Ho Chi Minh City
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- "Saigon" redirects here. For American rap artist Saigon, see Saigon (rapper).
| Name | |
| Name: | Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh (often referred to as Saigon by residents) |
| Former Name: | Saigon (Vietnamese: Sài Gòn) |
| Meaning: | Named after Hồ Chí Minh |
| Founded Year: | 1698 |
| Geography | |
| Region: | Southeast |
| Time Zone: | UTC +7 |
| Area: | 2,095km² |
| People | |
| Population: | 6,117,251 (As of October 1, 2004) |
| Density: | 2,920/km² |
| Ethnicities: | Kinh, Hoa |
| Calling Code: | +848 |
| ISO 3166-2 Code: | VN-65 |
| Governance | |
| Administration Type: | Municipality |
| CPV HCMC Committee Secretary: | Nguyễn Minh Triết |
| People's Council Chairwoman: | Phạm Phương Thảo |
| People's Committee Chairman: | Lê Thanh Hải |
| Location | |
| Image:LocationVietnamHoChiMinh.png | |
| Image:HCMC Map.jpg | |
| Image:HCMC View.jpg | |
Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnamese: Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh) is the largest city in Vietnam, located near the delta of the Mekong River. Under the name Prey Nokor (Khmer: Image:PreyNokor.png), it was the main port of Cambodia, before being conquered by the Vietnamese in the 16th century. Formerly under the name Saigon, it was the capital of the French colony of Cochinchina, and later of the former state of South Vietnam from 1954 to 1975. The city center is situated on the banks of the Saigon River, 60 km far from the South China Sea. [1]
Contents |
Origin of the name
Original Khmer name
The city was known by its original Khmer inhabitants as Prey Nokor (Image:PreyNokor.png). 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 migrating from the north, in time it became known as Sài Gòn. There is much debate about the origins of the Vietnamese name Saigon, whose etymology is analyzed below.
Before the French colonization, the Vietnamese name of Saigon was Gia Dinh (Gia Định 嘉定). 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 syllables, 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 etymology is that Sài is a Chinese loan word (Chinese: 柴, pronounced chái in Mandarin) meaning "firewood, lops, twigs; palisade", while Gòn is another Chinese loan word (Chinese: 棍, 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).
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. …
- Trương Vĩnh Ký, "Souvenirs historiques sur Saigon et ses environs", in Excursions et Reconnaissances, Imprimerie Coloniale, Saigon, 1885.
Another explanation is that the etymological meaning "twigs" (Sài) & "boles" (Gòn) refers to the dense and tall forest once existing around Saigon, a forest to which the Khmer name Prey Nokor already referred.
Chinese people both in Vietnam and in China do not use the name 柴棍 (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 西貢 (pronounced Sai-Gung in Cantonese and Xīgòng 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 words prey kor (Image:PreyKor.png) 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.
Cantonese etymology
A less likely etymology was offered by Vuong Hong Sen, 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 Chợ Lớn; chu nom Image:Cholon.png), the Chinese district of Saigon. The Cantonese (and original) name of Cholon is "Tai-Ngon" (堤岸), which means "embankment" . 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 pseudonym of their leader Hồ Chí Minh. The official name is now Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, often abbreviated TPHCM. In English this is translated as Hồ Chí 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 or on book titles.
History
Hồ Chí 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. It grew to become a trading post and the main port of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
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 weakened Cambodian kingdom 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 prominent buildings in the city reflect this. So that Saigon was called ' the Pearl of the Far East" (Hon ngoc Vien Dong) or "Paris in the Orient" (Paris Phuong Dong).
In 1954, the French were defeated by the Communist Viet Minh in the Battle of Điện Biên Phủ, and withdrew from Vietnam. Rather than recognise the Communists as the new government, however, 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 (primarily Vietnamese Chinese) next to 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 Vietnam War, on April 30, 1975, the city came under the control of the North Vietnamese Army. In the U.S. this event is commonly called the "Fall of Saigon," while in Vietnam it is called the "Liberation of Saigon."
In 1976, upon establishment of the unified communist Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the city of Saigon (including Cholon), the province of Giadinh and 2 suburban districts of two other nearby provinces were combined to create Ho Chi 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 Ho Chi Minh City. The word "Saigon" can also be found on shop signs all over the country, even in Hanoi. In terms like "Saigon Fashion" or "Saigon Style" the word "Saigon" is employed to connote chicness and modernity.
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), Municipal Theatre (Nha hat Thanh pho), Post Office (Buu dien Thanh Pho), Revolutionary Museum (Bao tang Cach mang), State Bank Office (Ngan hang Nha nuoc), People's Court (Toa an Nhan dan) and Notre Dame Cathedral (Nhà thờ Đức Bà).
Hồ Chí Minh City is home to a well-established ethnic Chinese population. Cholon, now known as District Five, serves as its Chinatown.
Geography and climate
Ho Chi Minh City is located at 10°45' North, 106°40' East (10.75, 106.667) in the Southeastern Region of Vietnam, 1,094 mi/1,760 km south of Hanoi. The average elevation is 63 feet/19 meters 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 East Sea to the south with the coast of 20 km - length. The city covers an area of 809 sq mi/2,095 sq km (0.63% the surface of Vietnam), extending up to Cu Chi 20 km far 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 120 km, and from the easternmost point (Long Binh Ward, District Nine) to the westernmost one (Binh Chanh Commune, Binh Chanh District) is 46 km.
The city has tropical climate (hot and humid) with average humidity 75%. A year is divided into 2 distinct seasons: The rainy season with average rainfall about 1,800 mm annually (average 100 rain days/year), usually begins in May and ends in late November and the dry season lasts from December to April of the following year. The average temperature is 28°C (Celsius), the highest temperature sometimes reaches 39°C around noons of late April while the lowest one may decreases below 16°C in the early mornings of late December.
Political and Administrative System
Image:Saigon center.jpg Image:HCM-City Oper.jpg
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 provinces, with a People's Council of 95 elected - deputies, and a People's Committee of 13 chosen by the council - members, being the principle local governmental entities. So that the People's Council Chairman is the top governmental official while the People's Committee Chairman is the top executive one of the city, instead a mayor like many other great cities in the world. Because the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) has lead all political-economic-social activities of the country; therefore, the CPV HCMC Committee Secretary is really the highest - ranking leader of the city.
From December 2003 until now, the municipality has been divided into twenty - four administrative divisions. Five of these {Area: 1,601 sq km} are designated as suburban districts ("Huyện" in Vietnamese), covering the urbanizing - 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 sq km} 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). Presently, Ho Chi Minh City has 254 wards, 58 communes and 5 townships.
Demographics
The population of Hồ Chí Minh City, as of 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) and in the middle of 2005 was estimated about 6.3 million, equivalent to 7.5% 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 province level. Because of being the largest economic and financial hub of Vietnam, HCMC has attracted more and more immigrants from other Vietnam's provinces in the recent years; therefore, its population is growing rapidly. From 1999 - 2004, the city population averagely increases around 200,000 per year.
Ethnically, the majority of the population are ethnic Vietnamese (Kinh) about 87%, ethnic Chinese (Hoa) 11% (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 or "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 the Cantonese, Teochew (Chaozhou), Fujian, Hainan and Hakka dialects of Chinese, only a few speak standard 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) 50%, Roman Catholic 12%, Protestant 2%, others (Cao Dai, Hoa Hao, Islam, Hinduism...) 2%, and no religion or unknown 34%.
Economy
Ho Chi Minh City has been the most important economic center of Vietnam. The city concentrates about 300,000 establishments, including many big enterprises of the country in industry (especially high-tech, electronic, building material, agroproduct - processing and light industries), in construction, commerce and service as well as in finance and banking. At the present, 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). There are 171 medium and large scale markets, tens of supermarket chains, dozens of luxury shopping malls and many modern fashion or beauty centers. Over 50 banks with hundreds of their branches and about 20 insurance companies are situated inside the city.
In 2005, the city's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimated USD 11.6 billion (GDP per capita about USD 1,850) up 12.2% to 2004, accounting for 20% GDP of Vietnam. GDP calculating Parity Purchasing Power method (PPP) attained USD 56 billion, GDP (PPP) per capita about USD 8,900 approximately 3.5 times higher than the country's average one. The city's Industrial Product Value was USD 5.6 billion, equivalent to 30% of the whole nation while Export - Import Turnover through HCMC ports took USD 29 billion, 40% of the whole nation. Ho Chi Minh City has also contributed the lion's share about 30% to national budget's revenue annually.
Education
Higher-education in Ho Chi Minh City has ratherly developed, the city is a great educational center of Vietnam, concentrating about 50 universities and colleges with total over 300,000 students such as: HCMC National University with 35,000 students, the most important university in the Southern Region, consists of 4 main member schools: University of Natural Sciences (formerly Saigon College of Sciences), University of Social Sciences and Humanities (formerly Saigon College of Letters), University of Polytechnic (formerly Phu Tho National Institute of Technology) and newly-established International University.
Some other important higher education establishments include: HCMC University of Pedagogy, University of Architeture, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 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 and the Conservatory of Music. 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 Technology Institute (RMIT) of Australia.
Public Health
The health care system of the city is relatively developed with a chain of about 80 public - owned hospitals or medical centers and dozens of private - owned clinics. These establishments, including general hospitals and specialized ones, are equipped ratherly modern medical machines. The 1,400 bed Chợ Rẫy Hospital, upgraded by the Japanese aid, and the French - sponsored Institute of Cardiology , now are among top medical facilities in Indochina. The Hoa Hao Medical Diagnosis Center (Medic) and FV Hospital have recently attracted many clients even foreigners because of their good quality service and modern equipments. Patients can be picked up from cities in nearby provinces and Cambodia as well.
Transportation
Vietnam Airlines is the national carrier of Vietnam. The airline currently operates a modern fleet of Western-built aircraft, including Airbus 320, 321, Boeing 767, 777 and even 787 in the near future, is running over 20 domestic routes and 39 abroad ones. The Vietnam's second airline, Pacific Airlines, is using a leasing - fleet of Boeing 737 and 767. Tan Son Nhat International Airport, a joint civilian and military airport, is located 4 mi/7 km north of the center (District 1) of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Taxi and bus services are available for travel from and to the airport and within the city. Because of the rapidly growing air - passengers and the almost - in the city center location of Tan Son Nhat Airport, the Vietnamese Government has prepared to build a new international airport near Long Thanh Township, Dong Nai Province about 31 mi/50 km in the northeast.
While most of the city's taxis are metered and usually in good condition, not many drivers can speak English well . Some drivers refuse to use their meters in order to obtain a higher fare. Visitors should carefully use motorcycle taxis (xe ôm) or three-wheeled cycle rickshaws (xích lô) as they may sometimes leave passengers vulnerable.
Image:HCM-City Verkehr.JPG Generally speaking, Ho Chi Minh city's transportation system is not in good condition, and some of its streets are riddled with potholes. Travelling by bus is now the only public means of passenger carrier although the city is seeking financing sources for implementing metro (subway) and elevated train projects. This is especially true in the city's numerous back streets and alleyways, which are sometimes little more than dirt paths. Recently, due to cheap import of motorcycles, especially from China, the number of motocycles have increased tremendously to the amount of 3 million units plus over 400,000 automobiles, packing the city's artery streets and making traffic congestion and air - pollution the frequent scene. If Beijing is "the City of Bicycles", then Ho Chi Minh City may be called "the City of Motorbikes". Visitors should consider the city's streets dangerous due to motorists' general disregard for pedestrians and the constant presence of thousands of motorbikes on the roads. In general most people follow traffic rules and enforcement of traffic law is increasing. However drivers can still be seen driving the wrong way on a one way street or ignoring red lights.
The city is the main knot of Trans - Vietnam Railroad which leads passengers to Hanoi and the Chinese border, about 1,212 mi/1,950 km far from the north. Along the Saigon River and the Dong Nai River, there are netwoks of ports such as: Saigon Port, Newport, Bennghe Port, VICT Port... accounting for annual 40% export-import cargo output of Vietnam.
From Saigon, everyone can easily go to all places in the Southern Vietnam and to Cambodia by routes or waterways. The city links to Central Highlands by National Highways 14 and 20, to Central Coast and Nothern by National Highway 1 and to Mekong River Delta by National Highways 1 and 50. Two expressways are making to connect HCMC to Can Tho, the capital of the Mekong River Delta, and to Dau Giay Township, Dong Nai Province, 70 km far from the northeast.
Media, Culture and Entertainment
The city's media is the most - developed one of the country. Besides hundreds of establishments of the central government and other provinces' media agencies are located within city's area; at the present, HCMC has 5 daily newspapers: Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon) and its edition in Chinese, Tuoi Tre (Youth, the biggest - circulation newspaper of 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. The HCMC Television (HTV) is the second - largest television in the nation, just behind the national one - the Vietnam Television (VTV) - , broadcasting 24/7 in 7 different channels (using analog or digital technology). The Voice of HCMC People is also the large radio station in the Southern region. In the city everyone can easily see the major international TV channels through 2 cable networks (SCTV and HTVC) with over 250,000 subcribers or satellite TVs.
Presently, the city has over 1.2 million fixed telephones and about 3 million cellular phones with the fast annual growth of 20%. Internet, especially ADSL internet, is also rapidly growing with over 800,000 subcribers and around 3 mìllion frequent users.
The city has hundreds of printing and publishing houses, many chains of great and modern bookstores and a widespread network of public or school libraries. The HCMC General Library with over 1.5 mìllion of books, a beautiful architectural building, is among the greatest of Vietnam. Coming to the city, people 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 Tunnel and many private art galleries. Besides the Municipal Theatre, there are numerous great places for entertainment performance such as: Bến Thành Theatre, Hòa Bình Theatre, Lan Anh Music Stage. While Đầm Sen Tourist and Cultural Park, Suoi Tien Cultural Park and Can Gio Eco - Beach Resort are 3 recreation sites inside the city suitable for visitors.
Visitors can also enjoy various non-local cuisines, from Japanese sushi to Texan barbecue to name few. The city has hundreds of ranked hotels with over 18,000 rooms, including 10 luxury 5 star hotels. However, backpacking travelers can easily take cheap menus and rooms in the "Western Quarter" on Pham Ngu Lao Street in District 1.
External links
- Official website (in Vietnamese and English)
- Template:Wikitravel
- Living in Ho Chi Minh City: Expat and Travel guide
- Map of Ho Chi Minh City
- American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City)
- Saigon Tourist (Ho Chi Minh City)
- Maps of HCMC Districts (Ho Chi Minh City)
- Saigon Times Daily (Ho Chi Minh City)
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