About Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnamese: Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh; Northern [tʰajŋ̟˨˩ fo˧˦ ho˨˩ t͡ɕi˧˦ mïŋ˧˧] (listen), Southern [tʰan˨˩ fow˦˥ how˨˩ cɪj˦˥ mɨn˧˧] (listen)), formerly (and still commonly) known as Saigon (Vietnamese: Sài Gòn; Northern [sàj ɣɔ̀n] (listen), Southern [ʂàj ɣɔ̀ŋ] (listen)), is the largest city in Vietnam, with a population of around 9 million in 2019. Situated in the southeast region of Vietnam, the city surrounds the Saigon River and covers about 2,061 km2 (796 sq mi). Saigon was the capital of French Indochina from 1887 to 1902, and again from 1945 until its cessation in 1954. Following the partition of French Indochina, it became the capital of South Vietnam until the Fall of Saigon in 1975. The communist government renamed Saigon in honour of Hồ Chí Minh shortly after the Fall of Saigon.