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Ho Chi Minh City

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Asia

                                                                      Name
                                         Name: Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
 Former Name: Saigon (Vietnamese: Sài Gòn), still used by some residents
                                       Meaning: Named after Hồ Chí Minh
                                                       Founding Year: 1698
                                                                 Geography
                                                    Region: Southeast Asia
                                                         Time Zone: UTC +7
                                                          Area: 2,095 km²
                                                                    People
                                    Population: 6,239,938 (As of Mid 2005)
                                                       Density: 2,978/km²
                                                    Ethnicities: Kinh, Hoa
                                      Country & city calling Code: +84 (8)
                                                    ISO 3166-2 Code: VN-65
                                                                Governance
                                         Administration Type: Municipality
                             CPV HCMC Committee Secretary: Lê Thanh Hải
                       People's Council Chairwoman: Phạm Phương Thảo
                             People's Committee Chairman: Lê Hoàng Quân
                                                                  Location
                                        image:LocationVietnamHoChiMinh.png

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   Ho Chi Minh City ( Vietnamese: Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh pronunciation ) is
   the largest city in Vietnam and is located near the Mekong River delta.
   Under the name Prey Nokor ( Khmer: ), it was the main port of Cambodia,
   before being conquered by the Vietnamese in the 16th century. Known as
   Saigon ( pronunciation ) until the end of the Vietnam War, it was the
   capital of the French colony of Cochinchina, and later of the former
   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 Saigon is still frequently used). The city centre is situated
   on the banks of the Saigon River, 60 km from the South China Sea.

Origin of the name

Original Khmer name

   Saigon 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 used in Cambodia today, and by the Khmer Krom minority
   living in the Mekong delta.

Traditional Vietnamese name

   After Prey Nokor was settled by Vietnamese migrating from the north, it
   became known as Sài Gòn. There is much debate about the origins of the
   Vietnamese name Saigon, the etymology of which is analyzed below.

   Before French colonization, the Vietnamese name of Saigon was Gia Ðịnh.
   In 1862, the French discarded this official name and adopted "Saïgon",
   which had always been popular as Sài Gòn.

   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.

Vietnamese etymology

   A frequently heard etymology is that Sài is a Chinese loan word
   (Chinese: 柴, pronounced chái in Mandarin) meaning "firewood, logs,
   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 the surrounding areas. …

                Trương Vĩnh Ký, "Souvenirs historiques sur Saïgon et ses
                environs", in Excursions et Reconnaissances, Imprimerie
                Coloniale, Saïgon, 1885.

   Another explanation is that the etymological meaning "twigs" (Sài) &
   "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 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 translation of the Khmer words 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.

Cantonese etymology

   A less likely 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: quốc ngữ Chợ Lớn;
   chữ nôm ), 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 alias of their leader
   Hồ Chí Minh. The official name is now Thành phố (meaning city) Hồ Chí
   Minh, 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).

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 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 in Vietnam it is called
   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. 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 centre 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).

   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 centre in
   District 2 and the Phu My Hung New City Centre 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 feet) 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 20 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 (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 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 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 1,800 mm annually (about 100 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 28 °C
   (Celsius), the highest temperature sometimes reaches 39 °C around noon
   in late April, while the lowest may fall below 16 °C in the early
   mornings of late December.

Political and Administrative System

   City center of Ho Chi Minh City
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   City centre of Ho Chi Minh City
   Municipal theater
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   Municipal theatre
   Main post office, 1991
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   Main post office, 1991

   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 15 wards 4.27 170,367 192,157
   District 6 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
   provincal 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), Fujian, Hainanese 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 is the most important economic centre in Vietnam. 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. 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). 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 branches and
   about 20 insurance companies are situated inside the city. The first
   Stock Exchange of Vietnam was opened in the city in 2001.

   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 Ho Chi Minh City is quite developed, concentrating
   about 50 universities and colleges with a total of over 300,000
   students in such places as: Vietnam 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, 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 publicly owned hospitals or medical centers and dozens of
   privately owned clinics. 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 Centre (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.

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 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 767s. 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 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 centre of the city, the Vietnamese
   Government has prepared to build a new international airport near Long
   Thanh Township, Dong Nai Province about 31 mi / 50 km to the northeast.

   While most of the city's 10,000 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
   exercise vigilance when using motorcycle taxis (xe ôm) or three-wheeled
   cycle rickshaws (xích lô), as they may sometimes leave passengers
   vulnerable.
   Street packed with motorbikes
   Enlarge
   Street packed with motorbikes

   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. Travelling 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, due to the cheap importation of motorcycles,
   especially from China, the number of motorcycles has increased to about
   3 million. There are also over 400,000 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, Bennghe 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.
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