Families flock to Saigon zoo on reopening day

Visitors thronged the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden as it reopened on Friday after six months of closure due to Covid-19 according to VN Express.

People line up at the counter to buy tickets to the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden, a popular tourist destination. Entry tickets cost VND60,000 ($2.64) for adults and VND40,000 for children. Kids less than a meter tall do not need tickets.

People are required to scan QR codes for health declaration before entering. Adults who have at least one dose of a Covid vaccine 14 days earlier are allowed to take children in.

Visitors were mainly families with young children, and all were required to wear masks.

Once a busy attraction, the zoo closed its doors in May as the city grappled with the coronavirus. Without visitors amid strict lockdowns, the zoo sought VND30 billion ($1.3 million) from the city.

The giraffe enclosure.

Nhi (L) and her husband brought their two children to the zoo at 8 a.m.

"My family decided to visit the zoo on the reopening day because we were afraid it would be crowded this weekend," she said.

"The kids are still eager to see the animals though they have visited the zoo several times before".

Electric shuttle buses carry visitors around the zoo, which has animal and plant conservation areas, an orchid garden, and an amusement park.

The kids’ games area has also reopened.

HCMC has had over 436,000 Covid infections in the fourth wave since late April. Its high vaccination rate and shift from a zero-virus strategy to living with the pandemic has enabled it to lift most restrictions since Oct. 1.

Built in 1864, Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens is one of the oldest zoos in the world. It has over 1,300 animals, including some rare species, and 2,500 trees.

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