History of Ho Chi Minh City Timeline

(1698 – Present)

This timeline traces the history of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), covering its founding as a Khmer fishing village, development under Vietnamese rule, transformation during French colonization, its role as the capital of South Vietnam, the events of the Vietnam War era, and its growth into Vietnam's largest city and economic hub. More Less

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Early Settlement

Champa establishes settlement of Baigaur

1000

A settlement called Baigaur was established on the site in the 11th century by the Champa kingdom.

Image source: Ho Chi Minh City

Khmer Empire renames Baigaur as Prey Nokor

1145

Baigaur was renamed Prey Nokor after conquest by the Khmer Empire around 1145. Prey Nokor grew on the site of a fishing village and area of forest.

Image source: Names of Ho Chi Minh City

Marriage of Princess Nguyễn Phúc Ngọc Vạn to Cambodian king

1620

Thanks to the marriage between Princess Nguyễn Phúc Ngọc Vạn, daughter of Lord Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên, and King Chey Chettha II of Cambodia in 1620, relations between Vietnam and Cambodia improved, and people of the two countries could freely move back and forth.

Image source: Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên

Ang Nan installed as uparaja in Sài Gòn

1674

Cambodian prince Ang Nan was installed as uparaja at Sài Gòn (柴棍) by Vietnamese forces, according to accounts recorded in later chronicles such as Gia Định thành thông chí.

Chinese refugees settle in Saigon under Nguyễn lord

1679

In 1679, Lord Nguyễn Phúc Tần allowed a group of Chinese refugees fleeing the Qing dynasty to settle in Mỹ Tho, Biên Hòa, and Saigon.

Image source: Hoa people

Area annexed by Nguyễn lords and renamed Gia Định

1698

In 1698, Vietnamese noble Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh was sent by the Nguyễn rulers of Huế to establish Vietnamese administrative structures in the area, detaching it from Cambodia. The area was officially renamed Gia Định (嘉定), a name retained until the French conquest in the 1860s.

Image source: Nam tiến

King Chey Chettha IV defeated by Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh

1700

In February 1700, King Chey Chettha IV of Cambodia invaded from An Giang in an attempt to stop the Vietnamese expansion but was defeated by Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh.

Thien Hau Temple built in Cholon

1760

The Thien Hau Temple, a Chinese-style temple dedicated to Mazu, was first built around 1760 and remains a notable historic religious site in the city's Cholon district.

Image source: List of Mazu temples

Vietnamese and French Rule

City serves as capital of the Nguyễn lords

1777 - 1801

The city served as the capital of the Nguyễn lords in their final years before the establishment of the Nguyễn dynasty in 1802.

Image source: Nguyễn lords

Nguyễn Ánh captures city as anti-Tây Sơn base

1788

In 1788, Nguyễn Ánh captured the city and used it as a centre of resistance against the Tây Sơn forces, laying groundwork for the eventual establishment of the Nguyễn dynasty.

Image source: Gia Long

Lê Văn Khôi revolt seizes the citadel

1833 - 1835

The Citadel of Saigon was captured by Lê Văn Khôi during his revolt against emperor Minh Mạng. Following the revolt's suppression, Minh Mạng ordered the citadel dismantled, and a new citadel called Phụng Thành was built in 1836.

Image source: Lê Văn Khôi revolt

French capture and destroy the citadel

1859

After the fall of the Citadel of Saigon during the Cochinchina campaign, the citadel was destroyed by the French following the Battle of Kỳ Hòa, opening the way for colonial rule over southern Vietnam.

Image source: Siege of Saigon

Saigon ceded to France by Treaty of Saigon

1862

Ceded to France by the 1862 Treaty of Saigon, the city became the capital of French Cochinchina and was planned by the French to transform into a town for colonization. It adopted the name Sài Gòn, francized as Saïgon.

Image source: Treaty of Saigon (1862)

French construction boom reshapes the city

1863 - 1900

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, French-style buildings were constructed throughout the city, including a botanical garden, Norodom Palace, Hotel Continental, Notre-Dame Cathedral (built between 1863 and 1880), and Bến Thành Market.

Image source: Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon

Gia Định Báo becomes Vietnam's first newspaper

Apr 1865

In April 1865, Gia Định Báo was established in Saigon, becoming the first newspaper published in Vietnam.

Image source: Gia Dinh Bao

Capital of French Indochina

1887 - 1902

Saigon served as the capital of French Indochina from 1887 until 1902, when the capital moved to Hanoi; it regained this role again from 1945 until the end of French rule in 1954.

Image source: French Indochina

Formation of Saigon–Cholon région

Apr 27, 1931 - 1955

On 27 April 1931, a new région called Saigon–Cholon consisting of Saigon and the Chinese-majority district of Cholon was formed. The name Cholon was dropped after South Vietnam gained independence from France in 1955.

Image source: Chợ Lớn, Ho Chi Minh City

Bảo Đại makes Saigon capital of State of Vietnam

Jun 14, 1949 - 1955

On 14 June 1949, ten days after France returned Cochinchina to Vietnam, former emperor Bảo Đại made Saigon the capital of the State of Vietnam within the French Union, with himself as head of state.

Image source: State of Vietnam

War Era

Geneva Agreement partitions Vietnam

Jul 1954

In July 1954, the Geneva Agreement partitioned Vietnam along the 17th parallel (Bến Hải River), with the Việt Minh under Ho Chi Minh gaining control of the northern half, while the south remained under the State of Vietnam with Saigon as its capital.

Image source: 1954 Geneva Conference

Republic of Vietnam proclaimed with Saigon as capital

1955

The State officially became the Republic of Vietnam when Bảo Đại was deposed by his Prime Minister Ngô Đình Diệm in the 1955 referendum, with Saigon as its capital.

Battle against Bình Xuyên forces

Apr 28, 1955

On 28 April 1955, the Vietnamese National Army launched an attack against the Bình Xuyên military force within the city, securing government control of Saigon.

Image source: Battle of Saigon (1955)

City named Đô thành Sài Gòn

Oct 22, 1956

On 22 October 1956, the city was given the official name Đô thành Sài Gôn ('Metropolitan city of Saigon'). After a decree of 27 March 1959 came into effect, it was divided into eight districts and 41 wards.

Self-immolation of Thích Quảng Đức

Jun 11, 1963

On 11 June 1963, Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức self-immolated at a busy Saigon intersection in protest against the persecution of Buddhists under the Diệm regime, drawing worldwide attention.

Image source: Thích Quảng Đức

Tet Offensive attack on Saigon fails

1968

During the 1968 Tet Offensive, communist forces launched a failed attempt to capture Saigon, including an attack on the US Embassy grounds, though the offensive had far-reaching political consequences.

Image source: Tet Offensive

Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War

Apr 30, 1975

Seven years after the Tet Offensive, on 30 April 1975, Saigon was captured, ending the Vietnam War, and the city came under the control of the Vietnamese People's Army.

Image source: Fall of Saigon

Modern City

Ho Chi Minh City established upon reunification

Jul 1976

In July 1976, upon the establishment of the unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the city of Saigon (including Cholon), the province of Gia Định, and two suburban districts of nearby provinces were combined to create Ho Chi Minh City, honouring the late Communist leader Ho Chi Minh.

Image source: Reunification Day

First stock exchange in Vietnam opens

2001

The Stock Exchange, the first stock exchange in Vietnam, opened in Ho Chi Minh City in 2001, marking a milestone in the country's economic modernization.

Image source: Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange

International Trade Center fire kills 60

Oct 29, 2002

On 29 October 2002, a fire in the International Trade Center building in Ho Chi Minh City killed 60 people and injured 90 others, one of the deadliest fires in the city's history.

First expressway opens to Mekong Delta

2010

The Ho Chi Minh City – Trung Lương Expressway, the city's first expressway, opened in 2010, connecting Ho Chi Minh City with Tiền Giang province and the Mekong Delta.

Image source: North–South Expressway East

Second expressway links city to Southeast Vietnam

2015

The Ho Chi Minh City – Long Thành – Dầu Giây Expressway, the city's second expressway, opened in 2015, connecting the city with Đồng Nai, Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu, and the rest of the Southeast region.

Metro Line 1 opens to the public

2024

Ho Chi Minh City's first metro line, Line 1 connecting District 1 to Thủ Đức, opened in 2024, marking the debut of urban rail transit in Vietnam's largest city.

Image source: Ho Chi Minh City Metro

Provinces merged into expanded Ho Chi Minh City

2025

In 2025, the provinces of Bình Dương and Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu were merged into Ho Chi Minh City, allowing the city — now home to more than 14 million people — to inherit the two former provinces' industrial and coastal metropolitan areas. Saigon remains the official name of the city's administrative centre.

Key Facts

In 1698, Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh was sent by the Nguyễn lords to establish Vietnamese administration over the region, an event considered the official founding of Saigon.
Under French colonial rule beginning in 1859, Saigon was developed into a major administrative and commercial center, earning the nickname 'the Pearl of the Far East.'
Saigon served as the capital of the Republic of South Vietnam (South Vietnam) from 1955 until the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.
On April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese forces captured Saigon, marking the end of the war; in 1976, the city was officially renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the communist leader.
Today, Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam's largest city and its economic engine, contributing roughly a quarter of the country's GDP and serving as a major hub for trade, finance, and culture.

Source

This History of Ho Chi Minh City timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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