HO CHI MINH CITY (SAIGON), VIETNAM (Port No. 20, 3/15/12)

HO CHI MINH CITY

∙ GEOGRAPHY 101
          ∙ Land Mass/ Continent: Asia
          ∙ About Ho Chi Minh City: Up until 1976, Saigon was the capital of the independent (non-communist) State of South Vietnam, but its capture by the North in the Vietnam War marked the end of the war and the reunification of North and South Vietnam as a communist country; “Saigon” was renamed “Ho Chi Minh City” after communist leader Ho Chi Minh
          ∙ Estimated Population: Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam, with 7.1 million in the city and more than 9 million in the metropolitan area and surrounding towns; the population is expected to reach 20 million by 2020
          ∙ Distance From Home (San Diego, CA): 7,983 miles
          ∙ The Water That Got Us Here: The city sits on the banks of the Saigon River, 37 miles from the South China Sea

∙ ITS PLACE IN HISTORY/INTERESTING FACTS
          ∙ Local time: 
          ∙ The terms, “North Vietnam” and “South Vietnam” were commonly used after the first Indochina War ended in 1954, when the Geneva Conference partitioned Vietnam into communist and non-communist zones at the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (VDZ)
                    ∙ France unsuccessfully fought the bitter First Indochina War from 1946-1954 to maintain its colony of French Indochina in Southeast Asia
                    ∙ Under the Geneva Accords, the north became the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (under Hô Chi Minh), and the south became the State of Vietnam (under Emporor Bào Đai) – this was intended to prevent Ho Chi Minh from controlling the north and the south
                    ∙ The South refused to enter into negotiations with North Vietnam to hold national elections to reunify the country (as stipulated to by the Geneva Accords), leading to war breaking out again in South Vietnam in 1955 – the Second Indochina War (aka Vietnam War)
                    ∙ During the Vietnam War, the VDZ became the battleground as the territory separating North from South Vietnam
                    ∙ The Vietnam War dragged on in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia for 20 years, from 11/1/55 to the fall of Saigon on 4/30/75.  Saigon's capture by the North marked the end of the war and the start of a "reunification" of Vietnam under communist rule.

                  ∙ The War was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies – and South Vietnam, supported by the U.S. and other anti-communist nations
                              ∙ The U.S. government viewed involvement as a way to prevent communist takeover of South Vietnam
                              ∙ The North Vietnamese regarded it as a colonial war, fought initially against France (backed by the U.S.), and later against South Vietnam (which it regarded as a U.S. “puppet state”, i.e., de facto controlled by the U.S.) – for them, it was imperative to their independence to first be rid of France’s colony there, and then to be rid of U.S. control there too
          ∙ Today, about 3 million Vietnamese live outside Vietnam – most of whom left as refugees due to the Fall of Saigon and takeover by the Communist regime
          ∙ Even today, the name “Sài Gòn” remains in daily speech, both domestically and internationally, and the city’s inhabitants are called “Saigonese”
          ∙ The religious makeup is 80% Buddhist and 11% Roman Catholic; most Vietnamese are known to worship ancestors
          ∙ Their laborers earn about $2,800/year, and the city receives huge sums from foreign investors, particularly dot.com investors
          ∙ The primary modes of transportion within the city are motorbikes, taxis and bicycles; they’re constructing a light rail system, to open in 2014

∙ CLIMATE
          ∙ Ho Chi Minh City has a tropical climate, with average humidity of 75%; the wet season is May to late November
          ∙ Average low for March: 75.9
          ∙ Average high for March: 93

∙ HIGHLIGHTS/THINGS TO SEE
            ∙ The city is still adorned with historic French colonial buildings

CITY HALL, aka HOTEL de VILLE

          ∙ Some prominent structures include Reunification Palace, the Municipal Theatre and Notre-Dame Cathedral
          ∙ Some of the historic hotels are the Hotel Majestic, dating from the French colonial era, and the Rex and Caravelle Hotels – former hangouts for American officers and war correspondents in the 1960s and 1970s

FORMER PRESIDENTIAL PALACE - NOW "REUNIFICATION PALACE"