Although Saigon is a crowded city, there is no shortage of attractive entertainment places for the local and tourists.
Not only Ben Thanh market, Reunification Palace, or Notre Dame Cathedral is interesting to visit, but the parks in Ho Chi Minh City also help you enjoy the cool fresh atmosphere.
If you need a green space but don’t want to get out of Saigon, you can find green parks right in this city.
Top 8 beautiful and airy parks in Saigon
1. Tao Dan Park
Tao Dan Park, located on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, is one of the largest and most beautiful parks in Saigon. Tao Dan Park has 10 hectares with over 1,000 trees. This park looks like a green lung in the city center, attracting many local people to exercise, walk, or have fun in the early morning or late afternoon.
Previously, Tao Dan Park was on the grounds of the French Governor General’s Palace (Independence Palace today), called Tao Dan Garden. Tao Dan Garden was later renamed to Tao Dan Cultural Park and added a playground for children.
The park is always crowded with the residents and tourists to enjoy the quiet, fresh atmosphere. You can sit on the benches to chat with friends or organize a picnic on the large grass in the park.
Inside the park, there is a temple to honor the Hung Kings, a small Cham tower, and an ancient tomb. Previously many rumors said that Tao Dan park has ghosts, but this is just a rumor. The ancient tomb in Tao Dan Park is actually the tomb of the Lam family. The tomb was also recognized as a city-level historical site in 2014.
2. Gia Dinh Park
Gia Dinh Park has an area of about 5.7ha situated on Hoang Minh Giam Street, Ward 3, Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City. The park is near three main roads: Nguyen Kiem, Hoang Minh Giam and Ho Van Hue.
Gia Dinh Park is an ideal place for people to jog and do exercise in the early morning or late afternoon because of the large area, many trees, and cool air. Besides, the grass ground in the park is a place for groups of students who choose to organize picnics, chat, read, and exchange music
The most typical feature in this site is the 8,300 m2 children’s play area. The amusement region is divided into many sections to suit each age group with many active games, swings, and adventurous climbing ladders.
Close to Gia Dinh Park, there are also has Emart supermarket, Saigon Dance dancing center, Country House Coffe, and Phu Chau floating temple. Thus, you can visit, have more fun and go shopping after spending time in this garden.
3. Hoang Van Thu park
Hoang Van Thu Park is known as the oasis in the center of Saigon by the quiet and airy, surrounded by old trees shading all year round. Hoang Van Thu Park has an area of up to 10.6ha.
Before 1975, this site was the helipad of the US3 field hospital. After 1975, it was under the management of Military Zone 7. By 1989, Hoang Van Thu park was officially established under the management and direction of the People’s Committee of Tan Binh District.
Hoang Van Thu Park locates at Phan Dinh Giot Street, Ward 10, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City. The other two sides are Hoang Van Thu and Tran Quoc Toan streets. So, these roads create this park that has a triangle shape.
This park has a difference from the other parks in Saigon, which is a big of Phan Thuc Dieu going through the park. The shady green trees and the sound of birds come from the park, making this site more lovely.
Coming to Hoang Van Thu Park, you will see gentle architectural features expressing the desire to rise of a dynamic Saigon.
Not only have fun, relax at the grass-designed huts, but you can walk on the roads in the park to admire, enjoy the fresh air and take beautiful pictures. This place is an ideal site for the fun activities of young Saigoneers.
4. Le Van Tam Park
Le Van Tam Park is in Da Kao Ward, District 1, downtown of Ho Chi Minh City. This spacious green garden has many children’s play areas, attracting plenty of residents to go for a walk, practice exercise, and have fun on the weekends.
The park was named after a revolutionary teenage hero who sacrificed himself, committed suicide to destroy enemy ammunition during the Indochina War in Vietnam.
Previously, Le Van Tam Park was a cemetery built by the French called the Holy Land of West (later changed to Mac Dinh Chi). This location once buried French officers, soldiers, and many high-class politicians. Later, the cemetery was moved, and this place was built into Le Van Tam park.
Like other parks, Le Van Tam Park is a spacious and airy verdurous area. You will feel the atmosphere here is quiet, pleasant and fresh.
The park is surrounded by big ancient trees, coconut trees, and green lawns. Along the roads in the park in the morning or late afternoon, there are people walking and exercising. Also, the neatly arranged benches help people to sit down to rest and breathe fresh air.
Park Square is a monument of the legendary hero Le Van Tam, surrounded by flower beds and perennial coniferous trees. Behind the square, there is a amusement area for children with fun games such as swings, slides, seesaw… so they can freely have fun.
Especially, Le Van Tam Park is also the venue for public activities and social events.
5. Le Thi Rieng park
Le Thi Rieng park is at 875 Cach Mang Thang Tam Street, Ward 15, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City. This park is one of the famous entertainment places for local people to release stress and fatigue. Besides, it has a playground with many exciting games.
The park has an area of about 8ha with a lake that was once a canal connected to Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe canal. Near the entrance of the park, there is a traditional house, a memorial stele for Tet Mau Than Tet (1968), including the tomb of Ms. Le Thi Rieng (Member of the Committee for National Liberation Front of Southern Vietnam).
There is also a memorial monument to General Secretary Tran Phu. In 1999 the government found his grave in the park after 60 years of death.
Le Thi Rieng park has 20% of the land used for business, including children’s playing field (called White Rabbit Area) occupying 1ha of area, bookstore and food stalls.
Previously, Le Thi Rieng park was Do Thanh cemetery, later renamed Chi Hoa cemetery, a place to sleep of thousands of soldiers during the wartime. Later, Chi Hoa cemetery was planned to become Le Thi Rieng park now.
That’s why, besides Tao Dan Park, this garden is also rumored to be ghosted. However, all is just a fabrication because this place was the den of drug smugglers and the drug addicts who pretended to be ghosts to scare people so that no one dared to visit this area. After the police destroyed the “lair”, now no one believes in these fabricated stories.
6. Park 23-9
Park 23-9 locates at Le Lai Street, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, TP. Ho Chi Minh. The park stretches from the Quach Thi Trang site to the Nguyen Thai Binh market. The precursor of 23-9 park is a Saigon train station. After the station moved to the area of Hoa Hung (District 3), in 1985, this place was built into a 23-9 park.
This park is a place for fun and public activities of Saigon people. It includes two zones: Zone A of the park often creates an outdoor stage with hundreds of seats to organize festivals. And Zone B is more spacious with a Sen Hong stage for children.
However, at present, Sen Hong Stage is in the process of relocating to give this place a standard green park. In part B, there is a bus stop so visitors can easily travel to visit other nearby places without spending too much time.
On the weekends, residents and visitors will have the opportunity to participate in the dining activities of various authentic cultures such as India, Thailand, and China besides Vietnamese food. This chance is a good time for visitors to understand the culinary culture of the countries.
7. Park 30–4
Park 30-4 is at the intersection of Le Duan and Pasteur Streets, District 1, TP. Ho Chi Minh City, near the famous works in Saigon, such as Notre Dame Cathedral, Turtle Lake, Saigon Central Post Office.
The park is a green section of Saigon with tens of hectares of tall trees. This beautiful place attracts plenty of visitors to stop and rest after walking around the monuments. The trees are still shady as to dispel the dazzling, harsh sunlight of Saigon, the green lawns spread along the walkway with the fresh, spacious atmosphere… All blend together to create an elegant space right in the heart of the city.
Especially this park is famous for Bet coffee (sitting on the ground). Sitting-on-floor coffee is not nice in drinks, but typical in style and the bustling atmosphere of Saigon. It is relaxing and fascinating to enjoy a drink in the heart of the green park, gossip with friends, or watch the activities of people playing, singing, exercising.
In addition, the 30–4 park is also a place where often organizes the book festivals for children or food competitions.
8. Botanical garden
Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden (Thao Cam Vien) is at 2 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. It is right in the heart of the city center with 17 hectares.
The botanical garden is caring for more than 120 species of animals with the number of up to 1,000 individuals, including many rare species of Vietnam and the world, such as red panther, yellow-cheeked gibbons, Rhino, giraffes, Asian elephants, and Indochinese tigers.
This Saigon zoo is an attractive place for children. Your family can visit and take pictures of the different animals here.
Inside the park, there is one of the well-known attractions of Saigon. That is the Vietnam History Museum, displaying various collections of Vietnamese history from prehistoric times to the present day. And, you don’t forget to stop at the memorial relic of Vietnamese victims who died during the war.
In particular, on weekends, the zoo’s management board also organizes art performances, a unique animal circus. These activities not only open up the opportunity for the children to familiarize themselves with some animals but also help adults find themselves back to childhood years old.