Vietnam★ Experience-Based Facility Opens! Toyota and Others Participate

The experiential theme park "Vetopia" grand opened in Ho Chi Minh City this April. It is said to be Southeast Asia's largest indoor amusement facility, with major Japanese companies like Toyota, Canon, Ajinomoto, and Yakult also setting up attractions. The target is to attract 800,000 children aged 4 to 14 annually. This was reported by NNA, which distributes economic information on Asia.

Vetopia is a large-scale facility with a site area of 30,800 square meters and a building area of 22,750 square meters. Construction cost $25 million, and the World Bank participated in financing due to its status as an educational facility. Major foreign and local companies have installed attractions, allowing children to experience 70 different occupations. Among Japanese companies, Toyota introduced a driving simulation facility. Ajinomoto offers cooking classes using its products, while Yakult opened a microbiology laboratory. Canon Marketing Vietnam President Yoshida Norimichi, who opened a photo studio facility (pictured), explained the significance of their participation: "We hope children will discover the joy of taking photos not just with mobile phones, but with cameras too."

"Being impressed by KidZania was the catalyst," said Nguyen Quoc Anh, CEO of Him Lam BIC, which operates Vetopia. He has lived in Japan for many years. He explained the aim of opening Vetopia: "Vietnam's lifestyle is changing rapidly. Education is extremely important, and we want this facility to provide children with opportunities to gain social experience."

Reflecting Vietnam's large child population and economic growth, new play facilities continue to open, but sustaining visitor numbers is no easy task. For Vetopia, admission is 90,000 dong (about 430 yen) for adults, and 190,000 dong for children on weekdays, rising to 280,000 dong on weekends and holidays. Considering visits by families, this is not cheap for the average household. However, the company plans to expand into the "AEON Mall Long Bien" scheduled to open in Hanoi next year, signaling an aggressive strategy.