Thuy Tien Lake: Explore The Abandoned Water Park In Hue
Have you ever heard of the abandoned water park in Hue, Vietnam?
About 10 km from Hue city center to the Southwest, located on Thien An hill, Thuy Tien lake abandoned water park has become a spectacular destination for adventure seekers in Hue. Due to being no longer in use, the park evokes a feeling of ghostliness, like stepping out of a horror film.
Explore this park’s desolate and mysterious beauty with this complete travel guide to Hue’s abandoned water park.
About Thuy Tien Lake – abandoned water park in Hue
Located in Huong Thuy town, Hue, Thuy Tien Lake has an area of 49ha wide and is surrounded by pine hills.
Thanks to the investment with a total capital of up to 74 billion VND (~3.24 million USD) by Hue tourism company, Thuy Tien park had a luxury restaurant area, aquarium, lake yacht, water park system, and majestic water music stage with a capacity of 2,500 seats.
Why was Thuy Tien water park closed?
Thuy Tien Park was officially opened to welcome guests in 2004, even though it was not completed at that time.
However, after putting into operation, the park was degraded, inefficient, and eventually abandoned.
Since then, Thuy Tien Lake has become devastated, and the structure is crumbling and covered with moss.
How to visit Hue’s abandoned water park
How to get to Thuy Tien Lake from Hue city center?
The easiest way to get to Thuy Tien lake water park is to download Maps.me, a detailed offline map with turn-by-turn navigation.
The map shows two entrances of Thuy Tien Lake, one with “Free entrance” and the other with “Entrance fee.”
I tried the “Free entrance” path but could not find a way to get in, so I went to the other one instead.
To get to the entrance, you can follow Dien Bien Phu street from the city center, turn right on Phan Boi Chau street when you see “Dien Tam Giao” square, and turn left immediately to Minh Mang street.
Keep driving on Minh Mang street until you see the path and turn right. It’s about 150 meters until you get to the gate.
How to get to the abandoned park in Hue?
After arriving at the Thuy Tien Lake, you must wonder how to get in as Thuy Tien water park is “officially closed,” and signs are stating that it’s closed and doesn’t allow visitors.
So, can you get to Thuy Tien water park?
As it may surprise you, getting inside the park is quite easy. I was even shocked that there were more visitors than I expected (I saw around a dozen people at that time).
Is there any entrance ticket for Hue’s abandoned water park?
There’s no entrance ticket because the park is closed, but unfortunately, you may need to pay a small fee to bribe the guards at the entrance.
Because I was Vietnamese, he let me go to another path, but other foreigners had to go a different way and pay a small fee (not much though, it was only 10,000 VND at the time, around $0.5).
Tips:
My friends from Romania later visited this park, and they didn’t need to pay because their taxi driver talked to the guards.
One friend even tried to sneak the guard and ran in a different direction, so he didn’t have to pay the fee either.
So maybe you can try those ways if you aren’t comfortable paying the bribe, but as the fee is considerably small, spending a bit is not much.
Things to see at Thuy Tien Lake abandoned water park
Although Thuy Tien Lake is no longer renovated and rebuilt, it has become a place for visitors to experience horror and spookiness.
The Fountain
I guess this fountain was one of the main attractions in Thuy Tien Lake water park, and there was an occasional water show when the park was still open.
This area must have been a beautiful place to chill and relaxing.
The Paths
Although Thuy Tien park is now abandoned, the paths are surprisingly lovely to walk around. Along the road are bushes, and sometimes you can see stone statues.
The Sculptures
The area around Thuy Tien Lake has dozens of beautiful sculptures, but many artworks have been deformed and drawn due to the lack of preservation.
The Aquarium with Dragon House
The aquarium with a beautiful dragon shape is the main structure of Thuy Tien lake’s abandoned water park.
The aquarium was once built elaborately but becomes ruined, clinging to dust moss.
Entering the dragon, you can realize the substantial deterioration of the building with patchy areas, rusted and unused equipment, and rooms filled with dust and trash. Outside, the grass grows wild.
One of the most popular places to visit in Thuy Tien Lake water park is the dragon mouth facing Thuy Tien lake.
From the dragon mouth, you can observe the panorama of Thien An hill and Thuy Tien lake. A quiet lake, lush green forest, and clear sky create a pleasant and memorable landscape.
The dragon’s body is also a unique work of art. It is now covered with dust, grass, and graffiti.
The aquarium used to have a crocodile farm with three crocodiles (the heaviest was 45kg, and the lightest was 35kg).
When Thuy Tien park was abandoned, they were still in the old place, so people had to write words to warn tourists.
Get out of the dragon, and you can see the architecture of the dragon legs and dragon scales. We can see the effect of time and the elaborate investment of the building.
Follow this bridge, and you will get to the water slides at the water park.
The Slides
Located not far from the dragon house is the water park that was also abandoned. The sign that leads to the water park is now rusted.
Everything in Thuy Tien Lake water park is rusted, overgrown by plants, and covered with moss. The spiral staircases and the long old sliding bridges between wild forest trees make the park look more creepy.
Inside this billion-dollar park, all entertainment services have been shut down for a long time and become more and more severely damaged.
The water park area used to be modern, but it now becomes desolate and is covered with moss.
The Music Stadium
The water music stadium is also monumental in Thuy Tien lake park but now looks creepy and unsafe.
The entrance to the music hall is worn and covered with grass. Graffiti can be found everywhere in the base of the stadium.
In particular, in the area of water music performances, the stage with a high capacity of 2,500 seats is covered with moss.
Walking a short distance from the stadium, you can see that the resort campus has been turned into a cow grazing ground for the locals.
More thoughts
Seeing Thuy Tien abandoned the water park was the highlight of my trip to Hue.
Even though there were more people than I expected, I still enjoyed wandering around the park and seeing how time affected human buildings.
It was a bit scary sometimes, as I walked to places with no one and the sky was getting dark. I even got chased by an angry dog, and that was horrifying.
I was there for approximately 4 hours, but I recommend spending more time at the Thuy Tien water park.
Also, the park is an ideal place to have a picnic with maybe have a picnic with your friends or lovers because the park is beautiful and enjoyable.
Overall, Thuy Tien lake abandoned water park is a great place to travel off the beaten path in Hue.
Since it’s abandoned, you should watch out for your steps and be careful as the constructions haven’t received maintenance for a long time.
Best places to stay in Hue
Staying at the center of Hue is the best option to visit the city as the attractions are pretty near each other.
I stayed at Hue Nino, and it was convenient. The room was quite basic, but the location was great, and the host was friendly.
If you’re looking for a party hostel in Hue, Vietnam Backpacker Hostels Hue is a great choice.
For a middle-range option, Rosaleen Boutique Hotel is recommended by travelers. Besides an outdoor swimming pool, the hotel offers a tasty breakfast and excellent service.
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Read more
- Best time to visit Hue
- Amazing things to do in Da Nang that you should not miss
- How to plan a great trip to Vietnam
Note: I own the photos in this article. Copying is not allowed in any circumstance.
