Vietnam: Rich Chinese couple in Cholon, Saigon, 1872

Cho Lon is a Chinese-influenced section of Ho Chi Minh City (former Saigon). 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 Vietnamese name Cholon literally means 'big' 'market'. The Chinese name (and original name) of Cholon is (pronounced Tai-Ngon in Cantonese and D?'àn in Mandarin, which means 'embankment' (French: quais). The Vietnamese reading of the Chinese name is De Ngan, but this is rarely used. Vietnamese speakers exclusively use the name Cho Lon, while Chinese speakers (both inside Vietnam and in China) are the only users of the latter. 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 S?n forces for their support of the Nguy?n lords. In 1782, they were again massacred by the Tây S?n 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 was incorporated as a city in 1879, 11 km from Saigon. By the 1930s, it had expanded to the city limit of Saigon. On April 27, 1931, the two cities were merged to form Saigon-Cholon. In 1956, 'Cholon' was dropped from the name and the city became known as Saigon.