We discuss the characterization and stability of the Haldane phase in integer spin chains on the basis of simple, physical arguments. We find that an odd-S Haldane phase is a topologically non-trivial phase which is protected by any one of the following three global symmetries: (i) the dihedral group of π-rotations about x, y and z axes; (ii) time-reversal symmetry S x,y,z → −S x,y,z ; (iii) link inversion symmetry (reflection about a bond center), consistently with previous results [Phys. Rev. B 81, 064439 (2010)]. On the other hand, an even-S Haldane phase is not topologically protected (i.e., it is indistinct from a trivial, site-factorizable phase). We show some numerical evidence that supports these claims, using concrete examples.