What Are VinPearl Safari & VinWonders Phu Quoc

VinPearl Safari is part safari park, part zoo, and part giraffe-feeding café. VinWonders is a theme park with rides and a giant aquarium. The two parks are located close to each other, so visiting both in one day is totally doable.Of course, this isn’t a Universal Studios-level park, but the combo ticket is also two or three times cheaper — about $80 for both parks. At the same time, it’s the largest theme park in Vietnam and one of the major ones in Asia.Let me say this right away: the place is worth visiting for the mermaid show alone.

Tickets can be purchased on the official website.

How to Get There

Free buses (if you already have a ticket) #17 and #19 go to the parks. They run from the airport and make several stops along the way. The stops are easy to find — they’re located on the main roads: the coastal road closer to the beaches (bus #17), the main highway (bus #19). Just make sure you don’t mix up the buses on the way back so you end up on the right road to your hotel. The buses run frequently.

So you’re on the bus. As you get closer to the park, it will start stopping at several five-star resorts before finally reaching the last stop. The final stop is a large parking area next to GrandWorld, a Venice-style district (more about it here). Immediately, golf cart drivers will approach you offering a ride to the parks — for a fee, of course.

You can accept, or simply wait a bit. Soon enough, free shuttle buses will arrive — one going to VinPearl Safari, the other to VinWonders.

There are also free shuttles running between the two parks.

How to Plan Your Day

The parks open at 9 AM and close at 7 PM. If you plan to visit both in one day — which is absolutely realistic — I recommend arriving right when they open so you can do everything without rushing. Start with VinPearl Safari. In the morning the animals aren’t sleepy from the heat yet, and neither are you. It’s also simply easier to spend time outdoors earlier in the day.

Plan to spend around three hours there. Around lunchtime, head to VinWonders — it has water rides, indoor attractions, and the aquarium, which means plenty of chances to cool off during the afternoon heat.

VinPearl Safari

Once you arrive at the safari park, I recommend heading straight to the safari bus ride and the giraffe feeding area before the lines get long. The giraffe café is located right across from the safari departure area. Check the situation with the lines — you might want to do the safari first. After waiting your turn for the safari bus, get your camera ready. You’ll drive through areas with lions, tigers, rhinos, bears, zebras, giraffes, and antelopes. And yes, everything is as it should be: humans are “in the cage” (the bus), animals are roaming free. The best part of the safari is watching animals calmly walk right up to your window without the slightest fear.

After the safari (or before — your choice), head to the giraffe café. Pro tip: bring some vegetables with you so you don’t have to stand in line to buy food there. Feeding them earlier in the day is also better — the giraffes aren’t full yet and happily come over for treats.

Congratulations — you’ve completed the most important part of the day. You’re amazing. Use the remaining time to walk around the park, watch scheduled animal feedings (there are timetables posted everywhere), or catch one of the animal shows.

If you’re not in the mood for walking, you can buy a ticket for a golf cart shuttle that circles the entire park. Ironically, the longest lines in the whole safari were exactly for those golf carts.

VinWonders

When you arrive at the theme park, it’s a good idea to have lunch right away — there are several restaurants near the entrance. Don’t count on finding food in the middle of the park later. For some mysterious reason, right around lunchtime all the vendors seem to disappear from their stalls.

Also bring a change of clothes — some rides will absolutely soak you.

The park is divided into several themed zones that you can explore at a relaxed pace.

In Typhoon World, you’ll find water rides, including a wave pool and a lazy river.

On European Street, complete with a huge castle, you can dive into a fairytale atmosphere. You can shoot at the Wild West shooting range or ride through Agrabah with Aladdin.

Make sure to walk behind the castle — there’s a ride there called Dragon’s Spell, which is suitable for kids too.

In the Adventure World zone — from the Maya to Ancient Greece — there are several great rides. There’s a roller coaster I didn’t dare to try at first, and when I finally decided to do it… it was closed.

There’s also the psychedelic indoor ride Eagle Warrior inside a Mayan pyramid and Amazon Volcano, which takes you through a volcano and under a waterfall. In Viking World, I liked the water-soaking ride Viking River — again, expect to get wet.

The Mermaid Show at the Aquarium

And now, the real reason we’re here. The park’s aquarium is shaped like a giant sea turtle. During the hottest part of the day, head there — you’ll easily spend at least an hour inside.

The aquarium is huge. Walk through the underwater tunnels and watch giant fish, sharks, jellyfish, penguins, and many other sea creatures. If you want to go fancy, there’s an underwater restaurant overlooking the main tank. From there you can also watch the mermaid show.

The show takes place every few hours, so check the schedule in advance. Before the show, a crowd gathers around the main tank, so try to get there early — or buy a seat in the central area for 300,000 VND (which I did).

After the show, you can exchange the ticket for a free dessert at the restaurant upstairs.

What can I say? The mermaid — and merman (if that’s the right word?) — show really impressed me. If you ever wanted to be a mermaid as a kid, this is for you. It’s beautiful.

You can watch my review here and here.

VinWonders also hosts several other outdoor shows — just check the schedules posted around the park. Don’t miss the evening fountain show near the castle, and especially the ONCE light and fireworks show after dark if you want full Disneyland vibes.

After that show, the park slowly starts closing.

Conclusion

Be prepared — it’s going to be a very full day. You could also combine one of the parks with a trip to Starfish Beach, which is located along the way. Still, if you’ve never been on a safari before and have never seen “mermaids,” try to visit both parks.

It’s worth it.

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