Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens: Peaceful Green Space in the City Center

Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens is Vietnam’s largest zoo and botanical garden, located near the Rach Lang River, built in 1865 and is nearly 140 years old, ranking eighth in the world’s oldest zoos. Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens is home to more than 100 species of mammals, reptiles and birds, as well as many species of orchids, cactus and bonsai. The zoo is a quiet and beautiful green space in busy Ho Chi Minh City where you can immerse yourself in a quiet space, breathe the fresh air and admire a variety of lovely animals and rare ornamental plants. If you’re planning to temporarily forget about life and travel fatigue, choosing to walk around Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens is likely to be an impressive thing.

Various Animals

This is an old-fashioned zoo, the facilities are not very advanced, but the zoo is well maintained, especially the garden, where there are many huge and ancient trees, lush plantings. Although located in the city centre, the temperature is much lower than the streets and very quiet, full of flowers, grass and butterflies. There are more than a hundred species, about 600 animals, many of which are rare species, such as Golden-cheeked Gibbon, Asian Elephant and Red-crowned Crane. In addition to native species, there are many exotic animals, such as Pygmy Hippopotamus, Lizards and American Flamingos.

When I arrived at the zoo early in the morning, I happened to see the staff feeding deers and flamingos, the animals were recieving fresh food, which looked like it was of good quality, and the keepers were friendly to the animals. Another point, the animals and tourists here are very close, there is only a small fence between the elephants and the tourists, the elephant’s nose can reach the sugar cane in children’s hands.

Useful Information

Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens is located in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, and has two gates, one at the junction of Nguyen Binh Khiem Street and Le Duan Street(main gate), and the other at Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street(side gate).

If you’re driving, drive directly to the main entrance of Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, where there is a parking lot, and if you take a bus, the nearest bus stop is 3 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai.

Location:

2 Nguyen Binh Khiem District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Opening Hours:

Monday – Saturday: 5 am to 4 pm

Sunday: 5 am to 12 pm

Entrance Fee:

Children under 1.3 meters: 30K VND

Adults and children from 1.3 meters and above: 50K VND

Several Suggestions

Avoid visiting during crowded rush hours and weekends.

Don’t throw plastic bottles into cages, which can cause harm to animals and increase the burden on staff.

It is also inappropriate for some people to pat the glass with their hands to attract the attention of the animals.

Ho Chi Minh City is really hot during the day, so I recommend you go early before the animals get too sleepy.