Saigon was one of the places we had heard most about from other people before we got there. We had been told that it was manic, modern, wonderful, awful, fun, noisy, smelly and dozens of other adjectives by other travellers we had met along our travels and were excited to find out for ourselves which ones we agreed with. It was also one of the most historically interesting cities on our route with its importance in The American War, as the locals call it. We were also unsure about what to call the city when we got there. It was originally called Saigon, and was the capital of Vietnam, but when the war ended in 1975 and the communist north defeated the US-backed South Vietnamese forces the city was renamed Ho Chi Minh City in honour
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