Running at Saigon Zoo

This morning we headed out to the Saigon Zoo and Botanic Gardens in District 1 for a jog.  How was it?

Pros:

• Free entry – yay! I had thought we might have to pay
• Quite an established morning exercise location so we fitted in okay (as much as tall white girls in running shorts can fit in in HCMC…)
• No bikes (or cars) to worry about – this is a massive ‘plus’ in my opinion!
• Tons of big trees, flowers and greenery
• Wide, winding paths and not many potholes
• Exotic animals to look at while you run

Cons:

• Some of the enclosures are a bit desolate with animals that look kinda grim
• Lots of people walking, dancing, even playing badminton – it’s a bit of an obstacle course
• Not huge so you have to loop around a fair bit to get a decent run
• Music pumping for the various dance groups means it’s far from peaceful
• Have to arrive early, because by 6:45 everyone was leaving.  I guess they have to clear everyone out before they ‘open’ the zoo.

Would I recommend it?  Sure, it makes a nice change from running alongside traffic, and the animals keep things interesting!

Where to run?

With the end of the rainy season and the return of these fresh cool mornings and evenings I’ve headed outdoors again to get my fix of the ‘runner’s high’.  I’ve returned to two favourite District 1 running spots:

Reunification Palace

Pros:

• Possibly the smoothest, best maintained stretch of pavement in town
• No food vendor carts
• Only a few parked motorbikes, and sometimes someone driving on the footpath
• No cars parked or driving on the footpath (that I’ve seen, but there’s a first time for everything…)
• Quite a few runners (including a few real characters!) and the occasional walker, but not so many people that its a hassle
• About a 1.5km loop, so it’s easy to calculate distance if you don’t want to run with a GPS

Cons:

• The same 1.5km loop gets pretty boring pretty fast

Truong Sa and Hoang Sa streets

Pros:

• The footpath runs alongside the winding canal, with some beautiful temples and other sights to keep things interesting
• In most parts the footpath is separated from the road by a green strip, so you can relax a bit  about the traffic
• There’s public exercise equipment at many points, so you can stop and do a few chin-ups if that’s your thing

Cons:

• The footpath runs out at some of the larger bridges, forcing you to find a way up to the main road so that you can cross it and then work your way back to the waterfront

To be honest, I haven’t found anywhere to run in inner HCMC yet that does not resemble an obstacle course, so you really have to keep your wits about you – save the loud music for the gym, and no daydreaming!