TheshortintroductionofHoChiMinh

Geography

HCMCityhasanareaofapproximately2,094squarekilometers.Itislocatedfrom1010’-1038’Northand106o2’-106o54’East.ThecityhasBinhDuongProvinceinthenorth,TayNinhProvinceinthenorthwest,DongNaiProvinceintheeastandnortheast,BaRia-VungTauProvinceinthesoutheast,andLongAnandTienGiangprovincesinthewestandsouthwest.

HCMCityis1,730kmfromHanoibylandandisatthecrossroadsofinternationalmaritimeroutes.ItisalsoatthecenterofSoutheastAsia.Thecitycenteris50kmfromtheEastSeainastraightline.Itisatransporthubofthesouthernregionandagatewaytotheworld,havingthelargestportsystemandairportinVietnam.SaigonPortcanhandle10milliontonsofcargoayear.TanSonNhatInternationalAirport,7kmfromthecitycenter,hastensofinternationalroutes.

History

HoChiMinhcityistheoriginalcitycalledSaigon.AmongtheearlySaigonsettlerswereasizablenumberofChinesemigrants.TheyoriginatedfromChina’ssoutherncoastalregions,runningawayfromthemiseriesoftheirwar-torncountry.In1679thereoccurredagreatmigrationof3,000personsin50warshipsheadedbytwogeneralsunderthedefunctMingDynasty:

DuongNganDichandTranThuongXuyen.AlargepartoftheseemigrantssettledinandcultivatedthelandintheSouth’seasternregion,

BienHoaandSaigon.

ThecityofCholonwasbuiltwiththecontributionfromtheseethnicChinesegroupsastheywerebeingintegratedintotheethniccommunitiesofVietnam.

ThepeopleinSaigonandthesouthernregionbegantofightFrenchinvaderswithallkindsofrudimentaryweapons,readytorisktheirlivesinsteadofbeingoccupied,startingthe30-yearresistancewartoprotecttheirindependenceandreunification.

ThePartyCentralCommitteeandtheGovernmentledbyPresidentHoChiMinhalsoappealed:“Allfortheresistancewarandthesouthernfront.”NorthernandnorthernCentralprovincessentmanygroupstotheSouth.TheCentralCommitteeordered2,000politicalprisoners,whohadjustfreedfromConDaoIsland,tostayinthesouthernregiontoassisttheresistanceforcesthere.TonDucThang,LeDuan,PhamHungandLeVanLuongwereamongtheseprisoners.

AstheFrenchmilitaryforcewassostrong,itexpandedtheoccupationfromSaigontomanysouthernlocalities.OnFebruary27,1946,PresidentHoChiMinhappealedtosouthernsoldiersandpeopletocontinuethestruggle,grantingthemtheglorioustitleof“Fatherland’sIronBulwark.”

TheresistancewarofthepeopleinSaigonandthesouthernregionaimedtodelaytheFrenchinvasionprocessfortheCentralGovernmenttohaveenoughtimetopushChinesesoldiersbackintotheirownhomeland,holdtalkswiththeFrenchGovernment,andprepareforcesforalong-termresistancewaragainsttheFrenchinvaders.

Thewarbrokeout,withthemainbattlefieldsintheNorth.PeopleandsoldiersinSaigonandthesouthernregionboostedtheirguerrillawarfaretocausemorelossesfortheenemy,enablingtheGovernmenttolaunchaseriesofbigmilitaryoperations,especiallythehistoricvictoryofDienBienPhu.Althoughbusywiththemainbattlefields,theGovernmentpaidcloseattentiontothosebattlefieldsinthesouthernregionandregularlysentsoldiersandweaponsthere.

WiththeDienBienPhuvictoryandtheGenevaTreaty(1954),halfofVietnamfromlatitude17northwardwasliberated.TheSouthwasstilloccupied,waitingforageneralelectionfornationalreunificationtwoyearslater.

But.imperialiststhenenteredtoreplaceFrenchcolonialists,aimingatalong-termoccupationintheSouth,withapuppetgovernmentfollowinganewtypeofcolonialism,andSaigonwaschosenasthecapitalofSouthVietnam(fromlatitude17southward).Therefore,theSouthbecamethefrontlineandtheNorththerear.TheresistancewaragainstAmericaninvasionlastedfor21years.

TheNorthcarriedoutthe“Allforthefrontline,allfordefeatingU.S.imperialistsandthepuppetgovernment”slogansetbytheCentralCommitteeandPresidentHoChiMinh.ManycampaignsfortheSouthwerelaunchedintheNorth.AlmosteveryfamilyintheNorthhadatleastonememberparticipatinginliberatingtheSouth.

Despitehardshipsandsacrifice,peopleandsoldiersinSaigonandthesouthernregionalwayslookedtotheNorthandPresidentHo,firmlyconfidentoffinalvictory.TheSouthwasworriedwhenAmericaninvadersbombedtheNorth,especiallyHanoiandHaiphongwithgiantB52aircraftattheendof1972.TheSouthstrengthenedtheresistancewartohelptheNorth,andsouthernpeoplewereverygladtoseethetriumphofpeopleandsoldiersinHanoiintheirfightagainstU.S.airraids.

Theentirecountryfought,andnothingcouldstopVietnamesefromstrugglingfornationalindependence,libertyandreunification.Finally,thewarendedinvictory.OnApril30,1975,Saigonandtheentiresouthernregionwereliberated.Theliberationwaswelcomedbyallpeopleinthecountryandbypeopleineverycountry.

ThecountryhasbeenunifiedafteryearsofresistancewaragainstFrenchandAmericaninvaders.FromSaigon,UncleHohadfoundawayoutforthepeopleandthecountry.HewishedtovisitSaigonandthesouthernregion,andthebelovedpeople,buthiswishcouldnotbefulfilled.Hediedin1969.

In1976,afterthereunification,theNationalAssemblyunanimouslydecidedtorenameSaigon-Cholon-GiaDinhasHoChiMinhCity.Thecityisworthbearingthenameofthebelovedpresident,whofoundedtheCommunistParty,army,frontandrevolutionarygovernment,andwholedthepeopleandthecountrytoagloriousvictory.BearingthenameofUncleHoisabighonorforthecity,butitalsorequireshighresponsibilityforbuildingandprotectingthecountry.

Sinceliberation,HCMCityhascontributedagreatdealtosocialistandnationalconstructionanddefense.Politburo’sResolution01(1982)stipulatesthatHCMCityhasapoliticalpositionjustbehindHanoi,thecapital.Itisendowedwithfavorableconditionsthatcannotbefoundelsewhere.Ithasgreatpotentialfordevelopingindustry,exports,tourismandservices.Incoordinationwithotherlocalities,HCMCityisforminganagro-industrialeconomicstructureforthecountry’ssocio-economicdevelopment.

HCMCityhascontributedagreatdealtothecountry,particularlyintermsofeconomy.Ontheroadtoindustrializationandmodernizationonthethresholdofthe21stcentury,HCMCityhasconnectedwithDongNai,BaRia-VungTauandBinhDuongprovincestoformafocaleconomichub.Ithasalsocooperate