Top 10 Places for Children and Families in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)
After spending the past three years in Ho Chi Minh City with two young children, we’ve explored numerous parks, play areas and picnic spots.
And we still have a feeling that there’s heaps more to be discovered. Vietnam’s largest city may lack green, open spaces but it compensates by offering dozens of excellent attractions for children.
So, having done the research and bought the ice-creams, here are our top ten places for children and families in Saigon.
This sprawling, immaculate park is the perfect place for youngsters to run around in the heart of Saigon.
Part of the VinCom empire, this riverside park gets packed towards sunset with locals coming to walk, jog or skateboard their way around the looping track. Head to the far right-hand side as you enter to find the brilliant pirate ship-styled play area, along with an array of slides and swings. If you go to the far-left, you’ll find another smaller, but equally well-equipped play area. In between the two of these are skateboarding areas, a putting green, badminton/tennis courra, large open grass areas (ideal for picnics) and kites. With Landmark 81 as a backdrop, the park is also pretty photogenic.
Cost: Free
Location: Bình Thạnh, Ho Chi Minh City
Ages: Any
Time neeed: 1-2 hours
This is the best of Saigon’s unknown attractions. Tucked away in the north of the city, at the top of a fairly average shopping mall, is JP World. Mostly decked out in neon tones, it’s an interactive, visual feast that children will love. They can draw images then see them swim across an ocean screen, check out a bunch of virtual reality (VR) games or watch a magic show. The interactive elements are well-designed and allow children to play and learn, as they get to map out small towns and see their visions come to life on giant screens. Just outside, the Dome Theatre is worth a look as it boasts a 720-degree screen that play a range of short, futuristic, movies.
Cost: 190,000VND adults / free for children under 100 cm
Location: 240 – 242 Pham Van Dong Blvd, Hiep Binh Chanh Ward, Thu Duc City
Ages: 2 and above
Time needed: 2 hours
3) Vietopia
This excellent ‘city for children’ allows youngsters to become firefighters, journalists or doctors for a day. Located right next to Artinus 3D, Vietopia is an indoor area neatly divided up into various zones. Highlights include jumping on a fire engine to put out a blaze and pretending to be pilots.
Cost: 45,000 VND adults / 190,000VND children
Location: Next to Artinus 3D (see below)
Ages: 2 and above
Time needed: 3 hours
The enormous climbing wall is the first thing that hits you at Saigon Outcast. But this place is a true alternative events venue with a graffit / grunge vibe, so there’s always something else cool going on too. Climbing staff all speak English well and know what they’re doing. Sit and watch your youngsters attempt a series of climbing walls while you check out the excellent menu and craft beer. Regular events include an outdoor cinema, farmers’ market, craft beer festival, and burger fest.
Cost: Free, but climbing fees go from 150,000VND
Location: 188/1 Nguyen Van Huong, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City
Ages: 5 and up for climbing
Time needed: 1-2 hours
5) Hippo Farm
Before you ask, there are no hippos. The name comes from the ancient Greek word for horses – and there are plenty of those here. This wonderfully rustic retreat is run by a charming French-Vietnamese couple who offer horse-riding for all levels and the chance to get away from the city for a weekend. You can drop by for a day or spend the night in the simple but attractive bungalows. Facilities are limited to a swimming pool, children’s games (archery and table tennis) and the chance to see the range of wildlife that wanders freely among the grounds.
Cost: 200,000VND for day access / under 2s free / bungalows 1million-1.5million VND
Location: Phước Tân, Long Thành, Đồng Nai (a 45-minute drive from the city centre)
Ages: 3 and above (they aren’t kidding when they say you’re surrounded by nature, which means mosquitoes and chemical toilets).
Time needed: at least half a day
6) Suoi Tien Cultural Amusement Park
Winner of the oddest tourist attraction in Ho Chi Minh City goes to Suoi Tien Amusement Park. Billed as a Buddhist theme park, it somehow manages to combine rollercoasters, a water park and religious icons. Although it’s showing signs of its age these days (be sure to bypass the aquarium and ‘zoo’), it does still merit a place on this list thanks to an excellent water park, the chance to feed crocodiles and a giant phoenix palace.
Pro tip: Ignore the combo tickets and just pay the basic entrance fee. You can then just pay for each attraction at a time – the place is so big you’ll do well to cover everything in a single visit.
Cost: 140,000VND (including the water park) adults / 90,000VND children under 140 cms
Location:120 Hanoi Highway, Tan Phu Ward, Thu Duc City (District 9) – a 40-minute drive from downtown Saigon.
Ages: 2 plus (it gets pretty hot and most of the attractions are in the open)
Time needed: at least 4 hours. All day if you plan on seeing everything.
Set in District 11, this is the best water park in Saigon. Featuring water slides, giant wave pools and a few high-speed rides, it is looking its age but remains incredibly popular. If possible, avoid the weekends as it does get super busy. If your child is under 1.4 metres, they’ll be limited to the number of rides they can try.
Cost: 190,000VND adults / 150,000VND 80cm-140cm / free if under 80 cm
Location: 03 Hoa Binh, Ward 3, District 11
Ages: any
Time needed: 3 hours
8) Artinus 3D
Teeter on the edge of a raging waterfall, sit in the hand of King Kong or go surfing with dolphins, this 3D museum offers these and more. Children will love pretending to be various characters in this 4,000sq m attraction. Combine this with a visit to the neighbouring Vietopia.
Cost: 200,000VND adults / 150,000VND children (or 50,000VND less for both if you’re Vietnamese)
Location: 02-04 Street 9, Him Lam Residential Area, Tan Hung Ward, District 7
Ages: 2 and above
Time needed: 2 hours
9) Kids Camp
OK, so we are a little biased because we live right next to this one, but Kids Camp is a fantastic place for children to explore and play.
Younger children can sit and play in the kitchen space or hang out with the giant soft toys, while older ones can play in a ball pond, go fishing with magnetic rods or try to out-sprint their friends on a virtual race track. For a few dong extra, there’s also the chane to make slime – always a winner. One benefit of living in Ho Chi Minh City is that nearly every mall has something like this. Most have TiniWorld, which is a decent alternative, but Kids Camp has better service and facilities.
Cost: 140,000VND for children (200,000VND for play and slime)
Location: Estella Place shopping mall, 5th floor, 88 Song Hanh, Thu Duc
Ages: any
Time needed: 1 hour or more
10) Liliput
Similar to Kids Camp, this is another Korean-style children’s play area. This one has a more boutique feel to it though, as it’s on the small side but also rarely packed, so there’ll be plenty of space for your child to run around and explore. Downstairs there is ample seating and good, but slightly pricey, food options alongside a ball park, mini-carousel and dressing-up area. Upstairs, there are toy train sets, dinosaurs and soft play areas. Our children particularly like the ‘spa’, salon, and the chance to crawl through the wooden tunnels.
Cost: 100,000VND per hour (under 12 months get 2 hours free playtime) for children / adults free but need to order at least one drink.
Location: Ground floor, The Oxygen Mall, 628C Ha Noi Highway, An Phu ward, Thu Duc city (District 2),
Ages: any
Time needed: 1-2 hours
Honourable mentions
Saigon is packed with so many gems it’s hard to narrow them down to just ten. You could argue the excellent Jump Arena out in District 7, the various ice rinks in the shopping malls, or Jaspas restaurant/play area (with a great Sunday roast) are all worthy of a place on the list. Tinker Play, a wooden outdoor play area with hands-on experiences, including woodwork, is also great (but go early as there’s not much shade).
You’ll find Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens on most to-do lists but we wouldn’t recommend it. The place has a tired feel, the zoo isn’t particularly well maintained and the animal enclosures are largely concrete. If you can look past that , it’s cheap (60,000VND for adults and 40,000VND for those over 1.3 metres tall) and does have some pleasant lotus-filled lakes and garden areas, plus a small dinosaur park. To the left of the main entrance is a museum and water puppet show (11am and 3pm).
There’s also the War Remnants Museum, which is fascinating but definitely not a place for younger visitors as some exhibits are particularly harrowing.
If you are on holiday in Saigon with your family, you’ll find the city is particularly child-friendly and any of these attractions will keep everyone entertained for a few hours.
Saigon Zoo
