The Saigon Zoo & Botanical Gardens opened in 1869 and is one of the most popular attractions in Ho Chi Minh City, especially among locals. The zoo reportedly gets more than 5,500 visitors daily, or around 2 million annually.
I’ve visited the zoo a few times for research, and it’s very popular among local families with young kids. So expect to see a lot of kids running around.
🏨 The Fusion Original Saigon Centre (see on Agoda / Booking) and the Hotel Continental (see on Agoda / Booking) are in great locations in District 1.
🎟️ Tours & Activities: HCMC Airport fast-track service and this Cu Chi Tunnels tour
I have seen other travelers here, but we are usually vastly outnumbered by locals. Compare that to the Independence Palace or the War Remnants Museum, which are both usually pretty touristy, especially the museum.
Right next to the Saigon Zoo is the Ho Chi Minh City History Museum, so you can visit both attractions at the same time. This guide covers more things to do in Ho Chi Minh City.
Saigon Zoo Visitor Info
| Location | Google Maps |
| Hours | 7:00 AM to 6:30 PM daily (5:30 PM last ticket sales) |
| Ticket cost | 60.000 VND (adults), 40.000 VND/FREE (kids) |
| Where to buy | Here on Klook or at the front entrance |
| How much time | You could easily spend several hours here |
| Best time to visit* | December, January, February |
| Other notes | Bathrooms, cold drinks for sale, plenty of benches |
| Official website | https://saigonzoo.vn/en |
Where is the Saigon Zoo?
The Saigon Zoo is located here in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. It is in the northern part of District 1, close to the Thi Nghe River, which separates D1 from Binh Thanh District. If you’re visiting HCMC for the first time, you’ll likely be spending your time further south in D1 near Ben Thanh Market, the HCM Statue, and the Nguyen Hue Street area. You can find my recommendations on the best areas and hotels in HCMC here.
Anywhere around the hotels mentioned above, or around the Liberty Central Saigon Centre (see on Agoda / Booking), is a good choice. I reviewed that hotel here.
You can walk to the Saigon Zoo from here, but it will take about 25 to 30 minutes. Here are the walking directions from Ben Thanh Market. If you don’t feel like walking, the easiest way to get here is to use the Grab app to order a moto-taxi or regular taxi. They have plenty of scooter parking at the zoo if you decide to rent your own scooter.
Visiting the Saigon Zoo & Botanical Gardens
There is a lot to see at the Saigon Zoo & Botanical Gardens, spread over 20 hectares (over 49 acres). After purchasing your ticket and entering the gate, you can do a big clockwise or counterclockwise walking loop or zig-zag your way around. There are also mini trains that chauffeur guests around the zoo.
Here’s a video I filmed of the train going through some nice shaded greenery.
There are map boards around the zoo, which I would take a picture of to have handy as you walk around. The zoo feels like a mixture of walking through the forest, while being in a garden, and seeing animals. There is a lot of tree shade and greenery around.
If you’re in a hurry, you can make your way around the zoo in about 1.5 hours. But if you’re taking your time, you could easily be here for over 3 hours. There are hundreds of animals at the zoo, including elephants, giraffes, tigers, monkeys, birds, reptiles, alligators, deer, and more. There’s also a butterfly house and a flamingo garden.
As I mentioned in the information section, there are plenty of bathrooms around the grounds, tons of places to sit and relax, and many vendors selling cold drinks or food. Many locals bring hammocks or blankets and relax on the lawns all day.
Some of the animals are allowed to be fed. There are staff members who sell carrot bundles, usually for 10.000 VND or 20.000 VND, and you can feed them to the animals. I filmed this video of some visitors feeding carrots to the giraffes.
There are amusement park rides and playgrounds scattered about for the kids, but if you’re from a country with dedicated large-scale amusement parks, these will likely feel underwhelming. The different amusement rides each require a separate ticket, purchased individually at ticket booths inside the zoo.
There are about 16 different rides/games, including a Ferris wheel, bumper cars, and small roller coasters. Tickets for the individual rides cost between 10.000 VND and 40.000 VND each.
Is the Saigon Zoo Worth Visiting?
Short answer: I do think that the Saigon Zoo is worth visiting. It’s a cheap entrance ticket, and it’s an easy way to spend a few hours in HCMC. The grounds have a lot of greenery, and there’s a lot of walkability inside.
If you have young kids, they may have fun in the area where you can interact and feed a bunch of goats.
Long answer: This question is a point of contention in nearly every review of the Saigon Zoo, across travel forums, and in my HCMC travel planning Facebook group.
The biggest issue is that the zoo’s enclosures, cages, and areas for most animals look to be very poor quality and poorly maintained. Some of them are just walled-in areas of dirt, maybe a tree or two, and muddy water. Many of the enclosures are rusty and old-looking. Some of the animals also look restless or depressed. So if you’re planning to visit the Saigon Zoo, you need to be prepared for this part.
The zoo is usually packed with local families and children. And due to its popularity, it’s hard to say if or when the animal enclosures will ever receive an upgrade. The zoo itself is historic, but that doesn’t mean the enclosures need to be ancient, too. I understand preservation, but there should be a balance here. Personally, I hope the animals get more modern enclosures in the near future.
