History
Since the construction of Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden, the zoo has undergone many changes of different periods of time. On March 23, 1864, the Commander of the provincial army Pierre-Paul de La Grandiere signed the convention that allowed building the zoo in Saigon. Louis Germain, a veterinarian, built the zoo on an area of 12 ha from the wild land in Northeast of Thi Nghe Channel. Subsequently, The Governor-general of Indochina realized that a professional was needed, and accordingly Louis Pierre, who had worked in a botanical garden in Calcutta, India, was invited to become the director on March 28, 1865.
By the end of 1865, the zoo was 20ha large. On December 15, 1867, de La Grandiere promulgated decree 183 to regulate, organize and manage the zoo. On February 17, 1869, Vice Admiral G. Ohier, the president of South Vietnam, signed decree 33 to establish the Permanent Committee. Based on that decree, in the National Day of France, the zoo was opened permanently for the public to visit. In 1924, the precinct had been extended to 13ha more.
In 1927, a bridge across Thi Nghe Channel was built to connect the sections of the zoo designed for animals and for plants, respectively. On November 27, 1927, French government built the museum Blanchard de la Bross, following the design of the Beijing Summer Palace. In the same year, the Japanese government gave the zoo more than 900 rare plants. The Temple du Souvenir which followed the design of palace in Hue was built in 1929. In 1956, the Saigon government repaired and re-built the Blanchard de la Bross. They renamed it as The Saigon National Museum, and also renamed the zoo as “Thao Cam Vien”.
In 1984, a stone jetty was built and the electric wire was improved upon. Since 1989, the facilities have been improved to make the environment suitable for animals. Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden was recognized as a member of the Southeast Asian Zoological Association in 1990. In 1991, the garden in the zoo was re-established. After 130 years of construction, it became the biggest biological garden of the country.
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