Ho Chi Minh City is still more commonly referred to as 'Saigon', despite the official name change in 1975. Located in southern Vietnam, on a huge bend in the Saigon River, it is the economic centre of the country.

The Communist government, who took control of Vietnam in 1975, tried to suppress the entrepreneurial tendencies of the Saigonese and the city went through the economic doldrums until recovery in the 1990s.

Now, high-rise buildings dominate the shabby French colonial ones that are tucked away at their feet, while saffron-robed monks collecting alms walk past glitzy car showrooms and karaoke bars.

Ho Chi Minh City has enjoyed over 30 years of peace following decades of unrest. After the defeat of French colonialists in 1954, Vietnam was divided into two. Saigon became the capital of the Republic of South Vietnam but almost immediately Communist North Vietnam, under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, began an attempt to unify the country.

The USA, fearing the spread of Communism, stepped in, sparking the bloody Vietnam War that coloured much of the cultural, social and political climate of the 1960s. Driven back by tenacious North Vietnamese defence and jungle warfare they were ill-equipped to deal with, the Americans left in 1973 and the whole of Vietnam came under Communist rule.

Massive inflation and poverty followed until 1986 when the government introduced doi moi, the Vietnamese equivalent of perestroika, relaxing its hold on the people and allowing them to run their own businesses.

The skyline of the city reflects this - as it has changed dramatically from a low-rise cityscape to one whose central area, District 1, is dotted with glittering skyscrapers. The Saigon River meanders through the east of the city and is the all-important link to the sea.

Ho Chi Minh City is a year-round destination and even the rainfalls of the rainy season (May to October) are over in a couple of hours, giving way to sun, the city feeling refreshed.