Saigon zoo records triple profit

The semi-annual financial report of Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens Company, which manages the 160-year-old zoo in Ho Chi Minh City, shows that its VND80-billion ($3.4 million) revenue came mainly from ticket sales. The remainder was from selling food and drinks, leasing premises and parking fees.

The zoo’s net profit was approximately VND17 billion.

However, VND13 billion got deducted, which is the amount the city used to support the company during the Covid-19 pandemic last year. Overall, the company’s profit went down to around VND2 billion. But this is still a positive business result compared to last year when the zoo had to close for many months because of the pandemic, dragging profit down to under VND600 million.

By the end of June, the Saigon Zoo’s total assets were worth VND770 billion, mostly including the cost of the ongoing construction of Saigon Safari in Cu Chi District. The company’s financial state is healthy as its liabilities were only VND20 billion, less than 3% of total capital.

The Saigon zoo, built in 1864, now operates under the model of a one-member limited liability company. The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City owns 100% of its charter capital, but the company operates with financial autonomy.

The zoo is considered a museum of biology with thousands of species of flora and fauna from across Vietnam and the world. It has a huge collection of about 4,000 plant species and over 600 rare animals.