Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Thao Cam Vien in Vietnamese, is a large park of old trees, ponds and animal enclosures at the north-east end of Le Duan Boulevard. The zoo's own site says it was founded on 23 March 1864 and calls it the eighth-oldest zoo in the world. It lists more than 120 animal species and more than 320 plant species. Wikipedia describes it as Vietnam's oldest zoo and botanical garden, opened to the public in 1869.
The zoo's history page says the ground started as about 12 hectares of wasteland, which the French set aside for a plant nursery and animal pens. The name Thao Cam Vien came into official use in 1956, after the gardens were overhauled.
Getting there
The main gate is on Nguyen Binh Khiem Street; the zoo gives its address as No. 2. Measured in a straight line on map coordinates, it is about 0.9 km from the Jade Emperor Pagoda, about 1.6 km from Independence Palace and about 1.9 km from Ben Thanh Market. Saigon railway station is about 3.1 km away and Tan Son Nhat International Airport about 6.7 km, both in a straight line; the roads are longer.
Hours and fees
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult (1.3 m tall or more) | VND 60,000 |
| Child (1 m to under 1.3 m) | VND 40,000 |
Tickets go by height, not age. The zoo is open Monday to Sunday, 7:00 AM to 6:30 PM. It says it only sells tickets at its own gate counters and as e-tickets on saigonzoo.vn.
Wikipedia notes that the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History and the Temple of Hung Kings are also within the grounds.
Our take
The zoo is cheap, opens long hours and shares its grounds with the History Museum, so both fit in one visit (the museum has its own ticket). A much-upvoted Reddit thread criticises how the animals are kept; we'd read it before deciding to go with children.
Nearby
- History Museum: inside the zoo grounds.
- Jade Emperor Pagoda: about 0.9 km in a straight line.
- Independence Palace: about 1.6 km in a straight line.
Questions travelers ask
How are the animals kept? A thread titled "Ho Chi Minh zoo is atrocious" drew many replies along these lines:
"Yep, the zoo is a monstrosity. The bird cages are overcrowded and half of the peafowl have had their plumage pecked and plucked off by the other birds."
u/QueasyPair on r/VietNam
Is it better with kids now? One parent who went back wrote:
"Recently visited with my toddler with the hope that it would’ve improved but, if anything, it’s worse."
u/louitobias on r/VietNam
