We often think of Saigon based on old movies we’ve seen “Good Morning Vietnam!” or other TV shows. But modern day Saigon, or Ho Chi Mihn City, as it is now called, is really a giant megatropolis.
The metropolitan area, which consists of the Hồ Chí Minh City metropolitan area, Thủ Dầu Một, Dĩ An, Biên Hòa 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.
Saigon is made up of a hodgepodge of old decaying French Colonial building, crudely constructed cement block homes and modern day skyscrapers, as illustrated in this picture. Crowded (I use that term lightly) to the max with every spare inch turned into living, or work space, it is as much despotic as it is exotic.
The Greater Ho Chi Minh City Metropolitan Area, a metropolitan area covering most parts of Đông Nam Bộ plus Tiền 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 on the list of world’s most expensive cities. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh_City)
New World Saigon Hotel invites guests to indulge the senses, explore Saigon and enjoy a weekend of delicious discoveries as part of its All-Senses package. From now until 21 March 2012, visitors to New World Saigon Hotel can enjoy a range of senses-stirring experiences.
The government has asked the Transport Ministry to draft a plan restricting the circulation of motorcycles in major cities to curb the country’s worsening traffic problem. The ministry has been ordered to submit the plan to the government by the end of 2012.
Saigon Ho Chi Mihn City News