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When someone says you aren’t allowed to do something, doesn’t that just make you want to do it even more? This is the feeling when it comes to exploring the Abandoned Water Park in Hue which is “closed” to visitors. This is a place of mystery & intrigue, and a site that should be on every adventurous traveller’s Vietnam bucket list.
Information on Thuy Tien Lake Abandoned Water Park may easily be found online these days, but that doesn’t take away from the park’s mystery. Especially if you go early enough and have the whole park to yourself. There are still so many unanswered questions and even tales of the site being cursed.
In this guide, I will tell you how to access the water park, what to expect and tips for visiting.
Abandoned Water Park Hue History
I’ll start at the beginning; The Hue Abandoned Water Park first opened in 2004, after a Hue Capital Tourism Company spent millions of dollars building it. For some reason it opened before construction was officially completed and this may have something to do with the park closing (and being left abandoned) only 2 years later.
Since 2006 there has been talk of an eco-tourism project being built but nothing has eventuated. Maybe the tales of the site being cursed have something to do with that?
What is There to See at Thuy Tien Lake Abandoned Water Park?
With some of the attractions in the park still being structurally sound it’s easy to imagine how the Water Park once was! I could even picture hundreds of tourists enjoying the park, the aquarium filled with marine life and dolphin trainers getting ready for shows in the stadium. Then it’s like they all instantly disappeared.
Today the park is mostly surrounded by overgrown forest, or covered in moss & graffiti, giving it an even more of an isolated feel.
There are 3 main sites in Hue Abandoned Water Park that you’re going to want to see.
The Stadium
Once you drive through the park’s main gate (I’ll go over entry to the park below) head towards your right and towards The Stadium.
The stadium is a semicircle facing a large tank and Thuy Tien lake, with 2,500 seats. Today the tank looks like a cesspool of germs, surrounded by weeds. The seating around is well preserved, just covered in graffiti and moss!
The Dragon & Aquarium
From The Stadium head to the other end of the lake towards The Dragon. This would have to be the most iconic part of Hues Abandoned Water Park.
The dragon is stunning and even as it crumbles and the bright colours have faded over time, it’s still so impressive.
The dragon sits in the centre of the lake. From either side of the lake, you can follow footpaths over to the dragon.
Before you walk over check out the concrete car. Although I’m not sure what its purpose is, it’s an impressive life-sized sculpture.
Underneath the dragon, there’s smashed ruins of the old aquarium, with heaps of large tanks that people have clearly enjoyed smashing to smithereens. Be extra careful in here as there was a lot of broken glass and electric cables.
You can also follow a spiral staircase through the body of the dragon to his mouth. Here you’ll get amazing views of the lake and surrounding Forrests. The structure still feels very stable and I never felt as though it was about to collapse from under me.
The Water Slides
The on the other side of the dragon follow the path towards the Water Slides. The path is nearly completely covered with overgrown tree branches and grass but follow along the side of the lake back in the direction of the stadium.
There are two parts to the water slides, one that would’ve been built as a kids’ playground and the other is three big waterslides, designed for thrill seekers.
Surprisingly, the big waterslides are structurally still in perfect condition, just with some added moss and graffiti. It’s easy enough to access the top and bottom of the watersides, just be careful not to fall into or even touch the water in the pool. Yuck!
More than any other area of the Water Park the slides felt the eeriest and isolated. With heaps of overgrown trees, covered footpaths and an old shower block that gave me the creeps.
Where is The Abandoned Water Park in Hue
Hues Abandoned Water Park is in Huong Thuy town, which is 15 mins south of Hue City Center.
One thing that has taken away from the mystery of the Abandoned Water Park is that you no longer need to ask around for directions or find someone who will share with you the location of this isolated park. All you need to do is type “Thuy Tien lake Abandoned Water Park” into google maps.
Although, google maps may give you directions directly to the dragon. I didn’t go this way and I don’t believe it would be that easy. Following that road directly to the Dragon would have you driving through private property.
If your map directs you to turn left off Thủy Tiên, don’t. Just keep driving straight and soon you will get to the main entrance of Hue Abandoned Water Park.
If you don’t have a local sim card remember to download the map before you leave your hotel. Or there is also the app maps.me, which I always find very reliable.
How to Get into The Abandoned Water Park, Hue?
Ok now to the nitty gritty of actually gaining access.
I don’t know if we were lucky or if arriving before 7 am is the answer, but we had absolutely no issues getting into the park.
My husband & I arrived by scooter just before 7 AM on a Sunday. When we arrived at the main gate there was nobody else in sight. I was nervous arriving expecting to see security guards blocking our way.
There are signs saying “No Visitors” & barriers covering the entrance but it wasn’t difficult to just simply ride around them.
Once we were inside I felt a sigh of relief and also excited that there was literally no one else around, we had the whole park to ourselves.
After we’d been in the Water Park for an hour a security guard on a scooter approached us and instead of telling us to leave he informed us we needed to pay.
He started with 50,000 VND per person.
Before arriving I’d done research on the park & had never heard of anyone having to pay that much.
We tried our best to get out of paying anything but in the end, agreed on 20,000 VND.
After payment, he left us alone but I always had this feeling that I was being watched!
I had also read online about people being denied access at the main gate & having to find another way in. Our experience couldn’t have been easier and I think that has a lot to do with arriving so early.
Even at 7 am the sun was still shining and having the park to ourselves really added to the spooky & mysterious vibe. It would have been a far different experience had there been heaps of tourists standing around taking photos.
It is definitely worth waking up early for this!
If you have personal experience gaining assess to Hue Abandoned Water Park that was different (and possibly more difficult) than mine, I would love to hear about it in the comments below.
Tips For Visiting Hue Abandoned Water Park
Obviously, as this is an abandoned park, so no one is in charge of occupational health and safety. We should all take personal responsibility to ensure we are safe in the park and that it’s left accessible for future travellers.
Watch Your Step
Especially under the dragon you really need to watch your step. There’s a lot of broken glass, uneven ground and sharp edges. If you fell and needed help, getting it out there quickly wouldn’t be an easy task.
During Wet Season
If it’s raining or there’s just been heavy rain, I’d be extra careful on the waterslides. I had heaps of fun running up and down them but wouldn’t have dared if it was slippery. The thought of falling into that pool of water made me sick!
Arrive Early
For most people, the biggest drawcard to visiting Hues Abandoned Water Park is the spooky and eerie atmosphere. If the park is busy with visitors it would have less of that ‘abandoned feel’. And, the earlier you arrive the more likely you are to have the park all to yourselves as I did. Plus, as I mentioned above, the earlier you arrive there’s less likely to be manning the gate.
Take Drinking Water
Vietnam is always hot and with no working facilities at the park, it’s important to arrive prepared and have enough water to keep you hydrated.
Carry Small Notes
At some point, local security will approach you to ask for payment. Although there’s no official entry price anymore, getting ripped off is never fun, so you shouldn’t pay any more than 20,000 VND per person. Make sure you’re carrying small notes as I’m sure no one will offer to give you change.
Have a Scooter or Bicycle
I would definitely recommend entering the park on a scooter or bicycle. The Water Park is pretty big and the attractions are quite spread out so having transport around the park would make visiting much easier.
Lock Up Your Bike
With that said, it’s also important to lock up your bike. Even if you think no one else is around, or you won’t be going far from your bike. I’ve heard stories of security guards “confiscating” people’s bikes and only releasing them after payment.
Apart from the fact this is so dodgy, if you’ve rented your bike it would be terrible if anything happens to it as the rental company could charge you for any damages. I don’t know how regularly this kind of situation occurs but to avoid the possibility, it’s best to always lock up your bike.
In Conclusion
There aren’t many places left in the world like Hues Abandoned Water Park, and especially places that can be this easily accessible or close to a main city.
I absolutely loved exploring what remains of this water park and imagining what it was once like with droves of families & tourists having fun.
Today the crumbling ruins are perfect for adventurous traveller or photographer who loves off-the-beaten-track sites, and experience that eerie feeling of “are we being watched”.
In this guide, I have gone over what to expect in Hue Abandoned Water Park, the best way to gain access and tips for keeping safe.
Also, I wish I got a photo of the front entrance to show how minimal the barriers were. I think when there was no security at the front we were so relieved and just wanted to get the hell away from the entrance before someone showed up!
Click here to check out an Instagram Reel I made on Hues Abandoned Water Park!
Thanks for reading,
Happy Travels
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Elyse is the author & content creator behind A World To Live. After traveling to over 40 countries, she has a passion for discovering new places. Elyse is a money-conscious traveller who loves writing independent travel guides to help her readers get the most out of their travels.
What a unique experience! I’m not sure if I would be brave enough to go in, but it’s awesome to read about places like this. Thanks for sharing your experience!
This was so interesting! Thanks for sharing, I had no idea there was an abandoned park near Hue and it is definitely giving creepy cool vibes
Love historical spots like this..and thank you for the tips on weather!
I love this kind of hidden gems thanks for sharing
I’m always very intrigued by abandoned places. They seem kind of creepy but also very historic.
Yeah me too Sue, it was a very interesting place to visit
That definitely looks like a unique experience. I shall add on my bucketlist when I head to Vietnam. Thanks for sharing 😊