The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens, or known locally as The Zoo, is Vietnam's largest zoo and botanical garden. The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens was commissioned by Admiral Pierre-Paul de La Grandière in 1864, and was opened to the public in 1869, making it one of the world's oldest continuously operating zoos. The Botanical Gardens were founded in 1864 by Jean Baptiste Louis Pierre, which he directed until 1877.