Watch the ebb and flow of Saigon from the sanctuary of The Landmark, located in the thriving core of the business quarter, with its tapestry of street life set against the backdrop of the Saigon River. Bars, cafes, restaurants and most major office buildings are only minutes away.

Ho Chi Minh City
Area: 2,090 sq km
Population (2006): Over 7,000,000

* Districts: 1 to 12, Tan Binh, Binh Thanh, Phu Nhuan, Thu Duc, Go Vap; six rural districts: Nha Be, Can Gio, Hoc Mon, Cu Chi, Binh Chanh
* Economic potentialities: Ho Chi Minh City is not only a commercial centre but also a scientific, technological, industrial and tourist centre.

Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, lies between the Mekong Delta and South Vietnam. It is 1,730 km from Hanoi and 50 km from the East Sea. The city is the second most important in Vietnam after Hanoi. The main ethnic groups populating the area are the Kinh and Hoa.

This region is criss-crossed by hundreds of rivers and canals, the largest being the Saigon River. The Port of Saigon, established in 1862, is accessible to ships weighing up to 30,000 tons, a rare advantage for an inland river port.

The climate is generally hot and humid. The annual average temperature is 27ºC. The hottest month is April and the coldest is December.

Over the past centuries, Saigon, once praised as the 'Pearl of the Far East', was known as an important trading centre for Chinese, Japanese and Western merchants, who travelled upstream on the Saigon River to Pho Island.