Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam's largest commercial center. The city has seen many changes throughout its history. In 1859 French forces occupied the town. In 1954, Viet Minh revolutionaries led by Ho Chi Minh defeated the French, which solidified the end of French rule in Indochina and led to the division of Vietnam to North and South. In 1975, the revolutionaries took over Saigon, and the War came to an end. Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City, adopting the name of the hero of Vietnamese independence.