From the first to the sixth centuries, the area where Saigon now stands was under the sway of the Funan empire and was occupied by Khmer fishermen. They found its stable ground an ideal base for fishing in the nearby Mekong Delta, though it amounted to no more than a village at the time, which went by the name of Prey Nokor. Little more is known about the city’s development until the 17th century, when the Nguyen...