Saigon in 2011: Exploring Ho Chi Minh City 15 Years Ago HD

Ho Chi Minh City, formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam. It was once known as Prey Nokor, an important Khmer sea port prior to annexation by the Vietnamese in the 17th century.Under the name Saigon, it was the capital of the French colony of Cochin-china and later of the independent state of South Vietnam from 1955 to 1975. In 1976, Saigon merged with the surrounding Gia Định Province and was officially renamed Hồ Chí Minh City after Hồ Chí Minh (although the name Sài Gòn is still commonly used.The city center is situated on the banks of the Saigon River, 60 kilometers (37 mi) from the South China Sea[3] and 1,760 kilometers (1,090 mi) south of Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.