Europe? No, it's Hanoi. Can you believe it?

#Southeast Asia Travel

🇪🇺 Vinhomes Ocean Park 2 – Guide to European-style theme spaces

📍 Location and concept
• **Vinhomes Ocean Park2 ‘The Empire’** is a large-scale water city complex located in Van Giang, Khôi Hưng Province, a suburb of Hanoi .
• It is composed of a European-style city with a mixture of French, Italian, and Mediterranean sensibilities, with a European-style square area consisting of crown-shaped gardens, fountains, arcades, high-end shops and galleries as its core ().

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🌳 Representative space & atmosphere
1. Kingdom Avenue & Light Square (Kingdom Avenue of Light Square)
• A 3.2ha European-style maze-like square. At night, lighting and mapping shows and festivals are held every week
• High-end shops and cafes reminiscent of the Champs-Élysées in Paris, and the facade lighting is superb . 2. Silk Park & Empire Park
• The 2.6km waterside promenade and pond recreate the Venetian and Mediterranean arcade streets.
• The 7.5ha Empire Park is a healing district with a park, fountain, children's play area, and picnic area. .
3. Grand World European Street
• A riverside street with gondolas and colorful European-style buildings.
• A waterfront space with cafes, restaurants, and shopping. .

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🎡 Activities & Experiences
• Enjoy the ‘Italian Waterfront’ while riding a gondola/kayak/pedal boat
• Weekend festival program where you can enjoy night light shows and 3D mapping ()
• Brunch and coffee time at a Parisian cafe/dessert space
• Experience a variety of dishes from Vietnamese to international cuisine at local restaurants and theme spaces

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✅ Usage tips & route suggestions
• Early morning: Take a gondola ride and start a gentle waterfront walk
• Afternoon: Walk through Kingdom Avenue + brunch at a cafe
• Evening~Night: Enjoy the night view after watching the light show at the Plaza de la Light
• Weekend evening: Enjoy live music and the festival atmosphere

🎟 Admission is free for moving around the complex, but some events such as concerts and mapping shows are paid

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📝 Impressions

“When I stand here,
it feels like the night streets of the Champs-Élysées in Paris,
or like walking along the canals of Venice.

When I got off the gondola and walked slowly,
the sound of the fountain under the warm lights and
the colors of the European-style buildings
made me wonder, ‘Is this really Hanoi?’

It was a ‘small but perfect European travel destination’ where the leisure of the day and the fantastic festival of the night coexisted.”