Asia is home to the world’s biggest abandoned water park that has been left desolate for over 10 years, attracting daring travellers who want to explore the eerie site.
Hue Water Park, nestled near the tourist hotspot of Thien An Hill just outside the city of Hue, was built between 2001 and 2004. The project, funded by the city’s state tourism company, cost a whopping £2 million.
Despite being only half finished at its inception, it enjoyed relative popularity upon opening. However, the park was short-lived, closing down after just a few months.
Investment firm Haco Hue took over in 2006, with grand plans for an eco-tourism complex, but due to poor business, the park was shuttered by 2011.
A revival attempt was made three years later, but financial constraints and lack of progress led to the provincial government reclaiming the land and banning entry due to safety concerns over the now-dilapidated infrastructure.
The park has grown in popularity among backpackers and tourists, which sparked widespread interest in the abandoned attraction.
Visitors have described Ho Thuy Tien as “eerie” and “surreal” due to its state of abandonment and lack of human presence.
It’s also regarded as a unique, “off-the-beaten-path” destination with a distinctive aesthetic. Despite the official ban on entry, locals at the gate have been known to allow tourists in for a fee.
According to reports, crocodiles that were introduced to the park during its operational years continued to roam freely until travellers raised concerns with animal welfare organisations, prompting the Vietnamese government to relocate them to a nature reserve.
The park’s desolate, eerie atmosphere has made it a popular location for music videos, featuring in productions such as We Must Love by ONF, Bad Memories by Meduza and James Carter, and Warpaint by Niki.
Plans to revitalise and connect the park were unveiled by the provincial government in 2020, but due to Haco Hue’s significant debt issues, enticing investors became a challenge.
After splurging £644,000 on renovations, Hue city officials announced in anticipation that the park would be reopened to visitors in March 2023.
Nevertheless, by August 2023, a report from Vietnamese state media painted a bleak picture of the park as still abandoned.
It was also revealed that the redevelopment had stalled, hampered by “problems related to procedures for land allocation and auction of properties left by the old investor”.