We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) or Saigon as it was previously known, and it is still referred to by many of the inhabitants. Saigon was the center of the S Vietnamese government, so when captured at the end of the American War, there was a local genocide. This is why, in America, almost all of the immigrants are actually South Vietnamese fleeing the pogroms of the Northern conquerors. Those that remained still refer to HCMC as Saigon, and you will still see the name in documents, signs, etc. This is a typical street in the downtown area with the tree-lined French-style layout.