Saigon

[ sahy-gon ]

/ saɪˈgɒn /

noun

former name of Ho Chi Minh City: capital of former South Vietnam 1954–76.

Definition for saigon (2 of 2)

South Vietnam

noun

a former country in SE Asia that comprised Vietnam S of about 17° N latitude; a separate state 1954–75; now part of reunified Vietnam. Capital: Saigon.

Compare North Vietnam, Vietnam.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for saigon

“When things started to quiet down, my mom put all of us in the car and started to drive to Saigon,” says Carina.
Remembering the Fall of Saigon and Vietnam’s Mass ‘Boat People’ Exodus|Katie Baker|April 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On April 30, 1975, American troops withdrew from Saigon as the city fell to the North Vietnamese.
Remembering the Fall of Saigon and Vietnam’s Mass ‘Boat People’ Exodus|Katie Baker|April 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A few days later, on April 30, General Duong Van Minh surrendered to the Viet Cong and the Fall of Saigon was complete.
Remembering the Fall of Saigon and Vietnam’s Mass ‘Boat People’ Exodus|Katie Baker|April 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
More than a decade after she left her mother behind in Saigon, Carina returned to Vietnam to help bring her parents to America.
Remembering the Fall of Saigon and Vietnam’s Mass ‘Boat People’ Exodus|Katie Baker|April 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

How could her mother have known what lay ahead as she drove her children into the heart of Saigon on April 29, 1975?
Remembering the Fall of Saigon and Vietnam’s Mass ‘Boat People’ Exodus|Katie Baker|April 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"We are going to Saigon, you said, Mr. Belgrave; but I cannot pronounce the name," added the young lady.
Four Young Explorers|Oliver Optic
One morning news reached us that a considerable portion of the French contingent had been dispatched for service in Saigon.
Recollections of Thirty-nine Years in the Army|Charles Alexander Gordon
The Saigon's company crowded round the man-hole thus revealed, muttering with excitement.
Golden Stories|Various
Captain Rayburn had been a couple of days in Saigon, and had learned something about the city.
Four Young Explorers|Oliver Optic
When we arrived at Saigon (we were travelling by the French mail) we first came in contact with the terrible vice of the Chinese.
Changing China|William Gascoyne-Cecil

British Dictionary definitions for saigon (1 of 2)

Saigon

/ (saɪˈɡɒn) /

noun

the former name (until 1976) of Ho Chi Minh City

British Dictionary definitions for saigon (2 of 2)

South Vietnam

noun

a former republic (1955–76) occupying the S of present-day Vietnam on the South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for saigon

Saigon

southern Vietnamese city, capital of former South Vietnam, named for its river, which bears a name of uncertain origin.

Culture definitions for saigon

Saigon

[ (seye-gon) ]

City in southern Vietnam; capital of South Vietnam from 1954 to 1975.

Note

A commercial, industrial, and transportation hub of Southeast Asia, Saigon enjoyed rapid growth and cultural prestige as the capital of French Indochina.

Note

American and South Vietnamese forces were headquartered in Saigon during the Vietnam War.

Note

Renamed Ho Chi Minh City by the victorious Vietnamese communists in 1976.