Bình Xuyên Force ( Vietnamese : Bộ đội Bình Xuyên , IPA: [ɓɨ̂n swiəŋ] ), often linked to its infamous leader, General Lê Văn Viễn (nicknamed "Bảy Viễn"), was an independent military force within the Vietnamese National Army whose leaders once had lived outside the law and had sided with the Việt Minh . During its heyday, Bình Xuyên funded itself with organized crime activities in Saigon while effectively battling Communist forces.
88-577: Bình Xuyên groups first emerged in the early 1920s as a loosely organized coalition of gangs and contract laborers about two hundred to three hundred strong. Bình Xuyên's early history consisted of cycles of kidnapping, piracy, pursuit, and occasionally imprisonment. One of the gang leaders was Ba Dương, a kingpin in the Saigon – Cholon area. His lieutenants included Huỳnh Văn Trí (a.k.a. Mười Trí), Dương Văn Hà (a.k.a. Năm Hà), Võ Văn Môn (a.k.a. Bảy Môn), and Lê Văn Viễn (a.k.a. Bảy Viễn). Bình Xuyên's history
176-745: A botanical garden , the Norodom Palace , Hotel Continental , Notre-Dame Cathedral , and Bến Thành Market , among many others. In April 1865, Gia Định Báo was established in Saigon, becoming the first newspaper published in Vietnam. During the French colonial era, Saigon became known as "Pearl of the Orient" ( Hòn ngọc Viễn Đông ), or "Paris of the Extreme Orient". On 27 April 1931,
264-641: A Deuxième Bureau agent codenamed 'Rex' made contact with Hans-Thilo Schmidt , a German cipher clerk, in the Grand Hotel of the Belgian town of Verviers . Schmidt, who worked at Defence Ministry Cipher Office in Berlin, sold the French the manuals explaining how to operate the top secret Enigma cipher machine being used by the German Army. Schmidt ultimately provided all the information necessary to crack
352-482: A centre of resistance against Tây Sơn. Two years later, a large Vauban citadel called Gia Định , or Thành Bát Quái ("Eight Diagrams") was built by Victor Olivier de Puymanel , one of the Nguyễn Ánh's French mercenaries . The citadel was captured by Lê Văn Khôi during his revolt of 1833–35 against Emperor Minh Mạng . Following the revolt, Minh Mạng ordered it to be dismantled, and a new citadel, called Phụng Thành ,
440-426: A common Vietnamese surname ( Hồ , 胡 ) with a given name meaning "enlightened will" (from Sino-Vietnamese , 志 明 ; Chí meaning 'will' or 'spirit', and Minh meaning 'light'), in essence, meaning "light bringer". Nowadays, "Saigon" is still used as a semi-official name for the city, in some cases being used interchangeably with Ho Chi Minh City, partly due to its long history and familiarity. "Prey Nokor City"
528-609: A metropolitan area covering most parts of the southeast region plus Tiền Giang Province and Long An Province under planning, will have an area of 30,000 km (12,000 sq mi) with a population of 20 million inhabitants by 2020. Inhabitants of Ho Chi Minh City are usually known as "Saigonese" in English and "dân Sài Gòn" in Vietnamese. The majority of the population are ethnic Vietnamese ( Kinh ) at about 93.52%. Ho Chi Minh City's largest minority ethnic group are
616-475: A mission to ask his son-in-law, King Chey Chettha II, to set up tax collection stations in Prey Nokor (Sài Gòn) and Kas Krobei (Bến Nghé). Although this was a deserted jungle area, it was located on the traffic routes between Vietnam, Cambodia, and Siam. The next two important events of this period were the establishment of the barracks and residence of Vice King Ang Non and the establishment of
704-510: A name that was retained until the time of the French conquest in the 1860s, when it adopted the name Sài Gòn , francized as Saïgon , although the city was still indicated as 嘉 定 on Vietnamese maps written in chữ Hán until at least 1891. The current name, Ho Chi Minh City, was given after reunification in 1976 to honour Ho Chi Minh . Even today, however, the informal name of Sài Gòn remains in daily speech. However, there
792-544: A new région called Saigon–Cholon consisting of Saigon and Cholon was formed; the name Cholon was dropped after South Vietnam gained independence from France in 1955. From about 256,000 in 1930, Saigon's population rose to 1.2 million in 1950. In 1949, former Emperor Bảo Đại made Saigon the capital of the State of Vietnam with himself as head of state. In 1954, the Geneva Agreement partitioned Vietnam along
880-611: A palace at Tân Mỹ (near the present-day Cống Quỳnh–Nguyễn Trãi crossroads). It can be said that Saigon was formed from these three government agencies. In 1679, Lord Nguyễn Phúc Tần allowed a group of Chinese refugees from the Qing dynasty to settle in Mỹ Tho , Biên Hòa and Saigon to seek refuge. In 1698, Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh , a Vietnamese noble, was sent by the Nguyễn rulers of Huế by sea to establish Vietnamese administrative structures in
968-641: A post of Controller-General in command of Counter-Intelligence. In March 1935, the position was given authority over the territorial police, the Police de l’Air , the TSF and the police carrier pigeon service . In June 1936, Colonel Louis Rivet succeeded Colonel Roux as head of the intelligence service and of a new organization, the Service de centralisation des renseignements ("Central Intelligence Service", SCR). The SCR, headquartered at 2 bis avenue de Tourville, Paris,
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#17327658518291056-402: A quarter of the country's total GDP . Ho Chi Minh City's metropolitan area is ASEAN's 6th largest economy , also the biggest outside an ASEAN country capital. Since ancient times, water transport has been heavily used by inhabitants in the area. The area was occupied by Champa from 2nd century AD to around the 19th century, due to Đại Việt 's expansionist policy of Nam tiến . After
1144-607: A reference to Clemenceau's nickname. Commanded by police commissioner Célestin Hennion , the mobile brigades were to handle special operations of the judicial police related to counter-espionage. In February 1907, the Deuxième Bureau was reactivated and was reassigned some of the contre-espionnage responsibilities it had had prior to the Dreyfus affair. Commanded by General Charles-Joseph Dupont [ fr ] ,
1232-618: A small group of Bawean from Bawean Island in Indonesia (about 400; as of 2015), they occupy District 1. Various other nationalities including Koreans, Japanese, Americans, South Africans, Filipinos and Britons reside in Ho Chi Minh City, particularly in Thủ Đức and District 7 as expatriate workers. As of April 2009, the city recognises 13 religions and 1,983,048 residents identify as religious people. Buddhism and Catholicism are
1320-746: Is 28 °C (82 °F), with little variation throughout the year. The highest temperature recorded was 40.0 °C (104 °F) in April while the lowest temperature recorded was 13.8 °C (57 °F) in January. On average, the city experiences between 2,400 and 2,700 hours of sunshine per year. The city is a municipality at the same level as Vietnam's provinces , which is subdivided into 22 district-level sub-divisions (as of 2020): They are further subdivided into 5 commune-level towns (or townlets), 58 communes, and 249 wards (as of 2020 , see List of HCMC administrative units below). On 1 January 2021, it
1408-585: Is 47 km (29 mi). Due to its location on the Mekong Delta, the city is fringed by tidal flats that have been heavily modified for agriculture. Saigon is considered one of the most vulnerable cities to the effects of climate change , particularly flooding. During the rainy season, a combination of high tide, heavy rains, high flow volume in the Saigon River and Đồng Nai River and land subsidence results in regular flooding in several parts of
1496-524: Is a technical difference between the two terms: Sài Gòn is commonly used to refer to the city centre in District 1 and the adjacent areas, while Ho Chi Minh City refers to all of its urban and rural districts. The original toponym behind Sài Gòn, was attested earliest as 柴棍 , with two phonograms whose Sino-Vietnamese readings are sài and côn respectively, in Lê Quý Đôn's "Miscellaneous Chronicles of
1584-420: Is expected to grow to 13.9 million by 2025. The population of the city is expanding faster than earlier predictions. In August 2017, the city's mayor, Nguyễn Thành Phong, admitted that previous estimates of 8–10 million were drastic underestimations. The actual population (including those who have not officially registered) was estimated 13 million in 2017. The Ho Chi Minh City Metropolitan Area ,
1672-469: Is facing increasing threats of sea level rise and flooding as well as heavy strains on public infrastructures. The first known human habitation in the area was a Cham settlement called Baigaur. The Cambodians then took over the Cham village of Baigaur and renamed it Prey Nokor, a small fishing village. Over time, under the control of the Vietnamese, it was officially renamed Gia Định ( 嘉 定 ) in 1698,
1760-469: Is largely that of two separate groups: Ba Dương's troops (the Bộ Đội Bình Xuyên) and Bảy Viễn's Bình Xuyên. From the 1920s to the mid-1930s, Nhà Bè was a haven for hundreds of armed gangs led by several leaders. Some were groups of gangsters picking on the helpless, while others robbed the rich, reportedly, to help the poor. Some of the well-known gangsters at the time included: Dương Văn Dương (a.k.a. "Ba Dương")
1848-552: Is the most populous city in Vietnam , with a population of around 10 million in 2023. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigon River . As a municipality , Ho Chi Minh City consists of 16 urban districts , five rural districts , and one municipal city (sub-city). As the largest financial centre in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City has the highest gross regional domestic product out of all Vietnam provinces and municipalities, contributing around
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#17327658518291936-595: Is well known in Khmer, whereas "Ho Chi Minh City" is used to refer to the whole city. The earliest settlement in the area was a Funan temple at the location of the current Phụng Sơn Buddhist temple, founded in the 4th century AD. A settlement called Baigaur was established on the site in the 11th century by the Champa . Baigaur was renamed Prey Nokor after conquest by the Khmer Empire around 1145, Prey Nokor grew on
2024-461: The 17th parallel ( Bến Hải River ), with the communist Việt Minh , under Ho Chi Minh , gaining complete control of the northern half of the country , while the southern half gained independence from France. 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. On 22 October 1956,
2112-566: The French Ministry of War authorized the creation of a service charged with performing "research on enemy plans and operations". The creation of a reworked Etat Major Général (or General Staff) came in response to the French loss in the Franco-Prussian War and acknowledgment of poor military planning structures in preparation for those hostilities. The EMG was then divided into two bureaus–the first, composed of civilians,
2200-577: The Indochina Communist party ( Vietnamese : Đông Dương Cộng sản Năm Bộ ) was weakened by mass arrests and executions. A decision was made by the southern communist committee to put Bà Nho on trial. Bà Nho was tricked by Nguyễn Binh into returning to Phuoc An where he was found guilty and sentenced to death. Bà Nho requested to be allowed to take his own life, which was granted. In September 1945, Southern Communist party leaders (Trần Văn Giàu, Nguyễn Văn Trân, et al. ) put Ba Dương in charge of
2288-730: The Port of Saigon is among the busiest container ports in Southeast Asia . Ho Chi Minh City is also a tourist attraction. Some of the war and historic landmarks in the city include the Independence Palace , Landmark 81 (tallest building in Vietnam), the War Remnants Museum , and Bến Thành Market . The city is also known for its narrow walkable alleys and bustling night life . Currently, Ho Chi Minh City
2376-546: The Sûreté générale, became responsible for the pursuit of foreign spies on French soil. Counter-espionage was to be handled by special Sûreté police chiefs. The Deuxième Bureau's statistical section remained in operation until 1 September 1899, when it was disbanded. The name (literally, Second Desk) refers to the organization of the French general staff in four desks: 1st for personnel, 2nd for intelligence, 3rd for operations, 4th for logistics. This numerical designation survives in
2464-615: The Vichy France regime's intelligence service was organized within the Centre d’information gouvernemental (CIG), under the direction of Admiral François Darlan . Under the command of Colonel Louis Rivet, head of the Deuxième Bureau since 1936, they set up the Bureau des Menées Antinationales (BMA, the "Bureau of Anti-national Activities"), officially an organization opposing Communist activities and resistance efforts and accepted by
2552-697: The Vietnamese People's Army . In 1976, upon the establishment of the unified communist Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the city of Saigon (including the Cholon area), the province of Gia Ðịnh and two suburban districts of two other nearby provinces were combined to create Ho Chi Minh City, in honour of the late Communist leader Ho Chi Minh. At the time, the city covered an area of 1,295.5 square kilometres (500.2 sq mi) with eight districts and five rurals: Thủ Đức , Hóc Môn , Củ Chi , Bình Chánh , and Nhà Bè . Since 1978, administrative divisions in
2640-519: The 1960s, Saigon experienced economic downturn and high inflation, as it was completely dependent on U.S. aid and imports from other countries. As a result of widespread urbanisation, with the population reaching 3.3 million by 1970, the city was described by the USAID as being turned "into a huge slum". The city also suffered from "prostitutes, drug addicts, corrupt officials, beggars, orphans, and Americans with money", and according to Stanley Karnow , it
2728-491: The 1990s, the city underwent rapid expansion and modernization, which contributed to Vietnam's post-war economic recovery and helped revive its international trade hub status. Ho Chi Minh City has a long tradition of being one of the centers of economy, entertainment and education in Vietnam. As such, the city is also the busiest international transport hub in Vietnam, as Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport accounts for nearly half of all international arrivals to Vietnam and
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2816-529: The Chinese ( Hoa ) with 5.78%. Cholon – in District 5 and parts of Districts 6, 10, and 11 – is home to the largest Chinese community in Vietnam. The Hoa (Chinese) speak a number of varieties of Chinese , including Cantonese , Teochew (Chaozhou), Hokkien , Hainanese , and Hakka ; smaller numbers also speak Mandarin Chinese . Other ethnic minorities include Khmer with 0.34%, Cham with 0.1%, as well as
2904-682: The Communist Party is ranked second in the city politics after the Secretary of the Communist Party, while chairman of the People's Committee is ranked third and the chairman of the People's Council is ranked fourth. Sub-division units Dec. 2003 Area (km ) Dec. 2008 Population as of census 1 October 2004 Population as of census 1 April 2009 Population 2010 Population 2011 Population 2015 Population/km 2011 The population of
2992-629: The Communist party. In 1945, he stole weapons from the Japanese to arm his troops in order to fight the returning French forces. His Bộ Đội Ba Dương was reportedly one of the groups most feared by local French-trained militia. In 1945, the 2,000 armed men under different leaders in the Nhà Bè area elected Dương their commander. Together they chose to name the newly formed unit, the "Bình Xuyên Troops" ( Vietnamese : Bộ Đội Bình Xuyên ). In late 1929, after
3080-500: The Deuxième Bureau worked with the Interior Ministry, and especially Commissioner Hennion's mobile counter-espionage brigades, which worked closely with France's border patrols . In August 1911, the oversight of counter-espionage activities was assigned to the administration of the judiciary police that supervised the mobile brigades. In 1913, the government officially assigned counter-espionage operations on foreign soil to
3168-844: The German diplomatic cryptographic system. The French cryptoanalysts were able to decipher the lengthy telegram containing the German declaration of war before the German Ambassador in Paris could decipher it. In June 1918, Captain Georges Painvin , a DB cryptoanalyst, was able to crack part of the Germans' ADFGVX cipher . These intercepts allowed an effective response to the movements of the German Army's 15 division-strong advances under Ludendorff at Montdidier and Compiègne , about 50 miles north of Paris. Prior to World War II,
3256-646: The Germans under the terms of the armistice. Meanwhile, on 1 July 1940, the Free French government-in-exile in London created its own intelligence service. Under the leadership of General Charles de Gaulle , Major André Dewavrin was assigned to command the organization. Initially known as the Service de Renseignements (SR) , the agency changed its name to Bureau Central de Renseignements et d’Action Militaire (BCRAM) in April 1941, and again in January 1942 to Bureau Central de Renseignements et d’Action (BCRA)
3344-630: The Ministry of War, with the Ministry of the Interior being responsible for border security and prosecution. In May 1915, the Section de Centralisation du Renseignement ("Central Intelligence Section", SCR) was created and assigned to Commandant Ladoux. It was attached to the 2ème Bureau, which also administered the operations of the Bureaux centraux de renseignement (BCR). Altogether the organization
3432-952: The Pacified Frontier" ( 撫邊雜錄 , Phủ biên tạp lục c. 1776), wherein Lê relates that, in 1674, Cambodian prince Ang Nan was installed as uparaja in 柴棍 (Sài Gòn) by Vietnamese forces. 柴棍 also appears later in Trịnh Hoài Đức's "Comprehensive Records about the Gia Định Citadel" ( 嘉定城通志 , Gia Định thành thông chí , c. 1820), "Textbook on the Geography of the Southern Country" ( 南國地輿教科書 , Nam quốc địa dư giáo khoa thư , 1908), etc. Adrien Launay's Histoire de la Mission de Cochinchine (1688−1823), "Documents Historiques II: 1728 - 1771" (1924: 190 ) cites 1747 documents containing
3520-509: The Prussian one in terms of command structure. In March 1874, the high command was reorganized again, replacing the original two bureaus with six smaller sections. As part of the reorganization, the new Deuxième Bureau, called “ Statistique militaire - Bureau historique ,” took up the activities that would include intelligence collection. In 1876, a Statistiques et de reconnaissances militaires ("Military Statistics and Recognition") section
3608-660: The SR and SCR. The SR provided a clearinghouse for centralized intelligence-gathering while the SCR was a small team of specialized counter-intelligence officers reporting to the Ministry of War, while a team of police officers were in charge of the arrest of suspects and judicial enquiries. In April 1934, the Direction Générale de la Sûreté Générale was changed to the Direction Générale de la Sûreté nationale , with
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3696-683: The VNA under the command of Dương Văn Minh in Operation Rung Sat in 1955. Bảy Viễn, the leader of the organization, was exiled to Paris after his unsuccessful attempt to take power from Prime Minister Ngô Đình Diệm in May 1955. Major Lê Paul, Bảy Viễn's son, was brutally killed after Dương Văn Minh (a.k.a. "Big Minh") failed to demand a ransom from Bảy Viễn. Saigon Ho Chi Minh City ( HCMC ; Vietnamese : Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh ), better known as Saigon ( Vietnamese : Sài Gòn ),
3784-523: The Vietnamese source Phủ biên tạp lục (albeit written in literary Chinese) was the earliest extant one containing the local toponym's transcription; (2) 堤岸 has variant form 提岸 , thus suggesting that both were transcriptions of a local toponym and thus are cognates to, not originals of, Sài Gòn. Saigon is unlikely to be from 堤岸 since in "Textbook on the Geography of the Southern Country", it also lists Chợ Lớn as 𢄂𢀲 separate from 柴棍 Sài Gòn. The current official name, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh ,
3872-453: The area, thus detaching the area from Cambodia, which was not strong enough to intervene. He is often credited with the expansion of Saigon into a significant settlement. King Chey Chettha IV of Cambodia tried to stop the Vietnamese but was defeated by Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh in 1700. In February 1700, he invaded Cambodia from An Giang . In March, the Vietnamese expedition under Cảnh and a Chinese general Trần Thượng Xuyên (Chen Shangchuan) defeated
3960-407: The city centre and 16 m (52 ft) for the suburb areas. It borders Tây Ninh Province and Bình Dương Province to the north, Đồng Nai Province and Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province to the east, Long An Province to the west, Tiền Giang Province and South China Sea to the south with a coast 15 km (9 mi) long. The city covers an area of 2,095 km (809 sq mi) or 0.63% of
4048-485: The city had 4,344,000 labourers, of whom 130,000 are over the labour age norm (in Vietnam, 60 for male and 55 for female workers). In 2009, GDP per capita reached $ 2,800, compared to the country's average level of $ 1,042. Deuxi%C3%A8me Bureau The Deuxième Bureau de l'État-major général ("Second Bureau of the General Staff") was France's external military intelligence agency from 1871 to 1940. It
4136-546: The city have been revised numerous times, most recently in 2020, when District 2 , District 9 , and Thủ Đức District were consolidated to form a municipal city . On 29 October 2002, 60 people died and 90 injured in the International Trade Center building fire in Ho Chi Minh City. Today, Ho Chi Minh City, along with its surrounding provinces, is described as "the manufacturing hub" of Vietnam, and "an attractive business hub". In terms of cost, it
4224-524: The city is the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council and consists of 105 members. The current chairwoman is Nguyễn Thị Lệ . The judiciary branch of the city is the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court. The current chief judge is Lê Thanh Phong . The executive committee of Communist Party of Ho Chi Minh City is the leading organ of the Communist Party in Ho Chi Minh City. The current secretary is Nguyễn Văn Nên . The permanent deputy secretary of
4312-409: The city was given the official name, Đô Thành Sài Gòn ("Capital City Saigon"). After the decree of 27 March 1959 came into effect, Saigon was divided into eight districts and 41 wards. In December 1966, two wards from old An Khánh Commune of Gia Định, were formed into District 1, then seceded shortly later to become District 9. In July 1969, District 10 and District 11 were founded, and by 1975,
4400-568: The city's area consisted of eleven districts, Gia Định , Củ Chi District ( Hậu Nghĩa ), and Phú Hòa District ( Bình Dương ). Saigon served as the financial, industrial and transport centre of the Republic of Vietnam. In the late 1950s, with the U.S. providing nearly $ 2 billion in aid to the Diệm regime, the country's economy grew rapidly under capitalism ; by 1960, over half of South Vietnam's factories were located in Saigon. However, beginning in
4488-435: The city, as of the 1 October 2004 census, was 6,117,251 (of which 19 inner districts had 5,140,412 residents and 5 suburban districts had 976,839 inhabitants). In mid-2007, the city's population was 6,650,942 – with the 19 inner districts home to 5,564,975 residents and the five suburban districts containing 1,085,967 inhabitants. The result of the 2009 Census shows that the city's population was 7,162,864 people, about 8.34% of
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#17327658518294576-469: The city, in protest of the Diệm regime. On 1 November of the same year, Diệm was assassinated in Saigon, in a successful coup by Dương Văn Minh . During the 1968 Tet Offensive , communist forces launched a failed attempt to capture the city . Seven years later, on 30 April 1975, Saigon was captured , ending the Vietnam War with a victory for North Vietnam, and the city came under the control of
4664-479: The city. A once-in-100 year flood would cause 23% of the city to suffer flooding. The city has a tropical climate , specifically tropical savanna ( Aw ), with a high average humidity of 78–82%. The year is divided into two distinct seasons. The rainy season, with an average rainfall of about 1,800 mm (71 in) annually (about 150 rainy days per year), usually lasts from May to November. The dry season lasts from December to April. The average temperature
4752-570: The complex ciphers, which would play a key role in the Allied victory. In September 1939, when France declared war on Germany in response to Germany's invasion of Poland , Josephine Baker was recruited by the Bureau and provided them with information as an "honorable correspondent". Raymond Arthur Schuhl, a French propagandist who had served in the 6th Section of the Deuxieme Bureau until
4840-479: The country as independent armies within the conventional army. Bảy Viễn was given the rank of major general of the Vietnamese National Army and his troops became the QDQG Bình Xuyên, which was a self-funded army with revenues from legally-run brothels and casinos; Bảy Viễn forcibly took control of the casinos from Macanese organized crime groups. General Viễn made arrangements with Bảo Đại giving them control of their own affairs in return for their nominal support of
4928-426: The fall of France, became the OSS Chief of Morale Operations in Switzerland and was its principal forger through the war. Schuhl operated for the OSS under the cover name Robert Salembier (code name "Mutt"). He oversaw a prolific print shop in Geneva that produced millions of white and black pamphlets, leaflets, cards, postage stamps , and other forms of printed propaganda . Following the defeat of France in 1940,
5016-423: The fall of the Citadel of Saigon , the city became the capital of French Indochina from 1887 to 1902, and again from 1945 until its cessation in 1954. Following the partition of French Indochina , it became the capital of South Vietnam until it was captured by North Vietnam , who renamed the city after their former leader Hồ Chí Minh , though the former name is still widely used in informal usages. Beginning in
5104-399: The first four staff numbers of the continental staff system practiced by most NATO armies: S1 for personnel, S2 for intelligence, S3 for operations, S4 for logistics. (See also the French version of this page.) In 1906, Georges Clemenceau became Président du Conseil . With complete control of Interior Ministry funding, he created special counter-espionage units, the "brigades du Tigre",
5192-537: The formation of the southern Communist committee, Ngô Gia Tự ordered Châu Văn Ký to infiltrate the ranks of workers and manual laborers in Nhà Bè. By 1940, Ký, with Nguyễn Văn Trân (a.k.a. Bảy Trân) enlisted gang leaders and their members, one of the most prominent was Tam Manh . After the botched southern uprising ( Vietnamese : Khởi nghĩa Nam Kỳ ), the French colonial authorities brutally suppressed all opposition groups. On 24 September 1945, Lê Văn Khôi (a.k.a. "Bà Nho"), one of Ba Dương's lieutenants allegedly organized
5280-461: The guerrilla forces attacking southern Saigon, more commonly referred as Front number 4. For two months, Bình Xuyên troops relentlessly attacked and overran several French military facilities and posts. Dương's group eventually lost to the more disciplined and better-trained French Union troops. On 20 November 1945, to avoid being decimated by French counter-attacks, Bình Xuyên troops withdrew to Rung Sac to regroup for future military operations. In
5368-436: The high command about the state of French, allied and friendly troops, while the Deuxième Bureau developed intelligence concerning enemy troops. The Deuxième Bureau was celebrated for its cryptanalytical work, but it was criticized for its involvement in the Dreyfus affair and its consistent overestimation of German military formations prior to World War II. Its final director was Colonel Louis Rivet. On June 8, 1871,
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#17327658518295456-417: The main Cambodian army at Bích Đôi citadel, king Chey Chettha IV took flight while his nephew Ang Em surrendered to the invaders, as the Vietnamese marched onto and captured Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh . As a result, Saigon and Long An were officially and securely obtained by the Nguyễn, more Vietnamese settlers moved into the new conquered lands. In 1788, Nguyễn Ánh captured the city, and used it as
5544-430: The massacre of 150 French and Eurasian civilians, including children, in Saigon without order from its leader. While this decision would have been of little consequence in Tonkin or central Vietnam, where the Communist-dominated Việt Minh was strong enough to stand alone, in Cochin China , where the Bình Xuyên support was crucial, Ba Nho's action led to suppression from the returning French troops. The Cochin division of
5632-480: The next few months, Bình Xuyên troops expanded their operations toward the west of South Vietnam (Zone 8). During these few months, they successfully took control of Gò Công , Mỹ Tho and Bến Tre , the last province being where they established their new base. Ba Dương, newly promoted by General Nguyễn Binh in September to Deputy Commander of Zone 7, died in an air attack on 16 February 1946. Without Dương, his lieutenants began to disagree with each other on who would be
5720-425: The people of the two countries could freely move back and forth. In exchange, Chey Chettha II gifted Prei Nokor to the Nguyễn lords . Vietnamese settlers began to migrate to the area of Saigon, Đồng Nai. Before that, the Funanese, Khmer, and Cham had lived there, scattered from time immemorial. The period from 1623 to 1698 is considered the period of the formation of later Saigon. In 1623, Lord Nguyen sent
5808-416: The prompting of military intelligence, a counter-intelligence charter was established and the National Council amended the penal code (article 75 and following) to integrate all 1810, 1886, and 1934 counter-intelligence laws. The Deuxième Bureau developed a reputation as Europe's top cryptoanalytical service in the early 20th century. It scored a notable success at the outbreak of World War I when it cracked
5896-466: The provisional government of Vietnam and Governor of Nam Phan. French officials in South Vietnam gave Viễn full control of Sài Gòn–Chợ Lớn under stipulation that he wipe out the city's Communist infrastructure. Bảy Viễn's knowledge of the Việt Minh and his desire to destroy Nguyễn Binh's troops in Saigon enabled him to destroy Communist forces in a very short time. The French colonial government rewarded Bình Xuyên's success by allowing Bảy Viễn to monopolize
5984-459: The regime, just as he had done so with the French colonial government. In March 1955, the group joined the Cao Đài and Hòa Hảo in forming a "United Front of the National Forces." At the time of the short war in 1955 between the VNA Bình Xuyên and the regular VNA, Viễn had five regular infantry battalions and two battalions of Public Security Shock Troops ( Vietnamese : Công an xung phong ). Bình Xuyên's paramilitary forces were mostly wiped out by
6072-406: The rest are the Saigonese who don't believe in God which is Atheism . The city is the economic center of Vietnam and accounts for a large proportion of the economy of Vietnam . Although the city takes up just 0.6% of the country's land area, it contains 8.34% of the population of Vietnam, 20.2% of its GDP, 27.9% of industrial output and 34.9% of the FDI projects in the country in 2005. In 2005,
6160-473: The schism, Bình Xuyên remained united in the fight against the French. As Bảy Viễn's reputation grew, Nguyễn Binh gave the order to kill Viễn and suppressed his supporters. With two trusted companies, Viễn fought his way out of an assassination setup and surrendered to Savani, head of the Deuxième Bureau / SDECE in Cochinchina. In June 1948, Bảy Viễn became colonel in charge of the Bình Xuyên Auxiliary Forces, temporarily reporting to Trần Văn Hữu, Deputy Premier in
6248-421: The site of a small fishing village and area of forest. The first Vietnamese people crossed the sea to explore this land completely without the organisation of the Nguyễn Lords . Thanks to the marriage between Princess Nguyễn Phúc Ngọc Vạn - daughter of Lord Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên - and the King of Cambodia Chey Chettha II in 1620, the relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia became smooth, and
6336-572: The surface of Vietnam), extending up to Củ Chi District (12 mi or 19 km from the Cambodian border) and down to Cần Giờ on the Eastern Sea. The distance from the northernmost point (Phú Mỹ Hưng Commune, Củ Chi District ) to the southernmost one (Long Hòa Commune, Cần Giờ District) is 102 km (63 mi), and from the easternmost point ( Long Bình ward , District Nine) to the westernmost one (Bình Chánh Commune, Bình Chánh District)
6424-529: The toponyms: provincia Rai-gon, Rai-gon thong (for *Sài Gòn thượng "Upper Saigon"), & Rai-gon-ha (for *Sài Gòn hạ "Lower Saigon"). It is probably a transcription of Khmer ព្រៃនគរ (Prey Nokôr) , or Khmer ព្រៃគរ (Prey Kôr). The proposal that Sài Gòn is from non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 堤岸 (“embankment”, tai4 ngon6 , SV: đê ngạn) , the Cantonese name of Chợ Lớn , (e.g. by Vương Hồng Sển) has been critiqued as folk-etymological, as: (1)
6512-492: The total population of Vietnam, making it the highest population-concentrated city in the country. As of the end of 2012, the total population of the city was 7,750,900 people, an increase of 3.1% from 2011. As an administrative unit, its population is also the largest at the provincial level. According to the 2019 census, Ho Chi Minh City has a population of over 8.9 million within the city proper and over 21 million within its metropolitan area . The city's population
6600-586: The troops' new commander. Nguyễn Bình, who had unsuccessfully tried to kill Bình Xuyên's new strongman, Lê Văn Viễn (a.k.a. Bảy Viễn), would later step in to disband the Bình Xuyên in 1948. After Ba Dương's death, his lieutenants split into three groups: In April 1946, Military Zone 7 appointed Năm Hà as the Bình Xuyên's new commander. Bảy Viễn, upset with the decision, formed the Bình Xuyên Interzone with leaders and troops from 7 units. Despite
6688-618: The trucking industry in South Vietnam and allowing the kingpin to operate as a warlord. Bảy Viễn was promoted to major general after the operation to clear Route 15. In 1949, Emperor Bảo Đại became the head of state of the newly formed State of Vietnam . To solve the problem of having to spread the Vietnamese National Army too thin in the war against the Viet Minh, he decreed all non-communist military forces in
6776-565: The two predominant religions in Ho Chi Minh City. The largest is Buddhism as it has 1,164,930 followers followed by Catholicism with 745,283 followers, Caodaism with 31,633 followers, Protestantism with 27,016 followers, Islam with 6,580 followers, Hòa Hảo with 4,894 followers, Tịnh độ cư sĩ Phật hội Việt Nam with 1,387 followers, Hinduism with 395 followers, Đạo Tứ ấn hiếu nghĩa with 298 followers, Minh Sư Đạo with 283 followers, Baháʼí Faith with 192 followers, Bửu Sơn Kỳ Hương with 89 followers, Minh Lý Đạo with 67 followers, and
6864-603: Was "a black-market city in the largest sense of the word". On 28 April 1955, the Vietnamese National Army launched an attack against Bình Xuyên military force in the city. The battle lasted until May, killing an estimated 500 people and leaving about 20,000 homeless. Ngô Đình Diệm then later turned on other paramilitary groups in Saigon, including the Hòa Hảo Buddhist reform movement. On 11 June 1963, Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức burned himself in
6952-597: Was added to the Deuxième Bureau. In 1886, a law was passed penalizing espionage activity (another would be passed in 1934). In October 1894 the Dreyfus affair occurred and proved so politically divisive that, in May 1899, the government shifted responsibility for counter-espionage to the Ministry of the Interior . A small intelligence section remained within the General Staff, but the Service de surveillance du territoire ( Territorial Surveillance Service , SST), an agency of
7040-499: Was announced that District 2 , District 9 and Thủ Đức District would be consolidated and was approved by Standing Committee of the National Assembly . The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee is a 13-member executive branch of the city. The current chairman is Phan Văn Mãi . There are several vice chairmen and chairwomen on the committee with responsibility over various city departments. The legislative branch of
7128-491: Was born in 1900 to a family of poor peasants from Bến Tre . His mother remarried after his father's death and the family moved to Nhà Bè in the late 1920s, where Dương grew up to be a respected martial arts teacher. In 1936, Dương started his criminal activities by providing protection services to the Tây Ninh-Phnom Penh bus station in Saigon . By 1940, he had become a kingpin of Cochinchina. In 1943, Dương joined
7216-484: Was built in 1836. In 1859, the citadel was destroyed by the French following the Battle of Kỳ Hòa . Initially called Gia Định, the Vietnamese city became Saigon in the 18th century. Ceded to France by the 1862 Treaty of Saigon , the city was planned by the French to transform into a large town for colonization. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, construction of various French-style buildings began, including
7304-480: Was dissolved together with the Third Republic upon the armistice with Germany. However the term " Deuxième Bureau " ( French: [døzjɛm byʁo] ), like " MI6 " and " KGB ", outlived the original organization as a general label for the country's intelligence service. French military intelligence was composed of two separate bureaux prior to World War II. The Premier Bureau was charged with informing
7392-430: Was first proclaimed in 1945, and later adopted in 1976. It is abbreviated as TP.HCM, and translated in English as Ho Chi Minh City , abbreviated as HCMC, and in French as Hô-Chi-Minh-Ville (the circumflex is sometimes omitted), abbreviated as HCMV. The name commemorates Ho Chi Minh , the first leader of North Vietnam . This name, though not his given name, was one he favored throughout his later years. It combines
7480-546: Was known as the 5ème Bureau. The SCR was attached to the Section de renseignements ( Intelligence Section , SR) in April 1917. In February 1917, the Président du Conseil put a commissioner of the Sûreté Nationale in charge of the criminal police, general intelligence, and counter-espionage. His command included a filing and archiving section, a section devoted to propaganda ( propagande révolutionnaire , PR) and
7568-406: Was more of a directorial or leadership branch, charged with general correspondence, troop movements, decorations and decrees, and the second, or the Deuxième Bureau (further subdivided into five sections), was charged with military statistics, archival and historical work, geodesy and topography. This entire structure would be replaced three years later by a reworked general staff, even more similar to
7656-494: Was ranked the 111th-most expensive major city in the world according to a 2020 survey of 209 cities. In terms of international connectedness, as of 2020, the city was classified as a "Beta" city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network . The city is located in the south-eastern region of Vietnam, 1,760 km (1,090 mi) south of Hanoi . The average elevation is 5 m (16 ft) above sea level for
7744-475: Was run by Commandant Guy Schlesser. In March 1937, the government decreed that territorial surveillance was the responsibility of the police alone, to be executed by strictly legal means. A new organization, the Bureau central de Renseignements ("Central Intelligence Bureau", BCR) was established the same month and a special section devoted to "preventative defence" was created within the SCR. In July 1939, at
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