Cholon, Ho Chi Minh City
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cholon, Ho Chi Minh City | |
|---|---|
 Binh Tay Market in Cholon |
|
| Chinese name | |
| Simplified and traditional: | 堤岸 |
| Hanyu Pinyin: | Dī'àn |
| Cantonese: | Tai4 ngon6 |
| Vietnamese: | Đê Ngạn (not typically used) |
| Literal meaning: | "embankment" (French: quais) |
Cholon (Vietnamese: quoc ngu Chợ Lớn) pronunciation is the name of the Chinese district of Ho Chi Minh City (the former Saigon), the largest such Chinatown district in Vietnam. It lies on the West bank of the Saigon River, having Binh Tay Market as its central market. Cholon spans across, and consists of, Districts 5 & 6 of Ho Chi Minh City.
In 1778, the Hoa (Chinese minority of Vietnam) living in Bien Hoa had to take refuge in what is now Cholon because they were retaliated against by the Tay Son forces for their support of the Nguyen lords. In 1782, they were again massacred by the Tay Son 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). The Vietnamese reading of the Chinese name is rarely used; Vietnamese speakers almost only use the name Chợ Lớn, literally "big" (lớn) "market" (chợ), while Chinese speakers (both inside Vietnam and in China) almost only use the name 堤岸.
During the Vietnam War, soldiers and deserters from the United States Army maintianed a thriving black market at Cholon, trading in various American and especially army-issue items.
Today, Cholon especially attracts many Mainland Chinese and Taiwanese tourists.
 This Vietnam location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
