Vietnam is a country located in Southeast Asia and is bordered by China, Laos, and Cambodia. From 1859-1954 the country was colonized by the French government, and before the Vietnam War (1954-1975), Vietnam's capital city was known as Saigon. Saigon remained the capital of South Vietnam when the country divided as a result of the civil war that found the Cold War powers of China and the U.S. entering the fray to battle for Vietnam's strategic location. By April 20, 1975, Saigon was captured by the Communist North Vietnamese army. It was at this point that the city was renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the founder of the Indochina Communist Party, President, and Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Even though the city's name officially remains Ho Chi Minh, it is still referred to colloquially as Saigon.
