Ho Chi Minh City (Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh) is acity in southernVietnam. It is governed as amunicipality and includes a largerural area. It is the biggest city in Vietnam. About 9 million people live in the city.
Before its fall on 30 April 1975, the city used to be called "Saigon", and this is still the most common name in everyday conversation. The name Saigon come from theSaigon River, which flows through the city.
It used to be aKhmer port city called Prey Nokor, or “Jungle City”. The city was taken over by theVietnamese and eventually took the name of(Sài Gòn). It was invaded by the French in 1859. As (French) Saigon it was the capital ofFrench Indochina and became an important city in French colonial trade. After independence(from France), in 1954 to 1975, Saigon became the capital of theRepublic of Vietnam. After the end of the US campaign (1973) in theVietnam War, Saigon was overtaken by theNorth Vietnamese army on30 April1975 and renamed afterHồ Chí Minh. The tradition of naming places in Vietnam after great people is very common. Many streets bear the names of epic heroes. Hai Ba Trung street is named after heroic sisters.
Despite the name change, many people from other countries, and even among Vietnamese people, still call the city "Saigon" today. Interestingly enough, both the names of the Saigon River and theSaigon railway station have stayed unchanged.
Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) has expanded withindustrialization. It now includes all of the surrounding towns. The city center is old Saigon. Old Saigon has two maindistricts (One and Three). The new city districts used to be rice fields and fish farms. There are fish all over the city.
Ho Chi Minh City is as flat as the river plain it sits on.[9] Nearly all roads are built flat. Bicycle riding around the Mekong delta is very easy in dry weather. Because of the flatness, roads and buildings sink into the draining soil. Lying water keeps pollution very close to city homes. The risingtides can flood many districts when the moon is fullest. Becauserainwater can't be kept in valleys or mountains, the city-water is dangerous to drink. Most people drink from large bottles of water -20 litres (4.4impgal; 5.3USgal).When the streets flood (in rain or tides) the dirt from drains returns onto the city. This has caused a lot of problems for the health of the people living in the city. Escapingsewer water makes people very sick in the tropical countries. Older people may avoid drinking more than a few drinks a day.
It's verytropical in the city. The trees in streets are cut down to half every year - but they grow back. Fresh food markets are all over the city. The city has so much rain, that drains and rivers surround every district.
The southeast of the province has theCan Gio Wetlands. It's a 752 square kilometremangrove area between Ho Chi Minh City and the sea.Inside the wetlands there arebirds,deer,fish,frogs,insects,lizards,monkeys,otters, andsnakes. The centipedes all around the city are very dangerous (maybe deadly to tiny animals). People catch and eat the snakes.
Thewetlands andecosystem has been designated as abiosphere reserve. Ho Chi Minh people get education on how to look after their biosphere reserve and wetlands.
The city is a riverport on theSaigon River. Several largerterminals operate outside and inside of the city. Many smalldocks operate around the city. The river system leads out to sea atVung Tau, or onto the Mekongdelta.Delivery ofmaterials for the city can be made by boat. Farmproducedistributors can arrive by boat in many districts outside the city.
The use of English is rising in HCMC. Many HCMC people will travel around the world by using English as their international language. Many other languages are studied. French was previously the most popular. Chinese is also very well-known to many people.
The city has international schools that teach foreign children. All classes (except for languages) are given in the chosen language. Many international schools have chosen English as the primary language. Some of the international schools are named by their country of origin. The schools named after a country use the national language of that country.
Some HCMC people will go overseas to get foreign education. It can be through staying with relatives, attending boarding schools, joining programs, or with family.
English is taught at university in HCMC. It doesn't replace the national language at most universities. International universities might set a requirement for English or another language.
Ho Chi Minh City has a well-developed healthcare system with around 100 government-owned hospitals and medical centers, as well as many international facilities[10] as well as privately owned clinics, and private clinics. Notable hospitals include the 1,400-bed Chợ Rẫy Hospital,[11] which was upgraded with Japanese aid, and the French-sponsored Institute of Cardiology. The city is home to the Prima Saigon Eye Hospital, founded by Tran Quoc Bao, City International Hospital, and the FV (France Vietnam) Hospital, all recognized as leading medical facilities in Southeast Asia. Ho Chi Minh City is also known as the hub of medical tourism in Vietnam as noted by Tran Quoc Bao,[12] a leading figure in healthcare and medical tourism across Asia.[13]
A favoritehobby isfishing.[14] Fish invade grass fields when theyflood - locals wade into the fields with good fishing rods to catch them.[15]
Kite flying is a popular hobby in the city.[16] When the wind season starts, many fields are full of kite-flyers. At this time, the city skyline is dotted with kites.
Ho Chi Minh City is a very busy city.[17] Thetraffic makes little sense to foreigners.Motorbikes are the most common vehicle. The motorbikes mostly travel atspeeds under 40km/hr.[18] Car drivers do their best to never hit motorcycles. Families ride together around the city for fun in the evening.
Street food is as popular in HCMC as it is in all of Southeast Asia.
Wealthy people live a fantastic life in the city, but others are very poor. Poor does not always mean without food, clothing,shelter, or work in HCMC. The cost of living in Vietnam helps even the poorest people to survive. Manytemples,churches, charities, andgovernmentorganizations help people that are even moremisfortunate than the poor. But still, some ultra-poor people struggle withhomelessness, and thetropical weather - they get very dark skin compared to other people.
There is a lot ofentertainment for the people in the city. Manydiscos,bars, andclubs operate all around the city. Food is also a source of entertainment for people in HCMC. Somerestaurants sell very strange food:scorpions,bats,rats and more.Tourists are amazed by what is eaten in HCMC.
12"Báo cáo sơ bộ Tổng điều tra Dân số và nhà ở 2019"[General statistics for Population and households investigation 2019](pdf) (in Vietnamese). General Statistics Office of Vietnam.Archived from the original on 13 November 2019. Retrieved20 March 2020.
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