It used to be a Khmer port city called Prey Nokor, or “Jungle City”. The city was taken over by the Vietnamese and eventually took the name of"(Sài Gòn)". It was invaded by the French in 1859. As (French) Saigon it was the capital of French Indochina and became an important city in French colonial trade. After independence(from France), in 1954 to 1975, Saigon became the capital of the Republic of Vietnam. After the end of the US campaign (1973) in the Vietnam War, Saigon was overtaken by the North Vietnamese army on 30 April 1975 and renamed after Hồ Chí Minh. The tradition of naming places in Vietnam after great people is very common. Many streets bear the names of epic heroes. Hai Ba Trung street is named after heroic sisters.