Saigon Zoo and Botanic Garden

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Saigon Zoo and Botanic Garden (Vietnamese language: Thảo Cầm Viên Sài Gòn (abbreviation: Thảo Cầm Viên) is a botanic garden and zoo in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, at the corner of Nguyen Binh Khiem and Le Duan streets, at the other end of Le Duan street is Reunification Palace. Construction of Saigon Zoo and Botanic Garden was started in March 1865. The founder of the Botanic Garden was a French botanist named J.B.Louis Pierre (1833-1905). Originally, the garden was called Zoo, in which planted several precious and exotic trees introduced from India, Thailand, Laos,Cambodia such as cacao, coffee tree, vanilla and sugar cane (Jardin Acclimater) and several rare animals. In 1924, the garden was added 10 ha. On 27th November 1927, French colonists built Mussee de Blanchard de la Bross within the boundary of the zoo as the design of Summer Palace in Beijing, China. In 1929, another building Temple du Souvenir with the architectural style as kings' mausoleums in the city of Huế was constructed.

In 1956, government of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam repaired and re-designed Mussee de Blanchard de la Bross and renamed it National Museum of Saigon (Vietnamese language: Viện Bảo tàng Quốc gia Sài Gòn); the zoo was renamed Zoo and Botanic Garden' (Vietnamese: Thảo Cầm Viên). Today, within the zoo there exists a Hùng Vương temple, branch of Vietnam History Museum in Ho Chi Minh City (built in 1929) with 33,000 exhibits and artefacts. Ho Chi Minh City government has planned a new larger zoo project called Saigon Safari Park in Cu Chi county. Once completion, all animals in Saigon Zoo and Botanic Garden will be removed to this new park while the existing botanic garden will be preserved. Saigon Zoo and Botanic Garden is a member of ASEAN Association of Zoos. This garden is an attraction for tourists.