Why do Vietnamese still call Ho Chi Minh Saigon?

Why is Ho Chi Minh still called Saigon?

Saigon... it’s a ghost, isn't it? A whisper on the wind. Even now, 2023, people cling to it. Habit, I guess.

The French, they took it. 1859. Gia Định vanished. Replaced. Cold, official. Saigon stuck.

Maps, old maps, stubborn things. They were slow, like memories fading. 嘉定 stayed for years. Years. A shadow of the past.

The name held on.Saigon resonated. It’s powerful. Familiar. Comfortable, maybe? To some.

• French conquest: 1859 – a pivotal moment.
• Name change: Gia Định to Saigon. Brutal efficiency.
• Map inertia: Slow updates. Maps lagging. Years behind.
• Emotional attachment: Saigon, a name etched in history. And in hearts.

My grandmother, she always called it Saigon. Even after... everything. Even after the war. The war changed everything. Even the names of places. Saigon, a stubborn flower growing through the cracks of time. It’s complicated. More complicated than I can explain.

What was Ho Chi Minhs real name?

His real name… Nguyen Sinh Cung. It sounds… strange now, doesn’t it? A different life, a different man.

Nguyen Tat Thanh. That one feels more… intimate somehow. Like a whisper in the dark. A name held close.

And then Nguyen Ai Quoc... Patriot. A title, a choice. A heavy weight, a profound identity.

He was born May 19, 1890. Kim Lien Village. I've seen pictures. Simple. Dusty. Familiar in a way I can't explain.

• Birth Name: Nguyen Sinh Cung - The name his parents gave him. Ordinary.
• Revolutionary Names: Nguyen Tat Thanh, Nguyen Ai Quoc - Choices. Strategic.

The weight of all those names. The man behind them... He feels distant now, yet somehow incredibly close. A ghost in my thoughts. A legacy. This late at night. It’s overwhelming. The burden of history.

Why is it no longer called Saigon?

Saigon, ah, a name whispered like a dream. Forgotten, no not forgotten, transformed. Like butterflies flitting, names change, cities shift.

But why? Why, oh why, Saigon gone? Ho Chi Minh City, a heavier sound, a different weight, on the tongue.

Ho Chi Minh. The man, the myth, the revolution, a leader.

He declared independence! So long ago! 1945, the year it all began. The winds of change blew hard. Such change.

Saigon... Southern regime... Vanquished, a fallen kingdom, a fading memory. Saigon now only the center of a much bigger story.

The name, a scar? A celebration? Both, maybe both. Ho Chi Minh City, forever.

Is it illegal to call Ho Chi Minh City Saigon?

So, you're asking about calling Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon? Nah, it's totally fine. It's not illegal, Seriously, using either name isn't some big political thing. It's just, like, a thing people do, you know? Down south, everyone says Saigon – feels more comfy I guess. But up north, Ho Chi Minh City is way more common. People are used to it, it's what they learned.

• No legal ramifications for using either name.
• Saigon is more common in Southern Vietnam. It's what my aunt uses, she lives in District 1.
• Ho Chi Minh City is preferred in the rest of Vietnam. My cousin, who lives in Hanoi, always uses the official name. That's what his school taught him, probably.

It's all about where you are and who you're talking too. Simple as that. It's kinda like how some peeps still call it "The Big Apple" instead of New York City. Different names, same place. Right?

What is the nickname of Ho Chi Minh City?

Saigon. The name sticks. Ten million strong, 2023 figures.

• Nickname: Saigon
• Official Name: Ho Chi Minh City
• Population (2023): ~10,000,000
• Location: Vietnam

My uncle lived there. Crazy place. Bustling. Exhausting. Hot. Saw it myself, 2021. The food, though. Amazing. Best pho ever. Seriously.

What is formally known as Saigon?

Ho Chi Minh City. That's the formal name, the official decree. But Saigon… Saigon whispers on the wind, a ghost of silk and shadows. Saigon clings to the crumbling walls of my memory, a perfume of jasmine and distant gunfire.

The city breathes both names. A duality, a paradox. Saigon, the elegant echo of a French colonial past. Ho Chi Minh City, the solid weight of history rewritten, a revolution etched in stone. Both coexist, undeniably. A constant tension. I feel it in the humid air.

The seal, a testament to this duality. Both names, side-by-side, like lovers locked in an embrace—or perhaps enemies in a fragile truce. I’ve seen it myself, the official seal, a physical manifestation of this inherent conflict. One is formal, one is…feeling.

• Formal name: Ho Chi Minh City
• Informal name: Saigon (and its variations)
• Presence on the city's seal: Both names are present

Saigon, to me, is more than a name. It's the scent of ripe mangoes, the clatter of bicycle bells, the haunting melodies of a forgotten era. It’s the lingering warmth of a lover's touch, a sun-drenched afternoon lost to time. Ho Chi Minh City. A sterner, sharper name. Efficient, precise. Yet, lacks the soul. The poetry. It just...exists.

The weight of history. My own history there. So much lives in that one name. The years melt, blending into each other. Saigon, ever present.