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Meaning & History
From Vietnamese Sài Gòn of unclear origin. It may have come from Khmer ព្រៃនគរ (Prey Nokor), the Khmer Empire-era name that was used to refer to the region before it was annexed by the Vietnamese in the 17th century (the name itself comes from Khmer ព្រៃ (prey) meaning "jungle, forest, woods" and នគរ (nokor) meaning "kingdom, city"). Alternately, it could have been derived from the Cantonese name 西貢 (Sai Gung) or from 堤岸 (Tai Ngon), the Cantonese name for Chợ Lớn (or Cholon), a Chinatown within the city. Another theory suggests that the name is derived from Sino-Vietnamese 柴 (sài) meaning "brushwood, firewood" combined with 棍 (ngàn) meaning "shore, beach, coast" or 棍 (gon) meaning "stick". This is another name for the Vietnamese city of Ho Chi Minh as well as the name of a river that runs through southern Vietnam.