Saigon was a great gain to Vietnam, however, and soon grew into a major settlement.Īfter more than a century and a half under Vietnamese rule, Saigon fell to an invading coalition of French and Spanish forces in 1859 and then became part of the colony of French Indochina. Prey Nokor had been the Khmer's most important sea port, and its loss isolated them from international commerce on the South China Sea. In 1698, Prey Nokor, and the whole lower Mekong river delta, was formally annexed by Vietnam and became known as Saigon. The immigrants first came in 1623 with permission from the Cambodian king, but later waves came uninvited, while Cambodia was too weakened by a war with Thailand to stop them. The village was situated on swampland and remained in the hands of the Khmer (Cambodians) for many centuries until floods of Vietnamese immigration arrived during the 17th Century A.D. What is today known as Ho Chi Minh City began as the Khmer fishing village of Prey Nokor. However the old Saigon name is still used by both Vietnamese and foreigners, especially when referring to the most central part of the city to which most tourists flock.

View of Ho Chi Minh City from Bitexco towerįollowing the fall of Saigon in 1975, Saigon was 'officially' renamed Ho Chi Minh City. 2.1.2.3 Car rental and private chauffeured services.

2.1.1 Immigration and customs changing currency.

Ho minh chi ho chi minh city airport