Vietnam, the place where I was born and grow up

I'm a Vietnamese student. I live in Ho Chi Minh. It's a big and vibrant city in southern Vietnam with the a population of more than 8 million [what?]people.   Ho Chi Minh city is the center of the economy, entertainment and education [where?]in Vietnam.Or you could write, ' Ho Chi Minh City is the center of education and entertainment as well as the economic center of Vietnam' My city is also famous for tourism. There are many tourist attractions such as: Duc Ba cathedral, Independence Palace, Cu Chi tunnel. The citizens are also literally friendly, they're also open minded and sociable. However, there will be one problem if you first come here: it's traffic congestion. There are a lot of vehicles [where?] on the road in during rush hour. Or 'There are a lot of vehicles stuck in traffic during rush hour.' You have to mention where the vehicles are.  Overally, Ho Chi Minh is an interesting arrival to experience. Welcome to Vietnam.
How about you? What do you think of when you hear about Vietnam?