Hô Chi Minh

🏙️ Hô Chi Minh City: The City That Never Sleeps

📍 Location

• Located in the South Vietnam, at about 1,730 km from Hanoï, Hô Chi Minh City is the largest and most populated of the country.
• It stretches along the banks of the Saïgon River, in a fertile region close to the Mekong Delta.

🧬 History and identity

• Formerly called Prey Nokor by the Khmers, it becomes Saïgon in the 18th century under the Nguyễn.
• It is occupied by the French in 1859, then becomes the capital of Cochinchina colonial.
• After the Vietnam War, it was renamed Hô Chi Minh City in 1976, in tribute to the revolutionary leader Hồ Chí Minh, father of Vietnamese independence.

Architecture and heritage

• The city mixes French colonial heritage, Asian modernity, and Vietnamese traditions :

• Notre Dame Cathedral : built from red bricks imported from Marseille.
• Central Post Office : masterpiece by Gustave Eiffel.
• Reunification Palace : symbol of the end of the war.
• Ancient pagodas : as Giác Lâm or Vĩnh Nghiêm, places of spirituality and meditation.

🌆 Urban atmosphere

• Hô Chi Minh City is a bustling city, nicknamed “the city that never sleeps”.
• The motorcycles invade the streets, the markets are bursting with life, and the sidewalk cafes are essential meeting places.
• The city is also a economic center, scientific and technological major of the country.

🍜 Gastronomy

• Southern cuisine : sweeter and more fragrant, with dishes like:
• Hủ tiếu (noodle soup),
• Cơm tấm (broken rice with grilled pork),
• Bánh xèo (crispy pancake),
• And a multitude of tropical fruits and fresh juice.
• The night markets and the street stalls offer an authentic and accessible culinary experience.

🎭 Culture and nightlife

• The city is full of museums, art galleries, theaters, and concert halls.
• The nightlife is intense: rooftop bars, clubs, shows, and boat rides on the river.
• She also retains a artistic soul, with bohemian neighborhoods and the local cultural initiatives.

✨ Why Hô Chi Minh City is unforgettable

It is a city where the colonial past intersects with Asian modernity, where every street vibrates with energy, and where human warmth is everywhere. Hô Chi Minh City is lively, cosmopolitan and deeply Vietnamese — a crossroads of memory, commerce and creativity.