However, there is a technical difference between the two terms: Sài Gòn is commonly used to refer to the city centre in District 1 and the adjacent areas, while Ho Chi Minh City refers to all of its urban and rural districts. Even today, however, the informal name of Sài Gòn remains in daily speech. The current name, Ho Chi Minh City, was given after reunification in 1976 to honour Ho Chi Minh. Over time, under the control of the Vietnamese, it was officially renamed Gia Định ( 嘉定), a name that was retained until the time of the French conquest in the 1860s, when it adopted the name Sài Gòn, westernized as Saïgon, although the city was still indicated as 嘉定 on Vietnamese maps written in chữ Hán until at least 1891. The Cambodians then took over the Cham village of Baigaur and renamed it Prey Nokor, a small fishing village. The first known human habitation of the area was a Cham settlement called Baigaur. Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, the main airport serving the city, is the busiest airport in the country by passenger traffic, accounting for nearly half of all international arrivals to Vietnam. It has a Human Development Index of 0.795 (high), ranking second among all municipalities and provinces of Vietnam.

The city generates around a quarter of the country's total GDP, and is home to many multinational companies. Ho Chi Minh City is a major centre for finance, media, technology, education, and transportation. It is known for its well-preserved French colonial architecture, vibrant street life, its varied cultural institutions, which include historic landmarks, walking streets, museums and galleries which attracts over 8 million international visitors each year. Beginning in the 1990s, the city underwent rapid modernisation and expansion, contributing to Vietnam's post-war economic recovery. The communist government renamed Saigon in honour of Hồ Chí Minh shortly after the fall of Saigon. Following the partition of French Indochina, it became the capital of South Vietnam until the fall of Saigon in 1975. Saigon was the capital of French Indochina from 1887 to 1902, and again from 1945 until its cessation in 1954. Situated in the Southeast region of Vietnam, the city surrounds the Saigon River and covers about 2,061 km 2 (796 sq mi).

Ho Chi Minh City (abbreviated HCMC), commonly known as Saigon, is the most populous city in Vietnam, with a population of around 9.3 million in 2023.

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