Ho Chi Minh City

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Ho Chi Minh City Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh Saigon (Sài Gòn)
Municipality
Skyline of District 1 with the Bitexco Financial Tower and Bình Thạnh District with Landmark 81 Ho Chi Minh City Hall Saigon Opera House Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon Bến Thành Market Independence Palace
Seal
Nicknames:  Thành phố mang tên Bác (lit. 'The city bearing the name of Uncle Ho') Paris of the Orient (historical)[1]
Motto(s):  Paulatim crescam (historical)[2] Meaning: Little by little we grow
Interactive map outlining Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City Location within Vietnam Show map of Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City Location within Southeast Asia Show map of Southeast Asia Ho Chi Minh City Location within Asia Show map of Asia
Coordinates: 10°46′32″N 106°42′07″E / 10.77556°N 106.70194°E / 10.77556; 106.70194
Country	Vietnam
Region	Southeast
Founded	1698
Founded by	Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh
Named for	Ho Chi Minh
Districts	16 urban districts, 5 rural districts and 1 sub-city
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Body	Ho Chi Minh City People's Council [vi]
• Secretary of CPV	Nguyễn Văn Nên
• Chairwoman of People's Council	Nguyễn Thị Lệ
• Chairman of People's Committee	Phan Văn Mãi
Area [3]
• Municipality	2,095.39 km2 (809.03 sq mi)
• Metro	30,595 km2 (11,813 sq mi)
Elevation	19 m (63 ft)
Population  (2023)
• Municipality	9,320,866 (1st)
• Density	4,375/km2 (11,330/sq mi)
• Metro	21,281,639 (1st)
• Metro density	697.2/km2 (1,806/sq mi)
Demonym	Saigonese
GDP (2018)[4]
• Municipality	US$ 57.3 billion
• Metro	US$ 94.3 billion
Time zone	UTC+07:00 (ICT)
Postal code	700000–740000
Area codes	28
ISO 3166 code	VN-SG
License plate	41, 50–59
HDI (2020)	0.795 (2nd)[5]
International airports	Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN)
Rapid transit system	Ho Chi Minh City Metro
Website	hochiminhcity.gov.vn

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC, Vietnamese: Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh), commonly known as Saigon (Vietnamese: Sài Gòn), is the most populous city in Vietnam, with a population of around 9.3 million in 2023.^[6] The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the eponymously-named Saigon River is the largest. As a municipality, Ho Chi Minh City consists of 16 urban districts, five rural districts, and one municipal city (sub-city). As the largest financial centre in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City has the highest 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 6th largest economy, also the biggest outside an ASEAN country capital.

Since the early times, water transport has been heavily used by inhabitants in the area. The area was occupied by Champa from 2nd century AD to around the 19th century, due to Đại Việt's expanist policy of Nam tiến. After the fall of Citadel of Gia Định, 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 it was captured by North Vietnam, who renamed the city after their former leader Hồ Chí Minh, though the former name 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 a productive trading and manufacturing place in Vietnam. As such, the city is also the busiest international transport hub in Vietnam, as Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport accounts for nearly half of all international arrivals to Vietnam^[9] and the Port of Saigon is among the busiest container ports in Southeast Asia.^[10] Ho Chi Minh City is also a popular tourism destination. Some of the war and historic landmarks in the city include the Independence Palace, Landmark 81 (tallest building in Vietnam), the War Remnants Museum, and Bến Thành Market. The city is also known for its narrow walkable alleys and night life. Currently, Ho Chi Minh City is facing increasing threats of sea level rise and flooding as well as heavy strains on public infrastructures.