a visit to the zoo

A friend had recommended the zoo after she visited in December, so when we had yet another free day to fill I thought it might be a good option. The kids thought so, too, so we had the hotel call a taxi and off we went. I'd prepared myself a bit, knowing that it wouldn't be anything like the Oregon Zoo that we were so familiar with.

The admission fee of only 1000VND for each child and 2000VND for me wasn't a good sign in my mind and I was proven right. There is a definite difference placed on the value of animals and their rights to adequate food and shelter here versus America. The animals were all in small cages with very little to do. There were some logs to climb on and ropes to swing on, but it was all quite limited. I will say it was a step up from the other caged animals we have seen elsewhere in Viet Nam. In Da Nang and Tam Ky, there are cages with bears in them, small enough that the bears can barely lay down in them. The Ha Noi zoo had a bigger area for each and they were being fed vegetables (whereas in the other areas, they were fed rice and bananas).

It was a strange experience, though, and I couldn't help but feel pity for these poor animals. Now I understand why there are groups working to ban zoos.
These three little monkeys were all huddled together, "heart sinking" as my son said. And behind them in the box were a half dozen more, crammed together, though we couldn't decide why. Fear?

Around the edges of the walk, especially on the island in the zoo, there were photographers with their camera bags at the ready, sitting on folding chairs and their framed photos on an easel beside them. Their photos of sweethearts and smiling children attract attention, but if you don't notice them, they will yell out to you, trying to coax you into an impromptu photo shoot.

It was a bit distressing over all, with the local children feeding shrimp chips to the macau monkeys, the elephant chained to the wall, the male deer with his horns sawed off into bloody stumps and the rats running amongst the cages. We left feeling out of sorts and with no desire to return. Save your 2000VND.