High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) (Vietnamese: Thành ph H Chí Minh Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh.ogg pronunciation (help·info) is the largest city in Vietnam. It was known as Prey Nokor before being annexed by the Vietnamese in the 17th century. Under the name Saigon (Vietnamese: Sài Gòn; Saigon.ogg pronunciation (help·info)), it was the capital of the French colony of Cochinchina and later of the independent state of South Vietnam from 1954 to 1975. In 1976, Saigon merged with the surrounding province of Gia nh and was officially renamed H Chí Minh City (although the name Sài Gòn formally known as District 1 is still commonly used.) The city center is situated on the banks of the Saigon River, 60 kilometers (37 mi) from the South China Sea and 1,760 kilometers (1,094 mi) south of Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.