Part of the country series of articles.
TRAVEL ADVISORY: EXERCISE CAUTIONThe Commonwealth advises travellers to exercise caution in this country. Some areas or circumstances may carry elevated risk. Travellers should monitor local conditions and follow the guidance of local authorities.
| Republic of Indochine | |
|---|---|
| Maritime Republic | |
 |
|
| Capital | Saigon |
| Languages | French, Vietnamese, Khmer, and Cantonese |
| Population | 8,400,000 |
The Republic of Indochine, commonly Saigon is a small maritime republic occupying the city of Saigon and much of the former French Cambodian territory to its west. It emerged from the dissolution of French Indochina as a commercial city-state rather than a conventional nation, retaining close economic and cultural ties with France while developing as a major hub for regional trade. French influence is visible in its legal system, its architecture and its educated class, though the population is predominantly Vietnamese and Khmer and the city has always been more cosmopolitan than colonial.
Saigon is the commercial and maritime heart of the republic, one of the busiest ports in Southeast Asia and a significant financial centre. The country is mercantile by instinct and largely indifferent to ideology, maintaining relations with most powers and formal alliances with none. It trades extensively with Vietnam, Japan, Vekllei, France and Philindo, and its port handles a substantial share of regional oil refining. Small, prosperous and sharp-elbowed about its independence, in some ways it has more in common with Singapore than with its larger neighbours.