Quick answerHo Chi Minh City is the largest city of Vietnam, with 14,002,598 people inside the city limits in 2025. The wider metropolitan area had about 22.6 million people in 2025. It is best known for the Independence Palace, the Bến Thành Market and the Landmark 81. Its official language is Vietnamese, and its currency is the Vietnamese đồng.
Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam's largest city, with about 14 million people in the municipality and about 22.6 million in the metropolitan area (2025). It stands on the Saigon River in southern Vietnam and is home to the Independence Palace, Bến Thành Market and Landmark 81.
Key facts
| Country | Vietnam |
|---|---|
| Population (city) | 14,002,598 (2025) |
| Population (metro) | 22,552,900 (2025) · Ho Chi Minh City metropolitan area, 2025 |
| Elevation | 19 m above sea level |
| Time zone | Asia/Ho_Chi_Minh |
| Language | Vietnamese |
| Currency | Vietnamese đồng (VND, ₫) |
| Coordinates | 10.77556° N, 106.70194° E |
Overview
Ho Chi Minh City, still widely called Saigon, is the most populous city in Vietnam. The municipality covers 6,781 square kilometres and had 14,002,598 residents in 2025, after the provinces of Bình Dương and Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu were merged into it, while the metropolitan area held 22,552,900 people. It stands on the Saigon River in the south-east of the country, about 19 metres above sea level.
The city began as a Khmer fishing village, became the capital of French Cochinchina in 1862, and was the capital of South Vietnam until 1975, when it was renamed after the leader Hồ Chí Minh. Its landmarks include the Independence Palace, where the Vietnam War ended in 1975, the Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office and Bến Thành Market, and the Landmark 81 tower, the tallest building in Vietnam.
Today Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam's biggest financial centre and busiest transport hub, with Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport handling nearly half of the country's international arrivals. It contributes about a quarter of Vietnam's GDP, and its streets are famous for motorbikes, street food and nightlife, above all the backpacker streets of Phạm Ngũ Lão and Bùi Viện.
What Ho Chi Minh City is known for
- Independence Palace
- Bến Thành Market
- Landmark 81
- Notre-Dame Cathedral
- Street food and nightlife
- Tân Sơn Nhất Airport
Landmarks
- Independence Palace
- Bến Thành Market
- Landmark 81
- Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon
- Central Post Office
- War Remnants Museum
- Bitexco Financial Tower
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Ho Chi Minh City?
About 14 million people live in Ho Chi Minh City (14,002,598 in 2025). The wider metropolitan area had about 22.6 million people in 2025. That makes it Vietnam's most populous city, well ahead of Hanoi, and one of the largest cities in South-East Asia.
Where is Ho Chi Minh City located?
Ho Chi Minh City is in southern Vietnam, on the Saigon River, near the Mekong Delta. It is Vietnam's largest city and financial centre, famous for the Independence Palace, Bến Thành Market and Landmark 81. Its coordinates are 10.78° N, 106.70° E.
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Keep exploring
- Vietnam — the country Ho Chi Minh City is in
- Hanoi — another city in Vietnam
- Hai Phong — another city in Vietnam
- Da Nang — another city in Vietnam
- All cities in Vietnam
- All countries — the full list
Sources & last updated
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.