Ho Chi Minh City is 1,730 km from Hanoi and 50 km from the
East Sea, covering the area of 2,029 sq km stretching from the South
China Sea almost to the Cambodian border. The city is the largest
Vietnam's city and is the second most important in Vietnam after
Hanoi. It is formerly known and is still unofficially called as
Saigon - although the name officially refers to district 1. Ho Chi
Minh City is divided into 6 urban districts plus five rural
districts. As mentioned, district 1, the most important district and
the center of tourist attractions which is called Saigon, while
another bustling district to the west of the city center, is
District 5 - the huge Chinese neighborhood called Cholon which means
"Big Market". HCMC has official population of 5 ½ million
plus about 3 million of illegal residents and the main ethnic groups
populating the area are the Kinh and Hoa.
This region is crisscrossed by hundreds of rivers and canals, the
largest being the Saigon River. The Port of Saigon, established in
1862, is accessible to ships weighing up to 30,000 tons, a rare
advantage for an inland river port. The climate is generally hot and
humid. The annual average temperature is 27oC. The hottest month is
April and the coldest is December.
Over the past centuries, Saigon, once praised as the "Pearl
of the Far East," was known as an important trading center for
Chinese, Japanese, and Western merchants who traveled upstream the
Saigon River to Pho Island.
|
