That's when United Airlines Flight 869 touched down at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon. The flight from San Francisco was the first direct flight between On 19 December 1946, 30,000 Việt Minh led by Võ Nguyên Giáp launched the first large-scale attack against French forces in an attempt to drive them from Hanoi. Even though the Việt Minh failed to retake the capital due to superior French firepower, the battle signified the start of the First Indochina War. The country's two largest population centers are Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, but over 75 percent of the population lives in rural areas. The country's birth rate, estimated to increase at 1.37 percent per year, has led to rapid population growth since the 1980s with approximately 34 percent of the population under 14 years of age. Sherry Buchanan's new book, "Mekong Diaries: Viet Cong Drawings & Stories, 1964-1975," gives us a stunning look at some of the wartime art produced by the Vietnamese soldier-artists who served in Dung arrived at Loc Ninh via the Ho Chi Minh Trail, now expanded from foot paths to include paved, two-lane highways with extensions that reached within 30 miles of Saigon. His first target was Ban Me Thuot, a city in the Central Highlands and the capital of Darlac province. It was the absolutely vital link in the South Vietnamese army's The Khmer Rouge won the civil war in 1975 and seized control of Phnom Penh. Saloth Sar (known in the West as Pol Pot) killed between 500,000 and 2 million countrymen between 1975-1979, estimates vary. While most died of starvation, thousands were also killed in concentration camps and outright genocide. siGZJP. Ho Chi Minh first emerged as an outspoken voice for Vietnamese independence while living as a young man in France during World War I. Inspired by the Bolshevik Revolution, he joined the Communist Party and traveled to the Soviet Union. He helped found the Indochinese Communist Party in 1930 and the League for the Independence of Vietnam, or Viet Minh, in 1941. At World War II’s end, Viet Minh forces seized the northern Vietnamese city of Hanoi and declared a Democratic State of Vietnam or North Vietnam with Ho as president. Known as “Uncle Ho,” he would serve in that position for the next 25 years, becoming a symbol of Vietnam’s struggle for unification during a long and costly conflict with the strongly anti-Communist regime in South Vietnam and its powerful ally, the United Was Ho Chi Minh?Ho Chi Minh was born Nguyen Sinh Cung on May 19, 1890, in a village in central Vietnam then part of French Indochina in Nghe province to Hoang Thi Loan, his mother, and Nguyen Sinh Sac. Ho attended the National Academy in Hue before being expelled for protesting against emperor Bao Dai and French influence in Indochina. In 1911, he found work as a cook on a French steamer and spent the next several years at sea, traveling to Africa, the United States and Britain, among other locations. By 1919, he was living in France, where he organized a group of Vietnamese immigrants and petitioned delegates at the Versailles Peace Conference to demand that the French colonial government in Indochina grant the same rights to its subjects as it did to its by the success of Vladimir Lenin’s Bolshevik Revolution, he joined the new French Communist Party in 1920 and traveled to Moscow three years later. He soon began recruiting members of a Vietnamese nationalist movement that would form the basis of the Indochinese Communist Party founded in Hong Kong in 1930 and traveled the world, including Brussels, Paris and Siam now Thailand, where he worked as a representative of the Communist International Chi Minh Founding of the Viet Minh and North Vietnam When Germany defeated France in 1940, during World War II, Ho saw it as an opportunity for the Vietnamese nationalist cause. Around this time, he began to use the name Ho Chi Minh roughly translated as “Bringer of Light”. With his lieutenants Vo Nguyen Giap and Pham Van Dong, Ho returned to Vietnam in January 1941 and organized the Viet Minh, or League for the Independence of Vietnam. Forced to seek China’s aid for the new organization, Ho was imprisoned for 18 months by Chiang Kai-Shek’s anti-Communist the Allied victory in 1945, Japanese forces withdrew from Vietnam, leaving the French-educated Emperor Bao Dai in control of an independent Vietnam. Led by Vo Nguyen Giap, Viet Minh forces seized the northern city of Hanoi and declared a Democratic State of Vietnam known commonly as North Vietnam, or the Democratic Republic of Vietnam with Ho as president. Bao Dai abdicated in favor of the revolution, but French military troops gained control of southern Vietnam, including Saigon, and Chiang Kai-Shek’s Chinese forces moved into the north according to the terms of an Allied agreement. Ho began negotiations with the French in efforts to achieve a Chinese withdrawal as well as eventual French recognition of Vietnam’s independence and reunification of North and South Vietnam. But in October 1946, a French cruiser opened fire on the town of Haiphong after a clash between French and Vietnamese soldiers. Despite Ho’s best efforts to maintain peace, his more militant followers called for war, which broke out that you know? In February 1967, Ho Chi Minh responded to a personal message from President Lyndon Johnson by announcing that the North Vietnamese would never negotiate under the threat of Chi Minh Toward War with the United States During the First Indochina War, the French returned Bao Dai to power and set up the state of Vietnam South Vietnam in July 1949, with Saigon as its capital. Armed conflict between the two states continued until a decisive battle at Dien Bien Phu ended in French defeat by Viet Minh forces. The subsequent treaty negotiations at Geneva at which Ho was represented by his associate Pham Van Dong partitioned Indochina and called for elections for reunification in by the United States, the strongly anti-Communist South Vietnamese government of Ngo Dinh Diem refused to support the Geneva accords, and put off elections indefinitely. In 1959, armed conflict broke out again, as Communist guerrillas known as the Viet Cong began launching attacks on targets including military installations in South Vietnam. The Viet Cong appealed to North Vietnam for help, and that July the central committee of Ho’s Lao Dong Worker’s Party voted to link the establishment of socialism in the North to the cause of unification with the Chi Minh TrailThe Ho Chi Minh Trail was named after Ho Chi Minh and was a military supply route used by the Viet Minh to send supplies from North Vietnam via Laos and Cambodia to supporters in South Vietnam. At its height, several tons of supplies, weapons and ammunition were sent each day. During the 1960s, it was a common target for American bombs. Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnam War At this same meeting, Ho ceded his position as party secretary-general to Le Duan. He would remain nominally as North Vietnam’s head of state during the Vietnam War, but would take a more behind-the-scenes role. To his people, “Uncle Ho” also remained an important symbol of Vietnam’s unification. The continued to increase its support of South Vietnam, sending economic aid and–beginning in December 1961–military troops. American air strikes against North Vietnam began in 1965, and in July 1966, Ho sent a message to the country’s people that “nothing is as dear to the heart of the Vietnamese as independence and liberation.” This became the motto of the North Vietnamese the heels of North Vietnam’s Tet Offensive in early 1968, President Lyndon Johnson made the decision to halt escalation of the war and called for peace talks to begin. The conflict was still ongoing by September 2, 1969, when Ho Chi Minh died in Hanoi at the age of 79. The last troops left Vietnam in March Fall of SaigonOn April 29, 1975, “White Christmas” played from radios across Saigon, the signal for Americans to evacuate the capitol. Seven thousand people, mainly Americans and South Vietnamese, were evacuated from the city. Photos of the chaos in the streets as men, women and children jostled for space on the last helicopters was broadcast across the April 30, 1975, the last few Americans still in South Vietnam were airlifted out of the country as Saigon fell to communist forces. North Vietnamese Colonel Bui Tin, accepting the surrender of South Vietnam later in the day, remarked, “You have nothing to fear; between Vietnamese there are no victors and no vanquished. Only the Americans have been defeated.” That day, Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh Vietnam War was the longest and most unpopular foreign war in history and cost 58,000 American lives and as many as two million Vietnamese soldiers and civilians were killed. in Ho Chi Minh city since livedc. have are I ____________ at this house, he my father _____ a newspaper, I_____ my ____________ in a café when I ____________ will ____________ here not ____________ our plan next ____________ home as soon as we have finished our mother is ___________ ill in the told us some ___________ stories about music fascinateANH NGỮTHIÊN go up that ladder. It doesn’t is the house ___________ we paint saw a woman ___________ car was broken down on the man ___________ at the bench is my was satd. get up at 6 everyday ___________ I can do exercises. 403 ERROR Request blocked. We can't connect to the server for this app or website at this time. There might be too much traffic or a configuration error. Try again later, or contact the app or website owner. If you provide content to customers through CloudFront, you can find steps to troubleshoot and help prevent this error by reviewing the CloudFront documentation. Generated by cloudfront CloudFront Request ID L5Q7AvN4-4CkOoTO8lJAGydGAfWBrZYABnANUuE82e3uPL5SJ6weYA== Fast-paced and frenetic, Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam at its most electrifying. Capital city Hanoi conceals its beauty behind a bevy of banyan, fig and flame trees, in a warren of ancient streets and in the elegant 'Paris of the Orient' villas behind tree-lined boulevards. The former Saigon, on the other hand, teases with its brazenness and pride. Its French colonial buildings are dwarfed by groves of skyscrapers; alcohol flows more freely in the louche night, thick with tropical stickiness, while the relentless tide of Hondas flushes some seven million Vietnamese on four million bikes through the city's busy streets. Saigon — as it's still known by the locals — is insatiable. Big commercial interests oil, construction, steel, textiles and small industry from shoe shiners to the beef noodle soup makers power this southern metropolis, which, year on year, strides further towards the Mekong Delta as it gobbles swampland for homes, businesses, schools and roads. Every day, migrants arrive in the city, pinning their dreams on Vietnam's economic powerhouse. Here, the sense of possibility is almost tangible. Ho Chi Minh City's powerful position was born of planning, plunder and providence. It began life as Prey Nokor, a small Khmer village surrounded by tiger-infested jungle. By the 17th century it was under Viet control; a citadel had been built, a canal system dug, the commercially savvy Chinese had arrived and French Catholic missionaries were at work. In 1859, France added Ho Chi Minh City to its colonial acquisitions. La plus grande France — evident in the wide boulevards, cafes peddling baguettes and pastries, ochre-splashed shuttered villas, and civic buildings like the Post Office, Opera House and Town Hall — made the city the capital of its new colony, Cochinchina. After the French were defeated by communist-nationalist revolutionaries in 1954, the country was split into two political halves; the US later swarmed in on an anti-communist mission, propping up the South Vietnam government during a savage internecine war. The communist north won in 1975 and Saigon was rechristened Ho Chi Minh City. Now part of the unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the former capital still marches to the beat of its own drum, with visitors required to submit to its thrilling, noisy, rampantly capitalist vortex. While immersed in the urban spin and the percussive thrum of the motorbike river, watch for the tableaux of stills — the cyclo driver napping in the shade of frangipani blossom; coffee drinkers perched low on plastic stools, penned in on pavements by the snouts of parked motorbikes; and the hairdresser snipping locks on the sidewalk with a cracked mirror pressed to a French colonial wall. Sights Reunification Palace The feng shui-designed 1960s palace of the South Vietnam government is now a museum — with psychedelic carpets, bunker, and replica North Vietnamese Army tank the original stormed the gates of the palace on 30 April 1975, heralding the end of the Second Indochina War. Historic heart The French transplanted Paris to the tropics. Visit the custard-coloured Ho Chi Minh City Hall, the paprika-hued Notre Dame Cathedral, beaux arts Central Post Office, wedding-cake-ornate Opera House, and the famous Hotel Continental Saigon, whose bar drew a gaggle of gossips, idlers, war correspondents — and Graham Greene — during Vietnam's war-raddled 20th century. War Remnants Museum The horrors of the Second Indochina War distilled through the subjective lens of the winning side. Some of the photos, military hardware and torture tools require a strong stomach. Chinatown Cholon Squished into the dense urban sprawl of Chinatown are the sweeping roofs of meeting halls and temples, encrusted with vivid ceramic friezes and figures. As Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism and animism conflate, historian Tim Doling's new Cholon tour expertly sheds light on the religious pantheon. Cu Chi Tunnels Twenty-four miles north west of the city are subterranean tunnels that sheltered communists from 1948 through to the 1970s. Around 75 miles of this labyrinth housed schools, hospitals and living space for 300,000 of those hiding — first from the French and later the Americans. Getting there by boat offers the chance to glimpse the busy Saigon River. Cao Dai Temple Travel writer Norman Lewis wrote in A Dragon Apparent that the Cao Dai Temple, 60 miles north west of the city, 'must be the most outrageously vulgar building ever to have been erected with serious intent'. In doing so, he helped seal its fate as a key sightseeing stop. Its European-Oriental hybrid architecture erupts in a sea of lurid imagery — spiralling, whiskered dragons with bulging eyes wrapped around candy-pink pillars — dedicated to a home-grown religion that incorporates the teachings of Christ, Buddha, Taoism, Confucius, and Muhammad, among others. Sophie's Art Tour Sophie Hughes, an art gallery manager-turned-guide, illuminates the city's art scene with a tour exploring pieces from the French colonial era to the modern day, taking in museums, galleries, shops and avant-garde collectives. Street food tour Aussie Barbara and her Vietnamese husband, Vu, organise trips to sample Ho Chi Minh City's street stalls' best pho beef noodle soup, banh mi baguettes with pate, broken rice, iced coffee, pastries and chè dessert, while ensuring visitors lacking city know-how don't make any cultural clangers. Buy Dong Khoi The main shopping street, selling everything from silks to souvenirs and luxury brands in the heart of downtown Ho Chi Minh City. Mai Lam Reworked ao dais traditional women's dress and embroidered, vintage US Army gear feature in Mai Lam's store-cum-gallery. Liti This small boutique is artfully filled with delicate embroidered fabrics, floral crockery, perfume bottles and antique knick-knacks — many hailing from the French colonial period. Saigon Kitsch Vietnam's propaganda art, with its bold colours, war vignettes and chiselled jaw lines, has been grafted onto eye-catching merchandise, including mugs, mouse mats, folders, cards, notebooks and drink mats. T 00 84 8 3821 8019. Anupa Eco-boutique featuring handmade fish leather bags, chicken leg watchstraps, and cow leather evening bags, yoga bags, travel bags and nappy bags made in Vietnam by a British designer with an Indian background. Eat Vietnam is a culinary nirvana where flavour, colour and texture combine to produce dishes of noodles, shellfish, salads and meats marinated and infused with spices and herbal elixirs. Eat on its street or in its restaurants for the full national repertoire. £ Koto The lunch menu at this training restaurant for disadvantaged youths includes Vietnamese cuisine highlights such as green mango salad with prawns, beef wrapped in betel leaf, barbecue pork ribs, plus soup and a dessert. All for the bargain price of 98,000VND £ ££ Hoa Túc Set inside the courtyard of a former opium refinery, chic Hoa Túc serves up delicious modern cuisine like soft shell crab with passion fruit sauce, and spicy char-grilled beef with kumquat. £££ Blanchy Street This new restaurant has made its culinary mark with Japanese-South American fusion food from former Nobu Berkley chef Martin Brito. Like a local Motorbike taxis xe ôm Fares are negotiable and it's worth bargaining hard drivers carry a spare helmet because many journeys are cheaper in conventional taxis. Or hire one for a cruise; zooming about just for the hell of it is known as chay lòng vòng. Coffee shops Vietnam is the world's second largest producer of the coffee bean. It knows it and loves it and you can find purveyors of the caffeine-lover's drink almost everywhere across the city — inside a florists, in a 'cuckoo's nest', on the ground, inside an abandoned apartment building, or in fashionable French colonial villas. Young locals head to hole-in-the wall Phuc Long. 63 Mac Thi Buoi, District 1. Bitexco Financial Tower The city's tallest skyscraper, at 860ft, opened in 2010 with a Skydeck costing 200,000VND £ to visit. Alternatively, head to the 52nd floor for drinks at the Alto Heli Bar — there's no entrance fee and you can grab beers for around 60,000VND £ Surely a no-brainer. Sleep Most first-time visitors prefer to stay in District 1, which encompasses the main sights, as well as the majority of restaurants, shops, bars and clubs. £ Grand Hotel Saigon Spacious and quiet rooms right on Dong Khoi — the main shopping street — in this historic hotel that's undergone several upgrades since opening in 1937. The al fresco pool is a boon in humid Ho Chi Minh City. ££ Rex Hotel An upgraded downtown hotel with a pivotal role in the nation's history — its fifth-floor bar hosted press conferences during the Vietnam War. The new 'deluxe' rooms are very comfortable but steer clear of rooms overlooking the main roads. £££ Park Hyatt Saigon No expense was spared when building this luxury hotel with a French colonial air — from the stylish Indochine rooms to the renowned Square One restaurant. The hotel's location — directly behind the Opera House — makes it the perfect base for sightseeing. After hours Ho Chi Minh City sweats alcohol. From after-hour dive bars to cocktails in glitzy, glassy abodes, you can party till the wee hours with the city's vibrant nightlife. Alternatively, take the coffee route, favoured by many Vietnamese. Cún House Lounge Tucked away in a hem alley, this stylish architect's studio is great for a quiet drink before heading a few blocks into town. Hem 36, Chu Manh Trinh, District 1. Xu Heaving with a largely expat and wealthy Vietnamese crowd, this popular bar wows with its liquid nitrogen cocktails and exotic Vietnamese mixes, including Sticky Mulberry — juice, sticky rice liquor and sparkling wine. Café Idling in cafes is all part of the Saigon experience. Hidden away upstairs, behind the central Ben Thanh Market, is this artfully designed cafe-cum-drawing room with gorgeous, mismatched upholstery and plenty of space to recline, eat and drink. ESSENTIALS Getting there Vietnam Airlines flies direct from Gatwick. Emirates flies from Gatwick via Dubai. Etihad flies from Heathrow via Abu Dhabi. Malaysia Airlines flies via Kuala Lumpur from Heathrow. Singapore Air via Singapore from Manchester and Heathrow. Air France via Paris from Aberdeen, Birmingham, Heathrow, Newcastle and Manchester. Average flight time 12h. Getting Around Walking is ideal for getting close to the action. But when you need to negotiate longer distances, there are lots of taxis and motorbike taxis, and a handful of cyclos. Vinasun and Mai Linh are the most-trusted taxi firms. Many drivers don't speak English so it's best to have your destination — including the district — written down. When to go November to April, when it's cooler with temperatures around 27 C; summers can be unbearably humid. Need to know Visas 30-day, single-trip visas can be bought on arrival for $45 £27. Currency Vietnamese dong VND. £1 = 34,000VND. Vaccinations Check with your GP prior to departure. International dial code 00 84 8. Time difference GMT +7. How to do it Buffalo Tours offers five-night city breaks, including Etihad flights from Heathrow, accommodation at the Grand Hotel Saigon and touring, from £900 per person. More info Footprint Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos, by Claire Boobbyer. RRP £ Published in the March 2014 issue of National Geographic Traveller UK

they live in ho chi minh city since 1975