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The Basic Facts About Saigon!

What's In A Name?

Saigon has gone through a fair few name changes over the years.

Some of these names you might already be familiar with, but some of them you might not. So how has Saigon's name changed over the years?

Prey Nokor – The area which is today Saigon was originally inhabited by the Khmer people, and was part of the Cambodian Kingdom.

Known by the Khmer as Prey Nokor, it was an important commercial seaport for them, providing access to the South China Sea.

Getting Around - Saigon

Gia Đinh – In 1623 the King of Cambodia, King Chey Chettha II, allowed Vietnamese refugees fleeing the Trinh-Nguyen War in the north to settle in the area of Prey Nokor.

The increasing waves of Vietnamese refugees from the north slowly Vietnamized the area.

And in 1623 a Vietnamese noble, Nguyen Huu Canh, was sent by the Nguyen Rulers in Hue to establish a Vietnamese administration structure.

The Nguyen lords renamed the town Gia Đinh.

Sài Gòn – When the French captured the city in 1859 however, the French dropped the name Gia Đinh and renamed the city Sài Gòn.

The origins of the name Saigon are uncertain, but the Chinese translation of Saigon is "Western Palace."

Today people often write the name as SaiGon or Saigon to give it a more Western appearance.

The name Sài Gòn is still used officially to refer to District 1.

Hồ Chí Minh – In 1975 the city was renamed once again following the victory of the communist forces over the South Vietnamese Government. This time it was changed to Ho Chi Minh after the communist leader of the same name.

The Raw Facts About Saigon

Language	The official language is Vietnamese, but a lot of the young people in the main cities speak English well enough to hold a conversation. Quite a few of the older people in Saigon can speak some French as well.
Currency	đồng (VND)
Vietnam Electricity	Standard 220 Volts AC (at 50Hz cycles)
Population	6,650,942 people officially.
Size	Saigon is 809.23 sq ml.
Temperature	The average temperature in Saigon is 28 °C (82 °F)
Time	UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) + 7

Government

HCM City People's Committee - Chairman: Mr. Le Hoang Quan

HCM City People's Council - Chairwoman: Ms. Pham Phuong Thao

HCM City Party Chief - Mr. Le Thanh Hai

Public Holidays

New Year's Day	1st January
Tết Nguyên Đán	Tết occurs in January and February. The official 4 day holiday goes from the 1st through to the 4th day of the first lunar month.
Hùng Vương's Day	7th April - King Hùng is the legendary founder of the first Vietnamese State.
Liberation of Saigon	April 30th - celebrates the day that the armed forces of North Vietnam entered Saigon and united the country in 1975.
International Labour Day	May 1st
Day of the Nation	2nd September - is a celebration of Ho Chi Minh's declaration of freedom from the French

Getting Around

Saigon is not the easiest city to get around at the best of times. The streets are narrow and there are hordes of motorbikes that cause congestion and traffic jams, making Saigon difficult to traverse.

But don't let this put you off exploring this fantastic city; you can click here to learn more about what transport options are available.

Weather in Saigon

Saigon has two seasons, the wet and the dry season. The wet season usually starts in about May and ends in November. The dry season is from December to April.

For foreigners like myself, the months between November and February are generally the most comfortable for traveling. I always advise my friends to visit during these months as the temperature is still a bit cooler, but you don't get the rains associated with the wet season.