Ho Chi Minh City
2,061 km²
Santiago
838 km²
Vietnam
Chile
Area Comparison
Ho Chi Minh City is 2.5x larger than Santiago
Population Comparison
Ho Chi Minh City has 1.4x more people than Santiago
In terms of area, Ho Chi Minh City is 2.5x the size of Santiago. Ho Chi Minh City spans 2,061 km² (796 mi²) while Santiago covers 838 km² (324 mi²) — a difference of 1,223 km². You could fit Santiago 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, Santiago at 838 km² is roughly the same size as Berlin.
In more relatable units, Ho Chi Minh City's 2,061 km² is about 289,000 American football fields, 35 times the area of Manhattan, or 20 times the area of Paris. Santiago works out to about 117,000 American football fields, 14 times the area of Manhattan, or 8 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.
Santiago, also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. Located in the Chilean Central Valley within the Santiago Basin, between the Andes to the east and the Chilean Coastal Range to the west, it anchors the Santiago Metropolitan Region and its conurbation of Greater Santiago, which comprises more than forty communes and concentrates over a third of the national population and around 45% of Chile's GDP.
Often called "Santiago de Chile", Santiago has an area of 838 km² and is home to 6.3 million people. The city dates back to 1541. Visitors come for Cerro San Cristóbal, Gran Torre Santiago, Plaza de Armas, and much more.
Santiago sits in the Chilean Central Valley between the Andes and the Coastal Range, anchoring over a third of Chile's population.
Ho Chi Minh City has a population density of 4,362 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Santiago, with 7,470 people per km², is a densely populated city. Santiago is noticeably denser, packing 1.7 times more people per square kilometer.
Size Ratio
Santiago fits inside Ho Chi Minh City ~2 times
Density Gap
Santiago is 1.7x more densely populated
History
Santiago is ~157 years older
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).
Santiago covers 838 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Kyoto (828 km²), Berlin (892 km²), New York (783 km²), Hamburg (755 km²), or Bangalore (741 km²).
The straight-line distance from Ho Chi Minh City to Santiago is 17,485 km (10,865 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~21h 4m.
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