Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnamese: Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh), formerly Sàig̣n, is the largest city in Vietnam. It is situated on the western bank of the Saigon River.

Emperor Bao Dai set up Saigon as his capital in 1950. Bao's government (under Ngo Dinh Diem) was established in 1954 as the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). This lasted until 1975, when Communist forces from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and their allies in the Viet Cong overran the city. Some Americans refer this event as the Fall of Saigon, while some Vietnamese refer to it as the Liberation of Saigon. The victorious Communists then renamed the city after the Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh. The former name Saigon is still used by most of the city's inhabitants. Officially, the term Saigon refers only to District One of Ho Chi Minh City.

Miss Saigon is a musical set in this city.