Vietnam Alive

Ho Chi Minh City (Formerly Saigon) 

The bright light city 

In 1975, Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) but today they are both used interchangeably by foreigners and locals alike, most preferring the former. Technically speaking, Saigon is actually downtown District 1 of the larger HCMC (which has 19 urban and 5 rural districts.) Downtown Saigon is the most popular tourist destination in Vietnam. In the past it was referred to as the Pearl of the Orient and Paris of the East because of its wide boulevards, colonial-style villas and lively café society. Today, it is a curious mix of the past and present. The streets bustle with pedestrians, cyclos, bicycles, motorbikes, taxis and SUVs all vying for right-of-way. Foreign businessmen and tourists share the walkways with noodle soup vendors and pajama-clad Vietnamese women balancing their weight's worth of seasonal fruit on their shoulders. Modern skyscrapers loom beside elegant, dilapidated villas. Bars, cafes and Hotels for every budget and taste and restaurants for every cuisine line the streets. Shop in multiple-storied, upscale malls or haggle for bargains on the street. Get a manicure, facial, shampoo or foot massage for under US$ 10 with a cup of tea or be fitted for a suit or gown in a boutique. Saigon has it all within an area no more than a 15 minute walk from end to end. Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam’s commercial hub and its center of international business.