Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City also known by its former name of Saigon, is the largest city in Vietnam by population and the economic centre of the country. It was known as Prey Nokor prior to annexation by the Vietnamese in the 17th century. Under the name Saigon, it was the capital of the French colony of Cochinchina and later of the independent republic of South Vietnam 1955–75. On 2 July 1976, Saigon merged with the surrounding Gia Định Province and was officially renamed Ho Chi Minh City after revolutionary leader Hồ Chí Minh (although the name 'Sài Gòn' is still widely used). The metropolitan area is populated by about 12 million people.
Geography......Ho Chi Minh City is located in the south-eastern region of Vietnam, 1,760 km (1,090 mi) south of Hanoi. The average elevation is 19 metres (62 ft) above sea level. It borders Tây Ninh Province and Bình Dương Province to the north, Đồng Nai Province and Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Province to the east, Long An Province to the west and the East Sea to the south. The city covers an area of 2,095 km2 (809 sq mi or 0.63% of the surface of Vietnam), extending up to Củ Chi District (12 mi or 19 km from the Cambodian border) and down to Cần Giờ on the Eastern Sea.
History......Ho Chi Minh City began as a small fishing village likely known as Prey Nokor, "Forest City", or perhaps Preah Reach Nokor which, according to a Khmer Chronicle meant "Royal City". The area that the city now occupies was originally forested, and was inhabited by Khmer people for centuries before the arrival of the Vietnamese.
Beginning in the early 17th century, colonization of the area by Vietnamese settlers gradually isolated the Khmer of the Mekong Delta from their brethren in Cambodia proper and resulted in their becoming a minority in the delta. Cambodia, weakened by war with Ayutthaya (Thailand) was unable to stem the tide and subsequently lost all its territory in the Delta and access to the Eastern Sea. By the turn of the century the Nguyễn Dynasty was in complete control.
Following the Cochinchina Campaign, French colonial rule began, the city of Saigon falling to the French in 1859. Except during WW2 when Ho Chi Minh was under Japanese control, the French presence remained until 1955 when the Republic of Vietnam was formed. However Vietnam as we know it today was divided between the Communist North and the Republican South and almost immediately war broke out leading to 20 years of conflict. Saigon fell to the Communists on 30 April 1975 and the city renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the leader who captured it.
Tourism......In the last 15 years, Vietnam has adopted a more open policy towards Westerners in an attempt to promote tourism. It is perhaps not surprising that the former Saigon should adapt readily to this situation. The city is now more cosmopolitan and the scars of war have shifted into history as guided tours such as the one to Cu Chi Tunnels have captured the imagination of a new generation. The city of course contains many historical sites that represent past eras that have created it today but there are also reminders of how things were in pre-history out on the Can Gio Delta amidst the ancient mangrove forest that seems frozen in time.