Saigon (since 1976, Ho Chi Minh City) is the largest metropolitan area in modern Vietnam and has long been the country's economic engine. This is the city's complete history, from its humble beginnings as a Khmer village in the swampy Mekong delta to its emergence as a major political, economic and cultural hub. Examined in detail are the city's many transitions through the hands of the Chams, Khmers, Vietnamese, Chinese, French, Japanese, Americans, nationalists and communists, as well as the Saigon-led resistance to collectivization and the city's central role in Vietnam's perestroika-like economic reforms.

Table of Contents

Preface      1

1. The Riverine Trading Post (1698-1777)      7
2. Gia Dịnh/Saigon, the Royal Capital (1777-1802)      28
3. Saigon Under the Warlords (1802-1835)      46
4. Colonial Saigon (1858-1920)      59
5. Saigon Through World War II (1920-1945)      88
6. Saigon Under Bao Dai (1945-1954)      110
7. Saigon Under the Ngos (1954-1963)      125
8. American Saigon      145
9. Saigon and the Generals (1967-1975)      158
10. Red Saigon (1975-1988)      192
11. Resurgent Saigon (1988-2010)      223
12. The Little Saigons      249

Epilogue      257
Appendix: Saigon Street Names According to Periods in History      263
Chapter Notes      265
Bibliography      291
Index      297