As of October 2024, the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Ho Chi Minh City was reported to have accumulated land rent arrears totaling VND864 billion (US$34 million), including VND787 billion ($31 million) in overdue debts subject to payment enforcement, pushing the zoo to the brink of closure.

Vu Thi Huong Giang, director of Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens Co. Ltd., which manages the zoo, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Tuesday that she was extremely stressed by the situation.

She explained that the company operates on a non-profit basis, with its primary responsibility being the management of the 160-year-old zoo and the care of rare and endangered animals and plants.

It is neither a business nor a conservationist, Giang said, adding that it was subject to land rent of over VND100 billion ($3.9 million) per year.

She informed that in 2014, the municipal government leased the company 158,117 square meters of land with a term of 50 years.

The taxman in District 1 later announced the land rent at VND163.3 billion ($6.4 million) annually.

However, only 5,600 square meters of land is used for business purposes and the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens has paid the rent for this area.

The remaining area is designated for conservation purposes.

Coercing the land rent payment would impact on funding for animal and plant care and conservation activities, which may lead to the closure of the zoo, said Giang.

She added that the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee had worked with relevant units to remove the zoo’s obstacles.

On the sidelines of a meeting of the municipal People’s Council on Wednesday morning, chairman of the People’s Committee Phan Van Mai told local media that he had tasked the Department of Natural Resources and Environment with reviewing the decision to lease and hand over land to the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens.

Only the land area used for business purposes is subject to rent, while appropriate solutions should be worked out for the land used for conservation purposes, probably a land rent exemption.

Nguyen Toan Thang, director of the department, told Tuoi Tre that he had invited the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens’ representatives to a meeting on Wednesday afternoon to discuss solutions to the issue.

In the first half of this year, Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens Co. Ltd. generated nearly VND73 billion ($2.9 million) in revenue, down 10 percent year on year, and VND4.68 billion ($184,325) in net profit, according to its audited financial report.

Its total asset value reached nearly VND860 billion ($33.9 million). The company also has over VND5.3 billion ($208,467) in cash and VND63.4 billion (2.5 million) as deposits at banks.

The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens, established in 1864, stands as one of the eight oldest zoos globally.

It is now home to over 2,000 animals of 135 species and more than 2,500 plants.

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