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Cholon, Ho Chi Minh City

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Chinese
  
堤岸

Hanyu Pinyin
  
Dī'àn

IPA
  
[tíˈân]

Literal meaning
  
embankment

Wade–Giles
  
Tian

Jyutping
  
taingon


Vietnam ho chi minh city walk cholon 3 dist 5 6 2016


Chợ Lớn ( listen) is a quarter of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), in Vietnam. It lies on the west bank of the Saigon River, having Bình Tây Market as its central market. Cholon consists of the western half of District 5 as well as several adjoining neighborhoods in District 6. The quarter is long inhabited by Chinese people, and is considered the largest Chinatown in the world by area.

Contents

Cholon, Ho Chi Minh City Cho Lon Ho Chi Minh city Vietbuddies

The Vietnamese name Cholon literally means "big" (lớn) "market" (chợ). The Chinese name (and original name) of Cholon is 堤岸 (pronounced Tai-Ngon in Cantonese and Dī'àn in Mandarin, which means "embankment" (French: quais). The Vietnamese reading of the Chinese name is Đê Ngạn, but this is rarely used. Vietnamese speakers exclusively use the name Chợ Lớn, while Chinese speakers (both inside Vietnam and in China) are the only users of the original Chinese name.

Cholon, Ho Chi Minh City Chinatown Cho Lon District 5 Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam Top

In 1778, the Hoa (Chinese minority of Vietnam) living in Biên Hòa had to take refuge in what is now Cholon because they were retaliated against by the Tây Sơn forces for their support of the Nguyễn lords. In 1782, they were again massacred by the Tây Sơn and had to rebuild. They built high embankments against the flows of the river, and called their new settlement Tai-Ngon (meaning "embankment" in Cantonese).

Cholon, Ho Chi Minh City Cultural city tour of Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City city tours

Cholon was incorporated as a city in 1879, 11 km from Saigon. By the 1930s, it had expanded to the city limit of Saigon. On 27 April 1931, Cholon and the neighbouring city Saïgon were merged to form a single city called ‘Saigon–Cholon’. The official name, however, never entered everyday vernacular and the city continued to be referred to as ‘Saigon’. ‘Cholon’ was dropped from the city's official name in 1956, after Vietnam gained independence from France in 1955.

Cholon, Ho Chi Minh City PicturePhoto Cyclos wait outside the Bin Tay market in Cholon

During the Vietnam War, soldiers and deserters from the United States Army maintained a thriving black market at Cholon, trading in various American and especially U.S Army-issue items. This was the area, near the Quan Âm Pagoda where photojournalist Eddie Adams took his famous execution photograph. Four Australian journalists were also killed in Cholon during the Tet Offensive in 1968.

Cholon, Ho Chi Minh City httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Today, Cholon especially attracts many Mainland Chinese and Taiwanese tourists.

Notable residents


  • Yvon Petra - He was born in Cholon. He is best remembered as the last Frenchman to win the Wimbledon championships men's singles title in 1946.
  • Cao Văn Viên - Chief of the Joint General Staff of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam from 1966 to 1975.
  • Gontran de Poncins - French author, aristocrat and adventurer lived here in 1955. He resided in the Sun Wah hotel, keeping an illustrated journal which was published as From a Chinese City (published in 1957). "He chose Cholon, the Chinese riverbank community snuggled up to Saigon, because he suspected the ancient customs of a national culture endure longer in remote colonies than in the motherland. In effect, he was studying a bit of ancient China."
  • Charles Tran Van Lam

  • Cholon, Ho Chi Minh City Cho Lon Market in Ho Chi Minh City Beautiful Vietnam

    References

    Cholon, Ho Chi Minh City Wikipedia