Origin of Name Sai Gon

According to a book titled Dại Nam Quoc Am Tu Vi of Huynh Tinh Cua, they find the explanation of the word Sai Gon: Sai is the firewood; Gon (for the south Vietnam inhabitants) is the name of the kapokier. In the north of Vietnam, one also calls it “bong gao”. They use kapok (from the kapok tree) to stuff cushions and mattresses. Therefore, Sai Gon means the wood of kapok tree. Beside this explanation, people also found other one. Sai Gon, on the one hand, was the name of the locality Cho Lon and now Sai Gon indicates Ben Nghe. In addition, Sai Gon belonged to Gia Dinh province. 

The above definition shows that the former name Sai Gon refers to the locality Cho Lon now and the place which they currently calls Sai Gon was Ben Thanh in the past. This assertion was ensured by two English peoples Crawford and Finlayson having come Vietnam en 1922. According to what they told, Sai Gon and Ben Nghe were two different cities. They accounted for one or two miles each from other. Ben Nghe was the administrative and military center. Sai Gon where Chinese people and tradesmen lived was the shopping mall (according to the Bulletin of the Indochinese Studies Company, in 1945, the 2nd volume). In 1861, following the arrival of the French Army, three provinces in the East Cochinchine were taken. The French used the name Sai Gon to call Ben Nghe (the administrative center at that time) because this one seemed difficult to pronounce for the foreigners. Then, Vietnamese were obliged to follow them and they named Cho Lon at that time Sai Gon. In order to better understand origin of the name Sai Gon, they must take time to study on the people having lived on these thousands years grounds.

Firstly, according to traces of the people in Fou-nan in the antiquity, according to the China history, it invaded this country including Cochinchine (Tchen of water) and part of Siam country (Tchen of ground). At that time, Tchen of water was a forest and muddy area. Sai Gon did not exist yet. After Fou-nan, Khmers arrived in this area. They lived on fruit and products of the forest. Until this moment, Tchen of water was still covered by forests. Khmers named it in two ways: Prie Kor and Prie Nokor.

According to Mr. Le Van Phat, Prie Kor means the forest of kapok tree. Moreover, he let know that Laotians (whose the language resembles to Siams one) named Prie Kor “Cai Ngon” (i.e. the forest of the Thai kapok trees). But why was the nomination of this area relating to the Laotian and Thai languages? Basing on historical documents, at the beginning of the 17th century, Kampuchea was seriously threatened by Siam (Thailand today). In 1620, in order to resort to the Vietnam force against Siam, king Chey Ghetta married princess Ngoc Van (daughter of the dignitary Nguyen Phuc Nguyen). Then, in 1623, a messenger of lord Nguyen came there to require the the tax establishments installation in Prie Kor and Kas Krobey. After having had the permission, lord Nguyen imposed taxation on some products including kapok. It appears that before the arrival of lord Nguyen, the Siam tradesmen were presents there. As there was much kapok, they bought some to bring to their country. This is why they gave the name “the forest of the kapok trees” to Prie Kor. Then, the Vietnamese mandarins, to exchange with the tradesmen, they took this name (instead of transcribing or translating Prie Kor). But in the book “Sai Gon of the last years” of Vuong Hong Sen, Khmer Kor means kapok and also ox. Therefore, it was not certain if Prie Kor means the kapok trees or oxen forest.

As for Prie Nokor, according to Mr. Etienne Aymonier, “Nokor” is the country and Prie Nokor wants to say forest of the king. However, according to the priest Tandart, Nokor comes from the Sanskrit and means forests city or the city in the middle of forest. In other words, Prie Nokor means the city. Moreover in document on Prie Nokor of French scientist Loui Mallerett, it told that the name Sai Gon took its origin of the word Tay gon (the service of the west, in Sino-Vietnamese). To lead to this assertion, Loui Mallerett based on an historical event recited by Trinh Hoai Duc. At that time, Kampuchea was divided into two parts reigned by two kings. They all offered services to the lord Nguyen in Prie Nokor, the former capital of the 2nd king from 1674 (the first king was in Uudong, in the North of Phnom Penh).

As for Prie Nokor, according to Mr. Etienne Aymonier, “Nokor” is the country and Prie Nokor wants to say forest of the king. However, according to the priest Tandart, Nokor comes from the Sanskrit and means forests city or the city in the middle of forest. In other words, Prie Nokor means the city. Moreover in document on Prie Nokor of French scientist Loui Mallerett, it told that the name Sai Gon took its origin of the word Tay gon (the service of the west, in Sino-Vietnamese). To lead to this assertion, Loui Mallerett based on an historical event recited by Trinh Hoai Duc. At that time, Kampuchea was divided into two parts reigned by two kings. They all offered services to the lord Nguyen in Prie Nokor, the former capital of the 2nd king from 1674 (the first king was in Uudong, in the North of Phnom Penh).