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Disneyland… Vietnam style

March 20, 2020 | Michael Turtle | 6 Comments

AMUSING PARK

Suoi Tien Theme Park, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

There’s an enchanted castle, although ‘cursed’ might be a better adjective.

There are rides, characters, shows – all the things you would expect at a theme park. Yet… there’s just something a little odd.

In communist Vietnam, there is no Disney. When you want to head to the ‘Happiest Place on Earth’, your best option is the Suoi Tien Theme Park, on the fringes of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

It is a burst of fun, terror, humour and angst – all at once.

Suoi Tien Theme Park, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The theme for the whole park is Buddhism, the predominant religion here in Vietnam. A giant golden dragon is the first thing you see as you go in and it sets the scene.

As you explore a bit deeper, you’ll find gardens full of Buddhas, a lake with a statue of a turtle supporting the world – and, of course temples. Plenty of temples. I notice one on the park map called ‘Goddess of Mercy Temple’, for example.

Suoi Tien Theme Park, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Some of these temples are what you might expect and follow the traditional model. Incense is burning and people are praying.

In a theme park, I wonder how many of these prayers are just before someone gets on the old roller coaster… but more on the rides shortly.

The most interesting temples are those that have been turned into attractions. It’s probably not fair to call them ‘temples’ and the park actually has different names for them – usually they’re a ‘palace’. But there’s no avoiding the dominant theme inside.

Suoi Tien Theme Park, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Suoi Tien Theme Park, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

I climb up the steps to go into the ‘Unicorn Palace’. It all sounds so magical and colourful. Wrong!

As soon as I am through the entrance, it’s pitch black. I have to hold onto a handrail as I go down a set of stairs and descend underground. You might think I was being melodramatic if I said that it felt like I was descending into hell – but that’s the point.

Underneath the temple is a journey through the various levels of Buddhist Hell.

This ain’t no small world after all. The path you walk along is still pitch black – the only light comes from the displays behind bars.

Men are being ripped apart, eaten by animals, dumping into boiling pots. There’s a soundtrack of terror and every so often, without warning, a bloody mannequin will swing at you screaming.

I scream back a few times.

Suoi Tien Theme Park, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Suoi Tien Theme Park, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Back outside, in the sunlight, it is zen again and the wind rustles the trees carrying the prayer flags. You would think that one hell on earth would be enough for me but I foolishly go into two more houses of horrors.

In one, the path shakes at various points, throwing me slightly off balance. The point at which I decide to hurry to the exit, though, is when an actual hand comes out of the wall and grabs my ankle in the dark.

Suoi Tien Theme Park, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The other house of horrors is Harry Potter themed. Again, it’s dark with lots of screaming and creatures jumping out of nowhere.

I am not positive, but there’s got to be no way this could be officially licensed. The real owners of the Harry Potter trademark would not allow Dobby the elf to be turned into a ferocious demon with glowing red eyes.

Suoi Tien Theme Park, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Like any good theme park, there are also rides. They could probably be described in one of two ways. Lame or lamer. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have fun on them!

Most of the rides are quite small – a good size for kids. You swing a bit, go around a bit, maybe rise up and fall down slightly. The mini roller coaster goes quite fast but only lasts for about 20 seconds.

Suoi Tien Theme Park, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

I get the feeling the rides are part of the fun but not the main reason the locals come here. It’s about the whole experience and having a bit of everything – rides, games, gardens, shows, food.

Suoi Tien Theme Park, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

I like to think they don’t come for the zoo… but they may. Unfortunately it casts a dark shadow over an otherwise colourful day out.

The zoo is at the back of the park and it promises a collection of exotic animals. But rather than be impressed, it makes me angry.

The animals are kept in tiny cages, with almost nothing inside to amuse or comfort them. There are different types of monkeys, for example, staring wistfully out through the bars. Most upsetting is a small bear in a space that gives it just enough room to pace around in a circle.

Suoi Tien Theme Park, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The zoo is on the edge of a large complex of lakes filled with hundreds of crocodiles. I don’t feel so sorry for them – I’m convinced they’re just looking at me as a potential meal.

I wonder why there are so many of them until I see the gift shop selling handbags and purses. This is a factory farm, just one where you can pay to feed the product.

Suoi Tien Theme Park, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

All of this seems rather contrary to the Buddhist ethos so I try to put it out of my mind and focus on everything else on offer. It really is a rather well designed park and the different areas with their lakes and rivers and statues and pagodas are quite beautiful and peaceful.

Suoi Tien Theme Park, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Suoi Tien Theme Park, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Bizarre, though? Yes. To me. Everything just seems a little bit surreal.

Things I think are hilarious are probably wondrous to the local Vietnamese families who come here, though.

They would probably think a theme park with a talking mouse and spinning teacups would be strange. So I shall not judge, lest I end up in Buddhist Hell for eternity.

>> There's more info on the park's official website <<

THE BEST ACCOMMODATION IN HO CHI MINH CITY

Ho Chi Minh City is super busy but accommodation around District 1 will save you a lot of transport hassle.

BACKPACKER

For a modern and quiet hostel, I would suggest the awesome Tam Social Enterprise Hostel.

BUDGET

A comfortable budget option is Tripwriter Hotel… and I like the name!

BOUTIQUE

For a stylish design hotel, you should try Cinnamon Boutique Hotel.

LUXURY

And if you want to splurge, I think one of the coolest hotels is The Myst Dong Khoi.

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT VIETNAM?

See my Vietnam Travel Guide

To help you plan your trip to Vietnam:

  • A detailed itinerary for the perfect two week trip in Vietnam
  • All the best things to see in Hanoi
  • A stunning alternative to visiting Ha Long Bay
  • What to look out for when booking a Ha Long Bay tour
  • Discover the story behind Hoi An’s heritage
  • Why this is the best day trip you can do from Hoi An
  • The incredible imperial palace that’s worth a visit
  • Did you know Vietnam has the world’s biggest cave?
  • An easy way to see the Mekong from Saigon
  • All of Vietnam’s World Heritage Sites and my tips for visiting

Let someone else do the work for you:

You may also want to consider taking a tour through Vietnam, rather than organising everything on your own. It will be much easier and it’s also a nice way to have company if you are travelling solo.

I am a ‘Wanderer’ with G Adventures and they have great tours in Vietnam.

You could consider:

  • The Best of Vietnam (15 days)
  • Classic Vietnam (10 days)
  • Hike, Bike and Kayak through Vietnam (10 days)
  • Cycle Vietnam’s backroads (14 days)

When I travel internationally, I always get insurance. It’s not worth the risk, in case there’s a medical emergency or another serious incident. I recommend you should use World Nomads for your trip.

Reader Interactions

    Comments Cancel reply

  1. Katie Featherstone |

    February 16, 2016 at 8:23 pm

    Reply

    Wow, that sounds like quite a culture shock. I like the absurdity of it, though like you feel sad about the animals. You must have come away very confused!

    • Michael Turtle |

      March 3, 2016 at 7:24 am

      Reply

      To me it was certainly a bit absurd, but I’m sure that’s not how the locals view it. That’s what makes it so interesting for me. A really different cultural experience and I think you can learn a lot from seeing what people in another country think is ‘fun’.

  2. Mary @ Green Global Travel |

    February 24, 2016 at 9:39 pm

    Reply

    Wow, this definitely seems like an interesting experience! Especially that ride through Buddhist hell… And the treatment of the animals in that zoo is truly heartbreaking.

  3. Leggs and Lee Lee |

    October 26, 2016 at 3:54 pm

    Reply

    Adding this to our list of must do’s. We love anything like this, anything. I love seeing how people get excited about things I would never do at home and enjoying it from their perspective.

  4. Abha |

    April 13, 2017 at 11:14 am

    Reply

    I think the Suoi Tien Theme Park must be very interesting! And the theme of this Suoi Tien Theme Park – Buddhism, the predominant religion here in Vietnam! It must be very meaningful and filled with knowledge!
    Visitors can get a knowledge of Buddhism in Vietnam while they are having fun! 🙂
    Thanks for your experience!

    • Michael Turtle |

      May 26, 2017 at 10:15 pm

      Reply

      That’s a good way of looking at it – learn about Buddhism and have fun at the same time!

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This is the website of travel writer, Michael Turtle. After working in broadcast journalism for a decade in Australia, Michael left Sydney to travel the world indefinitely and write about the places, people and experiences he discovers. This isn't a diary - these are real stories from the world.

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