The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden opened a new entertainment space to attract children during the holiday season of Tết (Lunar New Year) festival in early January.
The 500 square-metre area incudes 12 inside and outdoor spaces with different games and toys, and also facilities for playing sports, eating and drinking.
Summer activities, such as painting clubs, games and sports contests, are also offered.
An area called “Reading Space for Children” helps to spread the reading habit among children and teenagers. It has quality lighting, books and staff.
It has many Vietnamese and foreign books, comics, and magazines for children, many of which are new copies and feature topics on the natural world, plants and animals.
“HCM City has few places for children to play. We hope our new entertainment space attracts children and their parents, who often park themselves in the zoo for the whole day on weekends and holidays,” said Huỳnh Thu Thảo, a member of the zoo’s managing board.
A photo featuring two elephants getting bath wins a photo contest featuring the zoo and its activities. Photo courtesy of Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden.
The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden, located on Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm Street in District 1, was established in 1864 and is the country’s largest zoo and botanical garden.
It is home to hundreds of species of mammals, reptiles, birds, and rare orchids and ornamental plants. It has more than 1,500 animals.
It includes the Museum of Vietnamese History, which has more than 25,000 artefacts featuring the traditional culture of southern Vietnam.
It has worked with international organisations such as the South East Asian Zoos Association (SEAZA) and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The zoo attracts more than 20,000 people on weekends.
