Ho Chi Minh City

The first evidence of a settlement in the area dates back to the Funan Empire (1st - 6th century AD). Following the fall of the Funan Empire, the area eventually came under the control of Champa, during which it was named Baigaur. With the rise of the Khmer Empire, the Chams were eventually forced out, and the settlement was incorporated into the Khmer Empire and renamed Prey Nokor. It grew to have an ethnic Khmer majority, which remained even after the fall of the Khmer Empire, and it was not until the 17th century that ethnic Vietnamese started settling in the area. In 1698, by which time it already had an ethnic Vietnamese majority, the Nguyễn lords sent Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh to the area to establish Vietnamese administrative structures, thus incorporating it into the Vietnam's Lê dynasty. In time, the city of Prey Nokor came to be known by the names Gia Định and Sài Gòn. The former was the name used for the city until French rule commenced, with the city officially called Saïgon in French. Saigon was ceded to the French under the Treaty of Saigon in 1862, and became the capital of the French colony of Cochinchina, which covered most of what is today southern Vietnam. As a result, the city has a rich French colonial heritage, with many magnificent French colonial buildings in the city centre, along with a strong cafe culture. After independence in 1955, Saigon became the capital of the capitalist South Vietnam, with Hanoi becoming the capital of the communist North Vietnam....