Ho Chi Minh City (former Saigon) is the economic capital of Vietnam. It is situated by the side of the Saigon River towards the northern part of the Mekong River delta.
Placed at 10°45'N, 106°40'E in the southeastern part of Vietnam, the city is 1725 km away from the southern Hanoi and 50 km west of the Eastern Sea.
It is enclosed by Tay Ninh and Binh Duong provinces in the north, Dong Nai and Ba Ria - Vung Tau provinces in the east and Long An Province in the west. A stretch of 20-km coastline of the South China Sea lies along its southern end.
The city occupies an area of 2,095 square km (809 square mile). Its north-south stretch from the Phu My Hung Commune in Cu Chi District (northernmost point) to the Long Hoa Commune in Can Gio District (southernmost point) covers 120 km. The east-west stretch, extending from the Long Binh Ward in District Nine (easternmost point) to Binh Chanh Commune of Binh Chanh District, covers 46 km.
The city is situated at a height of 19 meters (63 feet) above the sea surface.
A bunch of hundreds of small rivers and channels watering the Cuu Long delta has been a prominent geographic feature of Saigon. Accessibility to 50,000 tone vessels constitutes one of the biggest advantages of this city.
It is well connected with all Southern provinces of Vietnam through highways.
The last station of the trans-Vietnam railway is also situated in Ho Chi Minh City.
