most reasonable etymology is that Sài is a Chinese loan word (Chinese: , pronounced in Mandarin) meaning "firewood, lops, twigs; palisade", while Gòn is another Chinese loan word (Chinese: , pronounced gùn in Mandarin) meaning "stick, pole, bole", and whose meaning evolved into "cotton" in Vietnamese (''bông gòn'', literally "cotton stick", i.e. "cotton plant", then shortened to ''gòn''). Concluding that as the most plausible etymology.
Some people say that this name originated from the many cotton plants that the Khmer people had planted around Prey Nokor, and which can still be seen at Cây Mai temple and surrounding areas.^[1]
Another explanation is that the etymological meaning "twigs" (''sài'') and "boles" (''gòn'') refers to the dense and tall forest that once existed around the city, a forest to which the Khmer name Prey Nokor already referred.
Chinese people in Vietnam and in China do not use the name ; (pronounced Chaai-Gwan in Cantonese and Cháigùn in Mandarin), although etymologically speaking it is the Chinese name from which the Vietnamese name Sài Gòn is derived (if the theory here is correct). Instead, they call the city ; (pronounced Sai-Gung in Cantonese and in Mandarin), which is a mere phonetic transliteration of the name "Saigon."

Khmer etymology

Another etymology often proposed is that "Saigon" comes from "Sai Con", which would be the transliteration of the Khmer word ''prey kor'' () meaning "forest of kapok trees" (''prey'' = forest; ''kor'' = kapok tree). The Khmer word ''prey kor'' should not be confused with the Khmer name "Prey Nokor" discussed above (''kor'' is a Khmer word meaning "kapok tree", while ''nokor'' is a Khmer word of Sanskrit origin meaning "city, land").
This Khmer etymology theory is quite interesting given the Khmer context that existed when the first Vietnamese settlers arrived in the region. However, it fails to completely explain how Khmer "''prey''" led to Vietnamese "Sài", since these two syllables appear phonetically quite distinct and as the least reasonable and least likely candidate from the the khmer etymology.

Cantonese etymology

A plausible etymology was offered by Vương Hồng Sển, a Vietnamese scholar in the early 20th century, who asserted that ''Sài Gòn'' had its origins in the Cantonese name of Cholon (Vietnamese: quoc ngu ; chu nom ) , the Chinese district of Saigon. The Cantonese (and original) name of Cholon is "Tai-Ngon" (), which means "embankment" (French: ''quais''). The theory posits that "Sài Gòn" derives from "Tai-Ngon".

Current Vietnamese name

On May 1, 1975, after the fall of South Vietnam, the now ruling communist government renamed the city after the alias of their leader Ho Chi Minh (chu nom: ). The official name is now ''Thành Chí Minh'' (''Thành '' means "city"), often abbreviated TPHCM. In English this is translated as 'Ho Chi Minh City', abbreviated HCMC, and in French it is translated as 'Hô Chi Minh Ville' (the circumflex is sometimes omitted), abbreviated HCMV. Still, the old name Sài Gòn/Saigon is widely used by Vietnamese and is found in company names, book titles and sometimes on airport departure boards (the code for Tan Son Nhat International Airport is SGN). The district 1 (downtown) is still called Saigon.

History

Ho Chi Minh City began as a small fishing village known as Prey Nokor. The area that the city now occupies was originally swampland, and was inhabited by Khmer people for centuries before the arrival of the Vietnamese.
In 1623, King Chey Chettha II of Cambodia (1618-1628) allowed Vietnamese refugees fleeing the Trinh-Nguyen civil war in Vietnam to settle in the area of Prey Nokor, and to set up a custom house at Prey Nokor. Increasing waves of Vietnamese settlers, which the Cambodian kingdom, weakened because of war with Thailand, could not impede, slowly Vietnamized the area. In time, Prey Nokor became known as Saigon.
In 1698, Nguyen Huu Canh, a Vietnamese noble, was sent by the Nguyen rulers of Huế to establish Vietnamese administrative structures in the area, thus detaching the area from Cambodia, which was not strong enough to intervene. He is often credited with the expansion of Saigon into a significant settlement. A large Vauban citadel called Gia Dinh has been built, which was later destroyed by the French over the Battle of Chi Hoa.
Conquered by France in 1859, the city was influenced by the French during their colonial occupation of Vietnam, and a number of classical Western-style buildings in the city reflect this, so much so that Saigon was called "the Pearl of the Far East" (''Hòn ngọc Viễn Đông'') or "Paris in the Orient" (''Paris Phương Đông'').
In 1954, the French were defeated by the Communist Viet Minh in the Battle of Điện Biên Phủ, and withdrew from Vietnam. Rather than recognizing the Communists as the new government, they gave their backing to a government established by Emperor Bảo Đại. Bảo Đại had set up Saigon as his capital in 1950. At that time Saigon and the city of Cholon (Chợ Lớn), which was inhabited primarily by Vietnamese Chinese, were combined into one administrative unit, called the Capital of Saigon (''Đô Thành Sài Gòn'' in Vietnamese). When Vietnam was officially partitioned into North Vietnam (the Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (the Republic of Vietnam), the southern government, led by President Ngô Đình Diệm, retained Saigon as its capital.
At the conclusion of the American War/Vietnam War, on April 30 1975, the city came under the control of the Vietnam People's Army. In the U.S. this event is commonly called the "Fall of Saigon," while the communist Socialist Republic of Vietnam call it the "Liberation of Saigon."
In 1976, upon the establishment of the unified communist Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the city of Saigon (including Cholon), the province of Gia Ðịnh and 2 suburban districts of two other nearby provinces were combined to create Hồ Chí Minh City in honour of the late communist leader Hồ Chí Minh. The former name ''Saigon'' is still widely used by many Vietnamese, especially in informal contexts. Generally, the term ''Saigon'' refers only to the urban districts of Hồ Chí Minh City. The word "Saigon" can also be found on shop signs all over the country, even in Hanoi.
Today, the city's core is still adorned with wide elegant boulevards and historic French colonial buildings. The most prominent structures in the city center are Reunification Hall (''Dinh Thống Nhất''), City Hall (''Uy ban Nhan dan Thanh pho''), City Theater (''Nha hat Thanh pho''), City Post Office (''Buu dien Thanh pho''), Revolutionary Museum (''Bao tang Cach mang''), State Bank Office (''Ngan hang Nha nuoc''), City People's Court (''Toa an Nhan dan Thanh pho'') and Notre-Dame Cathedral (''Nhà thờ Đức Bà'').
Ho Chi Minh City is home to a well-established ethnic Chinese population. Cholon, now known as District 5 and the parts of Districts 6, 10 and 11, serves as its Chinatown.
With a population now exceeding 7 million (registered residents plus migrant workers), Ho Chi Minh City is in need of vast increase in public infrastructure. To meet this need, the city and central governments have embarked on an effort to develop new urban centers. The two most prominent projects are the Thu Thiem city center in District 2 and the Phu My Hung New City Center in District 7 (as part of the Saigon South project) where various international schools such as Saigon South International (The American School), the Japanese school, Australia's Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, the Taiwan and Korea schools are located).

Geography and climate

Ho Chi Minh City is located at 10°45'N, 106°40'E in the southeastern region of Vietnam, 1,760 km (1,094 miles) south of Hanoi. The average elevation is 19 meters (63 ft) above sea level. It borders Tay Ninh and Binh Duong provinces to the north, Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces to the east, Long An Province to the west and the South China Sea to the south with a coast of 15 km in length. The city covers an area of 2,095 km² (809 sq mi) (0.63% of the surface of Vietnam), extending up to Cu Chi (12mi/20 km from the Cambodian border), and down to Can Gio on the East Sea coast. The distance from the northernmost point (Phu My Hung Commune, Cu Chi District) to the southernmost one (Long Hoa Commune, Can Gio District) is , and from the easternmost point (Long Binh Ward, District Nine) to the westernmost one (Binh Chanh Commune, Binh Chanh District) is .
The city has a tropical climate, with an average humidity of 75%. A year is divided into 2 distinct seasons: The rainy season with an average rainfall of about annually (about 150 rainy days per year), which usually begins in May and ends in late November. The dry season lasts from December to April. The average temperature is , the highest temperature sometimes reaches around noon in late April, while the lowest may fall below in the early mornings of late December.

Political and administrative system

Hồ Chí Minh City is a municipality that exists at the same level as Vietnam's provinces. As such, it has a similar political structure to its provinces, with a People's Council of 95 elected deputies, and a People's Committee of 13 members chosen by the council, being the principal local governmental entities. The ''People's Council Chairman'' is the top governmental official while the ''People's Committee Chairman'' is the top executive of the city, instead of a single mayor position as in other cities in the world. The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) leads all political-economic-social activities in the country, therefore the ''CPV HCMC Committee Secretary'' is really the highest ranking leader of the city.
The municipality has been divided into twenty-four administrative divisions since December 2003. Five of these {Area: 1,601 km²} are designated as ''suburban districts'' ("Huyện" in Vietnamese), covering the urbanized - farmland around the city which is included in the municipality's official boundaries. These districts are named Nhà Bè, Cần Giờ, Hóc Môn, Củ Chi, and Bình Chánh. The remaining nineteen divisions {Area: 494 km²} are found in the city itself. Only seven of these nineteen ''inner districts'' ("Quận" in Vietnamese) have names (Tân Bình, Bình Thạnh, Phú Nhuận, Thủ Dức, Bình Tân, Tân Phú and Gò Vấp) - the remainder are simply numbered from one to twelve. Each inner district is sub-divided into many wards ("Phường" in Vietnamese), while a suburban district usually consists of many communes and townships ("Xã" and "Thị trấn" in Vietnamese). Since December 2006, Ho Chi Minh City has had 259 wards, 58 communes and 5 townships (see List of HCMC administrative units below).

List of HCMC Administrative Units
Name of district (since December 2003)	Sub-division units (since December 2006)	Area (km²) (since December 2006)	Population as of the October 1, 2004 Census	Population as of Mid 2005
''Inner Districts:''
District 1	10 wards	7.73	198,032	199,899
District 2	11 wards	49.74	125,136	126,084
District 3	14 wards	4.92	201,122	199,297
District 4	15 wards	4.18	180,548	185,268
District 5 ''(Cholon)''	15 wards	4.27	170,367	192,157
District 6 ''(Cholon)''	14 wards	7.19	241,379	243,416
District 7	10 wards	35.69	159,490	163,608
District 8	16 wards	19.18	360,722	366,251
District 9	13 wards	114	202,948	207,696
District 10	15 wards	5.72	235,231	235,370
District 11	16 wards	5.14	224,785	225,908
District 12	11 wards	52.78	290.129	299,306
Go Vap District	16 wards	19.74	452,083	468,468
Tan Binh District	15 wards	22.38	397,569	394,281
Tan Phu District	11 wards	16.06	366,399	372,519
Binh Thanh District	20 wards	20.76	423,896	435,300
Phu Nhuan District	15 wards	4.88	175,293	175,716
Thu Duc District	12 wards	47.76	336,571	346,329
Binh Tan District	10 wards	51.89	398,712	403,643
'Total Inner Districts'	'259 wards'	'494.01'	'5,140,412'	'5,240,516'
''Suburban Districts:''
Cu Chi District	20 communes and 1 township	434.50	288,279	296,032
Hoc Mon District	11 communes and 1 township	109.18	245,381	251,812
Binh Chanh District	15 communes and 1 township	252.69	304,168	311,702
Nha Be District	6 communes and 1 township	100.41	72,740	73,432
Can Gio District	6 communes and 1 township	704.22	66,272	66,444
'Total Suburban Districts'	'58 communes and 5 townships'	'1,601'	'976,839'	'999,422'
'Whole City'	'259 wards, 58 communes and 5 townships'	'2,095.01'	'6,117,251'	'6,239,938'

Demographics

The population of Ho Chi Minh City, as of the October 1, 2004 Census, was 6,117,251 (of which 19 inner districts had 5,140,412 residents and 5 suburban districts had 976,839 inhabitants). In the middle of 2005 the city's population was estimated to be 6,239,938 (of which 19 inner districts had 5,240,516 residents and 5 suburban districts had 999,422 inhabitants), or about 7.4% of the total population of Vietnam; making it the highest population-concentrated city in the country. As an administrative unit, its population is also the largest at the provincial level. As the largest economic and financial hub of Vietnam, HCMC has attracted more and more immigrants from other Vietnamese provinces in recent years; therefore, its population is growing rapidly. From 1999 - 2004, the city population has increased by about 200,000 people per year.
The majority of the population are ethnic Vietnamese (Kinh) at about 90%. Other ethnic minorities include Chinese (Hoa) with 8%, (the largest Chinese community in Vietnam) and other minorities (Khmer, Cham, Nung, Rhade) 2%.
The inhabitants of Ho Chi Minh City are usually known as "Saigonese" in English, "Saigonnais" in French and "dân Sài Gòn" in Vietnamese.
The Kinh speak Vietnamese with their respective regional accents: Southern (about 50%), Northern (30%) and Central Vietnam (20%); while the Hoa speak Cantonese, Teochew (Chaozhou), Hokkien, Hainanese and Hakka dialects of Chinese (only a few speak Mandarin Chinese). A varying degree of English is spoken especially in the tourism and commerce sectors where dealing with foreign nationals is a necessity, so English has become a de facto second language for some Saigonese.
According to some researchers the religious breakup in HCMC is as follows: Buddhism (all sects) 80%, Roman Catholic 11%, Protestant 2%, others (Cao Dai, Hoa Hao, Islam, Hinduism) 2%, and no religion or unknown 5%.

Economy

Saigon is the most important economic center in Vietnam. Saigon accounts for a big percentage of Vietnam's economy. Some 300,000 businesses, including many large enterprises, are involved in high-tech, electronic, processing and light industries, also in construction, building materials and agro-products. Investors are still pouring in money into the city. Currently, the city has 15 industrial parks (IP) and export-processing zones (EPZ), in addition to the Quang Trung Software Park and the Sai Gon Hi-tech Park (SHTP). Intel invested about 1 billion dollar factory in the city.There are 171 medium and large scale markets, tens of supermarket chains, dozens of luxury shopping malls and many modern fashion or beauty centers. There are many malls and shopping plazas developing in the city. Over 50 banks with hundreds of branches and about 20 insurance companies are situated inside the city. The first Stock Exchange of Vietnam was opened in the city in 2001 and is today one of Asia's best performing Stock Markets.
In 2005, the city's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was estimated at USD 11.6 billion, or about USD 1,850 per capita, (up 12.2% on 2004) and accounting for 20% GDP of the country. The GDP calculating Parity Purchasing Power method (PPP), attained USD 56 billion, or about USD 8,900 per capita (approximately 3.5 times higher than the country's average). The city's Industrial Product Value was USD 5.6 billion, equivalent to 30% of the whole nation. Export - Import Turnover through HCMC ports took USD 29 billion, or 40% of the national total. Ho Chi Minh City has also contributed about 30% to the national budget's revenue annually ,.

Education

Higher education in Saigon is quite developed, concentrating about 50 universities and colleges with a total of over 300,000 students in such places as:
Ho Chi Minh City National University with 35,000 students, the most important university in the Southern Region, consisting of 6 main member schools: The University of Natural Sciences (formerly Saigon College of Sciences); The University of Social Sciences and Humanities (formerly Saigon College of Letters); The University of Polytechnic (formerly Phu Tho National Institute of Technology); The International University, Faculty of Economics and the newly-established University of Information Technology.
Some other important higher education establishments include: HCMC University of Pedagogy, University of Economics, University of Architecture, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Nong Lam University (formerly University of Agriculture and Forestry), University of Law, University of Technical Education, University of Banking, University of Transport, University of Industry, Open University, University of Sports and Physical Education, University of Fine Art, University of Culture the Conservatory of Music and the Saigon Institute of Technology.
The RMIT University with about 2,000 students, the unique foreign-invested higher-education unit in Vietnam at the present, was founded in 2002 by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) of Australia.

Public Health

The health care system of the city is relatively developed with a chain of about 100 publicly owned hospitals or medical centers and dozens of privately owned clinics. The health care is the best in the Indochina area. These establishments are equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment. The 1,400 bed Chợ Rẫy Hospital, upgraded by Japanese aid and the French-sponsored Institute of Cardiology, are among the top medical facilities in Indochina. The Hoa Hao Medical Diagnosis Center (Medic) and FV Hospital have recently attracted many clients, including foreigners, because of their good quality of service and modern equipment. Patients come from cities in nearby provinces and Cambodia as well. The hospitals with close to international standards quality are:

★ Centre Medical International

★ Cho Ray Hospital, the largest hospital in Ho Chi Minh City

★ Columbia Asia Medical Center

★ Family Medical Practice

★ Franco-Vietnamese Hospital

★ Gia Dinh Clinic

★ Grand Dentistry

★ International SOS (Previously OSCAT/AEA Vietnam Company)

★ Saigon Clinic

Transportation

Vietnam Airlines is the national carrier of Vietnam. The airline currently operates a modern fleet of Western-built aircraft, including ATR72, Airbus 320 & 321, Boeing 777, Fokker 100's and the 787 in the near future. It operates over 20 domestic routes and to 39 international destinations. Vietnam's second airline, Pacific Airlines, is using a leased fleet of Boeing 737s and A320s. Tan Son Nhat International Airport, a joint civilian and military airport, is located north of the center (District 1) of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Taxi and bus services are available for travel to and from the airport and within the city. Because of the rapid growing number of air-passengers and Tan Son Nhat Airport's proximity to the center of the city, the Vietnamese Government has prepared to build a new international airport near Long Thanh Township, Dong Nai Province about to the northeast.

Generally speaking, Ho Chi Minh city's road system is not in good condition - some of its streets are riddled with potholes. This is especially true of the city's numerous back streets and alleyways, which are sometimes little more than dirt paths. Traveling by bus is the only public transport available although the city is seeking financing sources for implementing metro (subway) and elevated train projects, including the Ho Chi Minh City Metro planned for completion in 2020. Recently, the number of motorcycles has increased to about 3 million. There are also over 500,000 automobiles, packing the city's arterial roads and making traffic congestion and air pollution common problems. If Beijing is "the City of Bicycles", then Ho Chi Minh City may be called "the City of Motorbikes". Visitors shouldn't consider the city's streets as dangerous due to the motorists' general behaviour of dodging pedestrians. In general most people follow traffic rules and enforcement of traffic law is improving. However, drivers can still be seen driving the wrong way up a one way street or ignoring red lights.
The city is the main hub of the Trans-Vietnam Railroad. Passengers can travel to Hanoi and the Chinese border, about 1,212 mi/1,950 km to the north. There are many harbours along the Saigon and Dong Nai Rivers, such as: Saigon Port, Newport, Ben nghe Port and VICT Port. They account for the annual 40% export-import cargo output of Vietnam.
From Saigon, one can travel to many places in Southern Vietnam and to Cambodia by road or waterway. The city is linked to the Central Highlands by National Highways 14 and 20, to the Central Coast and the north by National Highway 1 and to the Mekong River Delta by National Highways 1 and 50. Two expressways are being built to connect HCMC to Can Tho, the capital of the Mekong River Delta, and to Dau Giay Township, Dong Nai Province, 70 km to the northeast.

Media, Culture and Entertainment

The city's media is the most developed in the country. At present, HCMC has 5 daily newspapers: Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon) and its Chinese, investment and finance, sports, evening and weekly editions, Tuoi Tre (Youth); the highest circulation newspaper in Vietnam; Nguoi Lao Dong (Labourer); The Thao (Sports) and the Saigon Times Daily, the business newspaper in English, and over 30 other newspapers and magazines. HCMC Television (HTV) is the second largest television network in the nation, just behind the national Vietnam Television (VTV), broadcasting 24/7 on 7 different channels (using analog and digital technology). The Voice of HCMC People is also the largest radio station in the Southern region. The major international TV channels are provided through two cable networks (SCTV and HTVC), with over 500,000 subscribers or satellite TVs.
The city has over 1.7 million fixed telephones and about 6.2 million cellular phones (the latter growing annually by 20%). The Internet, especially through ADSL connections, is also rapidly expanding with over 1,200,000 subscribers and around 4 million frequent users.
The city has hundreds of printing and publishing houses, many bookstores and a widespread network of public and school libraries. The HCMC General Library with over 1.5 mìllion books, is a beautiful architectural building, among the greatest in Vietnam. One can visit the Museum of History, the Museum of Revolution, the Museum of Southern Women, the Museum of Southeastern's Armed Forces, the Museum of Fine Art, the Gallery for War Remnants, the Nha Rong Memorial House, the Ben Duoc Relic of Underground Tunnels and many private art galleries. Besides the Municipal Theatre, there are other great places of entertainment such as: the Bến Thành and Hòa Bình Theaters and the Lan Anh Music Stage. The Đầm Sen Tourist and Cultural Park, Suoi Tien Cultural Park and the Can Gio Eco beach resort are three recreational sites inside the city which are popular with visitors.
Visitors can also enjoy various non-local cuisines, from Japanese sushi to Texas barbecue. There are many Pho chains in the city to enjoy and they are very cheap. The city has hundreds of ranked hotels with over 18,000 rooms, including ten luxury 5 star hotels. However, backpacking travelers can easily get cheap menus and rooms in the "Western Quarter" on Pham Ngu Lao street in District 1.

External links

★ Official website (in Vietnamese and English)

★ Ho Chi Minh City in spring (sometime considered as the "official" song)

★ Ho Chi Minh City Map

★ Old Saigon photos- Ho Chi Minh City

★ Modern Ho Chi Minh City Skyline

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