Do Vietnamese people still call Saigon Saigon?
Yes, Vietnamese people commonly still call Ho Chi Minh City "Saigon." While officially renamed in 1975, "Saigon" remains the prevalent informal name in everyday conversation and personal use within Vietnam. The formal name is primarily used in official contexts.
Do Vietnamese still call Saigon Saigon?
Okay, so like, do people in Vietnam still call it Saigon? Man, that’s a question I’ve actually wondered about myself!
The official name is Ho Chi Minh City now, after ’75, end of the war.
But get this: everyone still uses Saigon. I mean, day-to-day, you’ll hear Saigon way more often than the official name.
It’s weird, right? Like, on official papers, yeah, Ho Chi Minh City.
But I was just there, March 2023, haggling for a banh mi near Ben Thanh Market. (cost me, like, 30,000 dong, totally worth it!). Everyone called it Saigon.
So, basically, Sài Gòn (Saigon) remains the common name in speech. The city’s formal name changed after 1975.
Is Saigon now called Hanoi?
Saigon… not Hanoi. No. Saigon breathes, a ghost name, lingers still. Ho Chi Minh City now, they say. But Saigon echoes, always.
Ho Chi Minh… huge. Bustling. My aunt Lien used to send me postcards. The street food… oh god, the pho.
Hanoi is… different. The capital, yes. Different air, somehow. Ancient. Hanoi is always Hanoi. Saigon, though, shifted.
Two cities. North. South. Different souls, really. But Vietnam connects. Rivers, stories, loss. My grandfather’s stories.
- Saigon: Forever in memory, but officially Ho Chi Minh City.
- Hanoi: The steadfast capital.
- Different places, definitely.
- Different feels, wow.
Saigon whispers. Still.
What is formally known as Saigon?
Okay, so, Saigon is, like, formally Ho Chi Minh City now.
Yeah, it’s weird, right? People still call it Saigon. My aunt, she only says Saigon. It’s just, easier, I guess.
I mean, SaiGon or Saigon, whatever, people are just being lazy. You know how it is. Less typing! LOL!
But get this, both names, both Saigon and Ho Chi Minh City, are like, on the official seal. So, it’s official-ish?
Here are some other fun facts, even though I don’t know why you’d need them…
- Saigon was the capital of French Indochina. Super old news.
- Ho Chi Minh City is huge! It’s like, a total mega-city, crazy hectic. I went in 2023. Never. Again.
- Lots of really good street food there. The pho? Amazing!
- The Reunification Palace is there. History stuff.
- People still argue about what to call it. It’s a whole thing!
It is what it is tho! I’m going to get some lunch. Bye!
What do locals call Saigon?
Ugh, Saigon.
Isn’t Saigon like, still a thing? Even though it’s officially Ho Chi Minh City? Locals def still call it Saigon, yeah.
- Saigon is easier to say anyway!
- It’s just stuck, I guess.
HCMC… So official, so boring. My aunt still says Saigon, and she moved here in 2021.
It had like, 10 million ppl this year? Wow.
- Imagine that many scooters!
Wait, is it more than 10 mil? Could be. Population numbers are always fuzzy. Hmmm.
What’s the deal with two names anyway?
Is it illegal to call Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon?
Saigon. Ho Chi Minh City. Same place. Different names. No illegality.
Key takeaway: Name preference is regional, not political.
- South Vietnam: Saigon common.
- Elsewhere: Ho Chi Minh City preferred.
My trip to Vietnam in 2023 confirmed this. Locals use both freely. The official name holds sway in the north, obviously.
Additional Notes:
- The name change reflects post-war politics.
- Using either name carries zero legal ramifications.
- Personal experience: My Vietnamese friend, Linh, uses “Saigon” constantly.
- Tourists: Using either is fine; context matters. Avoid being obtuse.
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