District 1 (Quận 1, Quận Một or Quận Nhất) is the central urban district of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), the largest city in Vietnam. With a total area of 7.7211 km2 the district has a population of 204,899 people as of 2010. The district is divided into 10 small subsets which are called wards (phường). District 1 contains most of the city's administrative offices, consulates, and large buildings. District 1 is the busiest district in the city with the highest living standards. Đồng Khởi street and Nguyễn Huệ boulevard in District 1 are the city's two main commercial centers. Đồng Khởi street is an area in high demand for real estate, hitting a record price of $50,000 per square meter in 2007.
District 1 and the other seven districts of Ho Chi Minh City were founded on May 27, 1959. Before 1975, the first district only had four small subsets (wards) which were Bến Nghé, Hòa Bình, Trần Quang Khải and Tự Đức (named after major historical characters), and the second district had seven different wards which were Bến Thành, Bùi Viện, Cầu Kho, Cầu Ông Lãnh, Huyện Sĩ, Nguyễn Cảnh Chân and Nguyễn Cư Trinh. In May 1976 the first and second districts were combined into the District 1 of today.