Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh Saigon (Sài Gòn) | |
|---|---|
Municipality (special) | |
Skyline of Saigon Ward Landmark 81 Ho Chi Minh City Hall Saigon Opera House Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon Independence Palace Vũng Tàu coastline Thủ Dầu Một Clock Tower | |
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Seal | |
| Nickname(s): The city bearing the name of Uncle Ho (Thành phố mang tên Bác) The Pearl of Far East (Hòn ngọc Viễn Đông) Paris of the Orient (Paris phương Đông) Sài thành (The short way to call the "City of Saigon" (Thành phố Sài Gòn) in Vietnamese) | |
| Motto(s): | |
Interactive map outlining Ho Chi Minh City | |
Ho Chi Minh City Location within Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City Location within Southeast Asia Ho Chi Minh City Location within Asia | |
| Coordinates: 10°46′32″N 106°42′07″E / 10.77556°N 106.70194°E | |
| Country | Vietnam |
| Region | Southeast |
| Founded | 1698 |
| Change of name | 1976 |
| Founded by | Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh |
| Named after | Ho Chi Minh |
| Government center | Saigon Ward |
| Subdivisions | 113 wards, 54 communes and 1 special administrative region |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Body | Ho Chi Minh City People's Council |
| • Secretary of CPV | Trần Lưu Quang |
| • Chairwoman of People's Council | Nguyễn Thị Lệ |
| • Chairman of People's Committee | Nguyễn Văn Được |
| Area | |
• Municipality (special) | 6,781 km2 (2,618 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 30,595 km2 (11,813 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 19 m (34 ft) |
| Population (2025)[4] | |
• Municipality (special) | 14,002,598[2] |
| • Rank | 1st |
| • Density | 2,067/km2 (5,350/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 22,552,900 |
| • Metro density | 740/km2 (1,900/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Saigonese |
| GDP (Nominal, 2023)[5] | |
| • Municipality (Special) | US$93.1 billion |
| • Per capita | US$6,650 |
| Time zone | UTC+7 (Indochina Time) |
| Postal code | 70xxx–74xxx |
| Area codes | 28 |
| ISO 3166 code | VN-SG |
| License plate | 41, 50–59 |
| HDI (2022) | 0.811[6] (3rd) |
| Rapid transit system | Ho Chi Minh City Metro |
| Website | hochiminhcity |
Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC; Vietnamese: Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, IPA: [tʰan˨˩ fow˦˥ how˨˩ cɪj˦˥ mɨn˧˧]), also known as Saigon (Vietnamese: Sài Gòn, IPA: [saːj˨˩ ɣɔŋ˨˩]), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of 14,002,598 in 2025.[4]
The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigon River. As the largest financial centre in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City has the largest gross regional domestic product out of all Vietnam provinces and municipalities,[7] contributing around a quarter of the country's total GDP.[8] Ho Chi Minh City's metropolitan area is ASEAN's 5th largest economy, also the biggest outside an ASEAN country capital.
The area was initially part of Cambodian states until it became part of the Vietnamese Nguyễn lords in 1698, due to Đại Việt's expansionist policy of Nam tiến. It was capital of the Nguyễn lords at the end of their existence before the Nguyễn dynasty was formed. After the fall of the Citadel of Saigon, it became the capital of French Cochinchina from 1862 to 1949. It was also the capital of French Indochina from 1887 to 1902, and again from 1945 until its cessation in 1954. After France recognized Vietnam's independence and unity,[nb 1] it was the capital of the State of Vietnam from 1949 to 1955. Following the 1954 partition, it became the capital of South Vietnam until it was captured by North Vietnam, leading to a unified communist state in 1976. The city was subsequently renamed after the late leader Ho Chi Minh, though Saigon is still widely used in informal usages. Beginning in the 1990s, the city underwent rapid expansion and modernization, which contributed to Vietnam's post-war economic recovery and helped revive its international trade hub status.
Ho Chi Minh City has a long tradition of being one of the centers of economy, entertainment and education in Southern Vietnam in particular and Vietnam in general. It is also the busiest international transport hub in Vietnam, with Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport accounting for nearly half of all international arrivals to Vietnam, and the Port of Saigon among the busiest container ports in Southeast Asia.[10][11] The city is also a tourist attraction; some of its historic landmarks with modern landmarks, including the Independence Palace, Bitexco Financial Tower, Landmark 81 Tower, the War Remnants Museum, and Bến Thành Market. It is also known for its narrow walkable alleys and bustling nightlife, most notably the Phạm Ngũ Lão Ward and its Bùi Viện street.
In 2025, the Bình Dương and Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu provinces were merged into Ho Chi Minh City, making it a megacity while inheriting the major industrial towns and coastal cities of the two former provinces. Currently, Ho Chi Minh City is facing increasing threats of sea level rise and flooding as well as heavy strains on public infrastructures.
- ^ Cherry, Haydon (2019). Down and Out in Saigon: Stories of the Poor in a Colonial City. Yale University Press. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-300-21825-1.
- ^ "Chi tiết 34 ĐƠN VỊ HÀNH CHÍNH CẤP TỈNH".
- ^ Biểu số 4.5: Hiện trạng sử dụng đất vùng Đông Nam Bộ năm 2022 [Table 4.5: Current land use status in the Southeast region in 2022] (PDF) (Decision 3048/QĐ-BTNMT) (in Vietnamese). Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (Vietnam). 18 October 2023. – the data in the report are in hectares, rounded to integers
- ^ a b xaydungchinhsach.chinhphu.vn. "Chi tiết 34 ĐƠN VỊ HÀNH CHÍNH CẤP TỈNH từ 12/6/2025". xaydungchinhsach.chinhphu.vn (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on 22 June 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ "How is the size of population, area, GDP of Ho Chi Minh City after merger compared to Shanghai, Singapore, Bangkok...?". cafef.vn. 22 April 2025.
- ^ "Human Development Index by province(*) by Cities, provincies and Year". General Statistics Office of Vietnam. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
- ^ Trang, Huyền (20 March 2023). "Đóng góp của các tỉnh, thành phố về một số chỉ tiêu chủ yếu". kinhtetrunguong.vn (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ Onishi, Tomoya. "Vietnam to boost Ho Chi Minh budget for first time in 18 years". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 30 August 2022. (Subscription required.)
- ^ "Vietnam, indépendance, Digithèque MJP".
- ^ "Military land approved for new Tan Son Nhat airport terminal". VnExpress. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ^ "Three Vietnamese seaports among top 100 largest container ports worldwide". General Statistics Office of Vietnam. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
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