Mapbox Satellite just got fresh, high-resolution imagery of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). This has me really excited: it wasn’t long ago that clouds and haze made it nearly impossible for OpenStreetMap contributors like me to trace the city’s streets and buildings from satellite photos. But now, the updated DigitalGlobe imagery and painstaking color correction make it much easier to identify individual buildings and other features in Vietnam’s largest city.
You can see what I mean in the highlights below. Check out the full update via the mapbox.satellite map ID. All of Mapbox Satellite, including this new look at Ho Chi Minh City, can be used to add more detail to OpenStreetMap – please do!
Independence Palace (Dinh Độc Lập) was formerly the South Vietnamese president’s official residence and is now a popular tourist attraction.
Cars line up at a vehicle inspection station in Hiệp Bình Chánh ward, Thủ Đức district.
At over 11 000 m² (120,000 sq ft), Bến Thành Market is one of the city’s largest marketplaces.
The Phú Thọ Horse Racing Ground was shut down in 2011 after more than 80 years. Football pitches and fishing ponds have sprung up inside the old racetrack.
The narrow alleyways and tightly packed houses of District 4 are discernable in the new imagery.
The city’s network of ports includes Cát Lái Port at the outskirts of the city, on the banks of the Đồng Nai River.