Why go
Understanding the names makes signs and historical sites easier to read. Prey Nokor recalls the area's Khmer past, Gia Định its earlier Vietnamese administration, and Saigon the colonial and southern capital. The official name adopted after the war honours Hồ Chí Minh, while established names such as the Saigon River preserve the older usage.
The full story
Before the name Saigon became official under French rule, the area had been known as Prey Nokor in its Khmer history and Gia Định in Vietnamese administration. Saigon was already a familiar name when the French adopted it in the nineteenth century. It remained the name of the city during its period as the capital of South Vietnam. After the war, the city was officially named Ho Chi Minh City in honour of Hồ Chí Minh. Saigon nevertheless persists in everyday speech and in names that visitors encounter, including the Saigon River. Several explanations for the word Sài Gòn have been proposed. Some connect its syllables to Chinese-derived words for wood or cotton; another links it to a Cantonese name associated with Chợ Lớn. These are theories rather than a settled translation. The useful distinction for a visitor is historical and practical: the two city names often point to the same place, while an individual site may keep Saigon as part of its own name.