Located on Nguyen Binh Khiem Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, it is home to over a hundred species of mammals, reptiles and birds, as well as many rare orchids and ornamental plants.

The grounds also include the Temple of Hùng King (formerly a monument to Indochinese soldiers who died for France during World War I).

Other parts of the zoo are divided into animal and plant conservation areas, an orchid garden, and an amusement park.

On March 23, 1864, Admiral Pierre-Paul de La Grandière, commander of French forces in Cochinchina, commissioned the building of a zoo in Saigon.

The zoo has many kinds of mammals, reptiles, and birds such as: monkeys, giraffes, white Bengal tigers, Clouded Leopards, African lions, gibbons, turtles and snakes.

The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden contains two noteworthy buildings: a temple to the Hung Kings, originally built as a monument to Indochinese soldiers who died for France during World War I; and the Museum of Vietnamese History.

White Bengal tigers, douc langurs, squirrel monkeys, Ring-tailed lemurs, Gibbons, Chimpanzees, one Orangutan, ...

The main purpose of the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden is to educate the public and protect endangered animals and plants.

One of many programs the zoo participates in to protect endangered species is one to breed animals in captivity, the goal being to replenish their populations.

Each year, 3,200 students visit the zoo and listen to an hour-long lecture and watch a 30-minute film about animal and plant conservation.