Hồ Thủy Tiên (lit. 'Daffodil Lake', also known as Thiên An park) is an abandoned water park in the outskirts of Huế, Vietnam that gained notoriety for its short operational period and dilapidated state, becoming a destination for urban explorers. The Hue city government said in 2022 that it would renovate the park and reopen it in March 2023, but it was later reported that problems had risen and it had not been possible as of August 2023, although it could be visited in its dilapidated and closed condition.
| Hồ Thủy Tiên | |
|---|---|
 Entrance of the water park | |
| Location | Thủy Bằng rural commune, Huế, Thừa Thiên Huế, Vietnam |
| Owner | Thừa Thiên Huế Provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment (present) |
| Operated by | Huế Capital Tourism Company (2004) |
| Opened | 2004 |
| Closed | 2004 |
| Status | Defunct[[]] |
History edit
The park, located near Thiên An hill (already a tourist attraction for its monastery and natural environment) and the lake of the same name about ten kilometers away from the city of Huế, began construction in 2001 and was finished in 2004 by the city's state funded tourism company at a projected cost exceeding VND 70 billion (US$3 million).[1][2] Reportedly, it was only half finished when it was constructed, but was still relatively popular when it opened.[3] However, the park closed down after a few months. The investment company Haco Hue took over the park and reopened it in 2006, with plans to create a new eco-tourism complex, but ultimately had to shut down the park by 2011 due to a lack of business. The province again attempted to revive the park three years later, but the financial inability of Haco Hue to return to the project, compounded by the lack of progress made, led to the provincial government reclaiming the land and prohibiting entry to the premises due to safety concerns from the now-deteriorated infrastructure.[4][5]
In 2016, HuffPost ran a story on the attention the park gained from backpackers and other tourists,[6] which sparked a wider interest in the property.[7][5] Visitors have described Hồ Thủy Tiên has "eerie" and "surreal" due to its abandonment and lack of regular human presence.[8] On the other hand, it has also been considered an "off-the-beaten-path" attraction with a unique aesthetic.[3] Despite the prohibition on entry, locals at the gate allow tourists in for a fee. Reportedly, crocodiles placed in the park while it was open continued to roam there until travelers placed pressure on animal rights organizations, causing the Vietnamese government to relocate them to a nature preserve.[9][2] The park's "desolate, creepy image" has led to several artists using it as a backdrop to their music videos, including the videos for We Must Love by ONF, Bad Memories by Meduza and James Carter, and Warpaint by Niki.[10]
In 2020, the provincial government announced plans to redevelop and connect the park, but the debt of Haco Hue provided issues for attracting investors.[11] After spending VND 20 billion ($844,100) to renovate the park, the Huế city government announced it would be opened to tourists from March 2023 after renovation.[12] However, an August 2023 article from Vietnamese state media describing it as abandoned, though disclosing information on how to visit the dilapidated and non-functioning park, said that the project had not yet been implemented due to "problems related to procedures for land allocation and auction of properties left by the old investor".[13]
References edit
- ^ dulich.vn. "Kiểm tra thực tế công viên nổi tiếng ở Cố đô Huế". Tạp chí Du lịch Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh (Ho Chi Minh City Travel Magazine). Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ a b Lakritz, Talia (24 January 2017). "Haunting photos of an abandoned waterpark in Vietnam". Business Insider. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ a b Pérez, Christina (6 June 2018). "Summers Past: Inside an Eerie Abandoned Water Park in Vietnam". Vogue. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Hue to spend $800,000 to renovate abandoned water park". VnExpress International. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ a b "Final nail in the coffin for 'spooky' Central Vietnam waterpark". Tuổi Trẻ. 6 January 2017. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "This Eerie, Abandoned Waterpark Is Not For The Faint Of Heart". HuffPost. 4 January 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ toquoc.vn. "Công viên nước 'kinh dị' ở Huế: đóng cửa, bỏ hoang vẫn hút khách". toquoc.vn. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "11 of the scariest places you can travel, according to pros". Washington Post. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Abandoned water park Ho Thuy Tien in Vietnam becomes attraction". Stuff. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Hue's abandoned water park appears in Italian band's MV". VnExpress International. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Province seeks investors to revive 'eerie' abandoned water park in central Vietnam". Tuoi Tre News. 16 May 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ Hoang Phong (2 November 2022). "Abandoned Hue water park to reopen next March". VnExpress International. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Inside the abandoned water park used to be in many international newspapers". Vietnam.vn - Nền tảng quảng bá về Việt Nam. 16 August 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.