9a1 113 Thao cam vien ENGLISH

"The Pearl of Orient" was the name people gave Ho Chi Minh City because it is not only a strong
economical city but it also preserves many precious vintage structures like Ben Thanh market, the Opera
House and the Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, one of the most well-preserved structure by the leading
committee of Ho Chi Minh City in recent years in order to conserve nature and wildlife in the center of
the noisy and crowded city is no other than Thao Cam Vien.
Thao Cam Vien is the first wildlife and nature preservation park in Ho Chi Minh city. Existing for
over 100 years, it has been listed as one of the oldest wildlife and nature preservation parks in the entire
world with an area of nearly 25,000 square meters. This magnificent structure is located at 2B Nguyen
Binh Khiem Street, Ben Nghe Province, District 1, which is a very advantageous location as it is situated
in the middle of Sai Gon, for this reason Thao Cam Vien has become an interesting place for everyone to
have a picnic as well as relax during the weekend.
Thao Cam Vien was created in many phases throughout Vietnam's history. In 1864, during the
time when Vietnam was still colonized by the French, a French veterinarian, Louis Adolphe Germain, was
assigned with a mission to develop the northeast of Thi Nghe River into a Botanical garden in order to
raise plants and animals. A short time after that, the "Governors-General of French Indochina" wanted the
Botanical garden to display plants and animals, also to provide seedlings for a park in France. For this
reason, the management of this land was reassigned to Louis Pierre, a botanical expert
Initially 12 hectares, the Botanical garden was expanded to 20 hectares in 1865. Also during this
time, the Japanese government introduced 900 species of rare plants into the Botanical Garden. In
addition many species of plants from the South East Asia region were introduced.
Half of the century had passed since the zoo's establishment to 1925, it now has been fully
invested by covering mineral pitch on many roads, providing more big animal cages and planting more
valuable trees than earlier. But a large quantity of these trees had been destroyed by French soldiers when
they chose the Botanical Garden to be their military base. Later on, the Botanical Garden was repaired
and it was renamed as Thao Cam Vien.
In 1975, Vietnam was liberated and Thao Cam Vien was able to welcome many waves of
visitors. Unfortunately, this has affected the place, due to the visitors lack of awareness Thao Cam Vien
was polluted and foul. The People Committee of HCMC has swiftly planned an initiative to repair
damages and resolve other issues after the incursion occurred.
There would be no need for long trips should you desire a place that possesses miraculous
wildness, in the middle of the animated and youthful energy of Saigon. Come to this man-made woods,

and you will surely feel the impression of the smooth green of the trees, the grass and the paths that run
straight or the animal closures which are full of moss as well as a chance to indulge yourself in the clean
air, mixed with the songs of birds, the roar of the gorillas and the fresh scent of magnificient flowers and
grass.
After over 130 years of existence, the immense collection of animals in Thao Cam Vien consists
of 868 animals of 130 different species ranging from reptiles, birds and mammals. The plant section has
188 trees of 260 different species, 23 species of inland plants, 33 species of cactus and 34 species of
bonsai. In Thao Cam Vien, you can observe enormous animals, such as elephants or hippos, as well as
smaller animals with little weigh such as the 200 – 300 Loris with a common name to the Vietnamese
people as Cu Lan.


If it comes to animals, this is the home of dozen of species of mammals, a wide variety of birds,
many reptiles and winged species of many kinds. Some animals are kept in cages like monkeys, bears,
tigers, leopards, lions, apes, deer, porcupines, turtles, crocodiles, hippos, pythons, snakes and bird. In
addition there are a number of rare animals such as hippos, camels, ostriches and panthers with origins
from South America.
Regarding plants, Thao Cam Vien itself is the home to dozens of rare species of plants. There are
many types of cactus, ferns and herbs from America, Africa and many other parts of the globe. Thao Cam
Vien has many ponds that are planted with a variety of hybrid water lily with many beautiful colors and
statures, lotus ponds with floating pavilion that raise many carps and many other types of fishes. Thao
Cam Vien also breeds many rare plants such as the exotic Cannonball tree from India, khaya form Africa
or many “foreign brothers” like Feroniella lucida, Orchidaceous, natural minnows and Saracen.
Thao Cam Vien does not only have simple sightseeing tourists, there are also performances bythe
animals in the zoo. Performances are organized weekly on Sunday from 9am-10am. The elephant
performances in the elephant cage, the trained dog and monkey performing on bicycles promise to leave
tourists with the feeling of pleasure and laughter. You can also take pictures with the elephants, feed them
or play with the gentle herbivores. Coming to Thao Cam Vien, you can also admire the with your own
eyes the only species in Vietnam and Indochina as langur, striped pheasant, pheasant White and many
other species.

Since its establishment, the Zoo has gradually become a part of the life of the people of this city as
well as establishing relationships with worldwide organizations and facilities that help conserve the
environment. Thao Cam Vien has become a recreational area for families, a place to relax and free your
soul in the harmony of nature, escape from the busy movement and the bustle of urban streets, and an
escape from the heat of the outside. Walking in the zoo, you can easily see the bright eyes; the toddle
footsteps and hear the laughter of children. You will feel like you are sitting on a train back to your
childhood.
Not only that, Thao Cam Vien also plays an important role in the education, conservation and
research. By showing a variety of species, including endangered species. Thao Cam Vien wants the
citizen of our country to realize that environmental protection and conservation of animals are some of
our most importance tasks. Also, when observing some species in the IUCN Red List, Thao Cam Vien
hopes that the younger generation of our country as students will understand the true purpose of
protecting these creatures.
With the tremendous value that Thao Cam Vien has brought to people’s lives, let’s work together
to preserve and protect Thao Cam Vien as “ The Soul of Nature” in the heart of this busy city.