Giant dragon statue at Hue’s famous water park to be dismantled

A giant dragon statue wrapping around a floating pavilion at a Hue park that has been featured by international media will be dismantled ahead of the park’s renovation.

A representative of the Dai Nguyen Nam Trade and Service company, who won the auction for the assets at the Thuy Tien Lake amusement park in Hue of Thua Thien-Hue Province, said a dragon statue at the park, 20 m tall and 50 m long, would be dismantled after Tet next month.

“The dragon statue at the park is a masterpiece that there may not be another one like it in Vietnam. Dismantling it is regrettable, but it has to be done so the land can be handed over to authorities,” the representative said.

The amusement park, built by the Old Capital Hue Tourism Company in 2001, costs VND70 billion ($2.85 million). It includes an aquarium, water stages and pathways around the lake. The dragon statue is a highlight and has been reported by international newspapers in the past.

The amusement park opened in 2004 and closed down just a few months later due to financial problems.

It has since remained abandoned, but its creepy and desolate image is a cause for curiosity for many foreign tourists.

CNN last year listed Thuy Tien Water Park among the world’s 10 fascinating theme parks that have closed forever.

“Nowadays it’s an unofficial tourist attraction, the decaying dragon, water slides and other features looking more like ruins from a thousand years ago rather than a 21st-century attraction,” CNN said.

In 2008, the Haco Hue Company took over to renovate and upgrade the park, but by 2017 the firm said it was unable to complete it.

Thua Thien-Hue authorities then reclaimed the project and handed it to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment for management. Authorities then renovated the area into a public park for VND20 billion.

Le Nhu Chinh, director of the Hue Green Tree Park Center, said a pedestrian path spanning 2 km in length around the Thuy Tien Park will be built with cement and granite.

Lighting and drainage systems will also be available. However, as remaining assets are still present at the site, the construction unit cannot claim the area and begin the project yet.

By Vo Thanh – VnExpress.net – January 28, 2024