About the Zoo & Wildlife

The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens (Vietnamese: Thảo Cầm Viên Sài Gòn, French: Jardin botanique et zoologique de Saïgon), or known locally as The Zoo ("Sở Thú"), is Vietnam's largest zoo and botanical garden. The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens was commissioned by Admiral Pierre-Paul de La Grandière in 1864, and was opened to the public in 1869, making it one of the world's oldest continuously operating zoos. The Botanical Gardens were founded in 1864 by Jean Baptiste Louis Pierre, which he directed until 1877. Located on Nguyen Binh Khiem Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, it is home to over a hundred species of mammals, reptiles and birds, as well as many rare orchids and ornamental plants. Also within the grounds is the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History, housing some 25,000 artifacts of history, culture and ethnography of South Vietnam. The grounds also include the Temple of Hùng King (formerly a monument to Indochinese soldiers who died for France during World War I). Other parts of the zoo are divided into animal and plant conservation areas, an orchid garden, and an amusement park.