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Ho Chi Minh CityAn ancient Khmer settlement (see Khmer Empire), it passed (17th cent.) to the Annamese (see Annam). It was captured by the French in 1859 and ceded to France in 1862. A small village at the time of the French conquest, Saigon became a modern city under French rule. It was laid out in rectilinear fashion with wide, tree-lined avenues and parks, and soon developed a reputation for its beauty and cosmopolitan atmosphere.
The city was capital of Cochin China and from 1887 to 1902 was capital of the Union of Indochina. For administrative purposes Saigon and Cholon, on opposite banks of the Saigon River, were merged in 1932; in 1956 the two cities were included in the new prefecture of Saigon. Saigon became the capital of the newly created state of South Vietnam in 1954. In the Vietnam War it served as military headquarters for U.S. and South Vietnamese forces.
Saigon suffered considerable damage during the 1968 Tet offensive, and throughout the 1960s and early 70s at least a million refugees from the rural areas poured into the city, creating serious housing problems and overcrowding. In 1975 after Saigon surrendered and Vietnam was reunited under the prevailing Communist government, the city lost its status as capital and was renamed after the late North Vietnamese president.
The local economy of Ho Chi Minh City was disrupted during the early years of the new regime, which curtailed foreign investment and promoted collectivization. In the 1980s and 90s, conditions improved as the city gradually adapted to the new system and the government relaxed its economic policy. There is a growing industrial base, which includes the manufacture of home appliances, clothing, and shoes as well as automobile assembly, but since 1990 the city also has seen undistinguished high-rise construction that has diminished its well-known charm. The city is the seat of Ho Chi Minh Univ. and a national theater.
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- Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh, 1890–1969, Vietnamese nationalist leader, president of North Vietnam (1954–69), and one of the most influential political leaders of the 20th cent. His given name was Nguyen That ...
- Cholon
Cholon, district and former city, since 1932 part of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; on the right bank of the Saigon River, a tributary of the Dong Nai. Cholon is the Chinese section of Ho Chi Minh...
- Bien Hoa
Bien Hoa, city (1989 est. pop. 313,816), S Vietnam, c.20 mi (30 km) NE of Ho Chi Minh City. It is famous for its handmade pottery. In the city are sawmills and granite quarries. There is a com...
- Tay Ninh
Tay Ninh, city, S Vietnam, NW of Ho Chi Minh City. It is the center of the Cao Dai, a politically active religious group that was suppressed by South Vietnamese forces after an armed insurrect...
- Cochin China
Cochin China, Fr. Cochinchine, historic region (c.26,500 sq mi/68,600 sq km) of Vietnam, SE Asia. The capital and chief city was Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City). Cochin China was bounded by Camb...
- Dong Nai
Dong Nai or Donnai, river, c.300 mi (480 km) long, rising as the Da Dung in the mountains of S central Vietnam. It flows SW past Bien Hoa and joins with the Saigon River below Ho Chi Minh City...
- Pleiku
Pleiku or Play Ku, town, central Vietnam. A highway junction for roads going east (to Quy Nhon), west (to Cambodia), north (to Da Nang), and south (to Ho Chi Minh City), it was a large U.S. ba...
- Calmette, Léon Charles Albert
Calmette, Léon Charles Albert, 1863–1933, French physician and bacteriologist. He was founder and director of the Pasteur institutes at Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) and at Lille. From 1917 he...
- Stone, Robert
Stone, Robert, 1937–, American novelist, b. Brooklyn, N.Y. He was briefly (1971) a correspondent in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) during the Vietnam War. His experiences there helped form the ...
- Sihanouk, Norodom
Sihanouk, Norodom, 1922–, king of Cambodia (1941–55, 1993–2004). Sihanouk was educated in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) and Paris and was elected king by a royal council in 1941. During World ...
