Ho Chi Minh City
2,061 km²
San Diego
964 km²
Vietnam
United States
Area Comparison
Ho Chi Minh City is 2.1x larger than San Diego
Population Comparison
Ho Chi Minh City has 6.5x more people than San Diego
Ho Chi Minh City is significantly larger, covering 2.1 times the area of San Diego. Ho Chi Minh City spans 2,061 km² (796 mi²) while San Diego covers 964 km² (372 mi²) — a difference of 1,097 km². You could fit San Diego inside Ho Chi Minh City approximately 2 times.
To put Ho Chi Minh City's size in perspective, its area of 2,061 km² is roughly the same size as Tokyo (city proper). Meanwhile, San Diego at 964 km² is roughly the same size as Berlin.
Picture Ho Chi Minh City another way: its area is large enough to fit about 289,000 American football fields, 35 times the area of Manhattan, or 20 times the area of Paris. San Diego, by comparison, equals about 135,000 American football fields, 16 times the area of Manhattan, or 9 times the area of Paris.
Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon, is the most populous municipality of Vietnam, with a population of more than 14 million in 2025. Its geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigon River. As the largest financial centre in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City has the largest gross regional domestic product out of all Vietnam provinces and municipalities, contributing around a quarter of the country's total GDP.
Known as "Saigon", Ho Chi Minh City covers 2,061 km² with a population of 9.0 million. The city was established in 1698. Ho Chi Minh City is known for Independence Palace, Bitexco Financial Tower, War Remnants Museum, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the HCMC Metro (opening 2024).
Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam's largest financial center and contributes around a quarter of the country's total GDP.
San Diego is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. It is the eighth-most populous city in the U.S. and second-most populous city in California with a population of over 1.4 million, while the San Diego metropolitan area with over 3.3 million residents is the 18th-largest metropolitan area in the country. San Diego is the county seat of San Diego County.
Also known as "America's Finest City", San Diego has an area of 964 km² and is home to 1.4 million people. It was established in 1769. Visitors come for San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, Coronado Beach, and much more.
San Diego sits directly on the Mexico-United States border, making it California's southwesternmost major city.
Ho Chi Minh City has a population density of 4,362 people per km² — a moderately dense city. San Diego, with 1,442 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Ho Chi Minh City is dramatically more crowded, with 3.0x the population density.
Size Ratio
San Diego fits inside Ho Chi Minh City ~2 times
Density Gap
Ho Chi Minh City is 3.0x more densely populated
Ho Chi Minh City covers 2,061 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Shenzhen (1,997 km²), Tokyo (2,194 km²), Riyadh (1,798 km²), Cape Town (2,455 km²), or Houston (1,725 km²).
San Diego covers 964 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Abu Dhabi (972 km²), Dallas (997 km²), Berlin (892 km²), Santiago (838 km²), or Hong Kong (1,114 km²).
The straight-line distance from Ho Chi Minh City to San Diego is 13,307 km (8,269 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~16h 9m.
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