I’d never heard about Hue’s abandoned waterpark until some fellow travelers mentioned it to me in Saigon, the second I heard about it I knew I had to check it out. Supposedly there were rumours of crocodiles still living in the park, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to spot any.. 

The waterpark opened in 2004 in an unfinished state and soon went out of business to be left abandoned with nobody claiming the land. It’s not overly surprising that the park wasn’t a hit, the three finished buildings were lacklustre to say the least and the vast distances between them would have been draining on a hot day, with at least a 20-minute walk from the dragon’s head aquarium to the sea world like amphitheatre. Since its closure the park has been well and truly overrun by the surrounding forest as well as backpackers who jump on the chance for a free yet interesting day.

Getting to the park from hue is fairly easy as long as you have maps, just hire a scooter and ride for about 20 minutes. I was unable to find the main entrance but instead came down a small back road over a crest to reveal the dragons head and surrounding lake which was a staggering sight in itself.

The park itself felt rather westernised, and after a few hours walking around it really was easy to forget you were in the Vietnamese countryside. There was definitely a feeling that any minute a group of zombies would appear and you would have to defend yourself from atop the dragons head. This was amplified by a huge thunderstorm that blew over during our visit, truly made it a scary place to be.

If you’re ever in Hue, I definitely recommend checking this place out. I feel It wont be too long before some enterprising Vietnamese people start charging admission and doing tours through the place.