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Ho Chi Minh City City Information


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Location
Situated on the Saigon River in southern Vietnam.

Dialling code
84.

Population
5 million.

Time zone
GMT + 7 (GMT + 6 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz; round two-pin plugs are standard.

Average January temperatures
27°C (81°F).

Average July temperatures
29°C (84°F).

Annual rainfall
1,983mm (78 inches).

Cost of Living:

Both US Dollars and Vietnamese Dong
can be used in most places in Ho Chi Minh City.

1,000 Vietnamese Dong (VND1,000) = £0.04; US$0.06; C$0.07; A$0.08; €0.04
Currency conversion rates as of January 2009

Special Events:

Tet (New Year)
January/February according to lunar calendar
The most important festival of the year.
Throughout the city

International Women’s Day
March
Parades and celebration by women.
Throughout the city

Liberation Day
April
Celebrations commemorating the end of the American War.
Throughout the city

International Labor Day
May
Following Liberation Day this gives citizens a two-day holiday.
Throughout the city

Ho Chi Minh’s Birthday
May
National holiday to celebrate the birthday of the former president.
Throughout the city

National Day
September
Celebrating the Declaration of Independence, in 1945, of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (also anniversary of the death of Ho Chi Minh).
Throughout the city

Mid-Autumn Festival
October
General festivities including children’s processions with lanterns.
Throughout the city

Christmas Day
December
Celebrated by the small Christian community but increasingly seen as a party period by other groups.
Throughout the city


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       The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
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