The Vinpearl Amusement Park, Nha Trang Beach, Vietnam

Vinpearl Amusement Park

The Vinpearl Resort, as well as the amusement park, is located on an Island just across the bay from Nha Trang Beach. The most convenient way to get there is by cable car from Nha Trang. I did not get a chance to see the resort, as it is off limits to visitors to the amusement park, however I have heard that is fantastic. The amusement park is absolutley unbelievable, and incredible value. For only 16USD you get a full days access to the entire amusement park, including return trip on the cable car, access to the water park, the aquarium and all the rides. I would compare this to a smaller version of Disneyland, and in some ways even better. When I was there, there were no crowds, no lines, and the cost was more than affordable.

The Cable Car

I have read that the cable car to Vinpearl is the longest crossing over water for any cable car in the world, 3320 meters in length. The highest points of the journey by cable care are more than 60 meters above the water. The view of the bay and the city of Nha Trang is very impressive from this height. When I saw the cable cars from the beach in Nha Trang, I was curious, so I decided I would like to take the trip over to the Island just to ride the cable car. When I inquired about the price, I was told that it would be 16USD for a return trip, and for such an impressive structure, I found this reasonable. Only after I purchased my ticket did I realize that this also included a full day of access to the water park, the aquarium and all the rides.

The Aquarium

I was not expecting much from the aquarium, however I was pleasantly surprised when I entered. There were a variety of ocean life that I had never seen before, as well as sharks and turtles and giant Mekong catfish. The main tank is designed with a tunnel in order to view the fish swimming above and from side to side while going through the tunnel. There were many impressive displays with creatures such as sea horses, water snakes, and strange things that I had never seen before. Overall the aquarium was far more impressive than I had expected it to be.

The Water Slides

The water slides were great fun, and suitable for children as well as adults. There were dozens of different styles of slides, some that were quite tame, and others that would scare the daylights out of you! Many of the water slides are designed to ride with inner tubes, and some designed for rafts with 4 or more people. One of the most popular slides is the "Tsunami", this is basically a half pipe that you ride in an inner tube, it is far more thrilling than it looks! I must admit that I was in line to ride the "space hole", and after hearing the people in front of me screaming in terror on the way down, I backed up and walked back down the stairs with my tail between my legs.

The Lazy River

My favourite activity at the water park was the lazy river (a canal that runs around the entire park, designed to ride inner tubes with the current). I am sure they did not intend to have guests drinking beer while tubing in the lazy river, but nobody seemed to bother us about it. I found it very relaxing to drink a beer and ride a tube down the river, and when I got bored I would just get out and jump on another slide. It was very easy to jump on any of the empty tubes floating in the lazy river whenever you wanted to jump back in.

The Wave Pool

The wave pool is popular with the kids, and we did not spend much time there. It was decent enough, but we found that we were more in our element in the lazy river. If you were there with your family I am sure the kids would want to spend the better part of the day in the wave pool. There is also a children's pool directly across from the wave pool that is designed for very young kids. It is likely far more relaxing for parents to supervise their children in the wave pool rather than carting them around on all the rides. There are plenty of beach chairs and umbrellas, and vendors selling cold beer for only 1USD each.

The Rides

The first thing you see when you get off the cable car is the various amusement park rides, including a roller coaster. These are more designed for kids, however most of the adults do join in the fun. My friends even convinced me to drive the bumper cars, and as childish as it may be, I did really enjoy it. Perhaps the dozen or so beers that we had in the afternoon contributed to the amusement of the bumper cars. There are also a variety of arcade games for kids in an indoor area of the amusement park. Your kids will never want to leave this place!