Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 58. Chapters: Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hu?, Da Nang, ng H?i, Nha Trang, Da Lat, V?ng T u, Hai Phong, H?i An, Vi?t Tr, C Mau, M? Tho, Vinh, C?n Th?, Dien Bien Phu, Qui Nh?n, List of cities in Vietnam, Bi n H a, R?ch Gi, Long Xuyen, B?n Tre, M ng C i, H? Long, Pleiku, Th i Nguy n, H?i D ng, Bu n Ma Thu?t, B?c Ninh, Phan Rang-Th p Ch m, T n An, Long An, Tuy Hoa, Cao L nh, B?c Giang, Thanh H a, H a B nh, B?c K?n, V?nh Y n, H T?nh, Tam K?. Excerpt: Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnamese: )), formerly named Saigon (Vietnamese: )) 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 nh Province and was officially renamed H? Ch Minh City after H? Ch Minh (although the name S i G n 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 and 1,760 kilometers (1,090 mi) south of Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. The metropolitan area, which consists of the H? Ch Minh City metropolitan area, Th? D?u M?t, D? An, Bi n H a and surrounding towns, is populated by more than 9 million people, making it the most populous metropolitan area in Vietnam and the countries of the former French Indochina. The Greater Ho Chi Minh City Metropolitan Area, a metropolitan area covering most parts of ng Nam B? plus Ti?n Giang and Long An provinces under planning will have an area of 30,000 square kilometers with a population of 20 million inhabitants by 2020. According to the Mercer Human Resource Consulting, Economist Intelligence Unit and ECA International, Ho Chi Minh City is ranked 132 o...