Okay, okay. This one is a bit longer. Maybe I should have added a part 3 but it's not easy making these decisions. You tell me. Longer or shorter segments?
@blake-go I had to look it up, as it was 20 years ago. Gondola rides at The Venetian cost$34 per person Monday - Thursday and$39 per person Friday - Sun. Plus tip. I know that's not what we paid way back when.
@@askssk715 Wow. Okay. Seems pretty similar to what they were charging but in the US that rate seems a bit more relatable to other costs. ~$41 was the rate they were charging per person for the Gondola ride when we were there. I don't remember if is was a weekday or weekend though. Either way, that's a lot of money in Vietnam. Our beachfront hotel was around that rate/night with a scooter included. Lol.
This part of Phu Quoc is NOT a place for the kind of tourism in which people seek genuine discoveries and mysterious wonders. This is an amusement park designed to give people, especially a family with small children a great time together on a getaway. The value isn't for people to see all those fake facades of Roman remnants, fake Amalfi coast - Naples, Venice, or Serengeti, or lost Maya empire, or even Egypt (in Hon Thom theme park). The real value is for a family to spend quality time together in a 5-star tropical resort to get away from the dread of winter. Nothing is more precious than the memory of having fun together with children, family, friends; and all those water parks, theme parks, amusement arcades are just venues for people to bond. Investors of this Phu Quoc project aimed for winter escapists from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, and additionally, North America and EU, although a bit too far for the latter two. International tourists can fly in visa-free and spend 1-2 weeks completely insulated in a posh resort without experiencing the less savory sides of a developing Vietnam. This will not compete with the Caribbean, Maldives, Fiji, Bora Bora, or even Phuket or Bali, but simply offer a more economical children-friendly/educational alternative for family vacations. The various theme/amusement parks from safari to aquarium to world-culture/civilization exhibits have a strong educational aspect to inspire young children, who learn better about nature and human history through direct physical experience and fun as opposed to gluing to Tiktok. Children are not discriminating whether things are real or replicas. A Mayan pyramid model can instill a sense of wonder in a child, who might dream of being an Indiana Jones when grown-up searching for a secret Mayan necropolis in the Guatemala jungles. Stimulating the mind, infusing a sense of wonder are the best gifts that parents can give to their children. But Covid-19 was the wild card that threw them off 2020-2023, and now they have to survive the bleeding for a few years while building up its market. A disadvantage of Vietnam is that nobody heard of Vietnam for upscale family tourism. Numerous young single, curious, adventurous backpackers, digital nomads would go to Vietnam to immerse in its poverty as a form of "slumming fun". A North American family can easily spend $10 K on vacation in the Caribbean, Mexico, Costa Rica, etc., or as far as Phuket or Bali, but not Vietnam, as they would conjure the images of roach-infested hotels without modern toilets. In one market research survey, nobody (Americans and Europeans) answered correctly that the world-class 6-star Amanoi resort was in Vietnam (they were shown the video, and none could believe it was in Vietnam; all guessed elsewhere). So, it will require several years of successful marketing for the investors to recuperate the money. It is cheap now because essentially it is subsidized to build up the market.
Wow, I did not know Vietnam had a 6-star resort. Thanks for the info. We're currently living here so staying at a resort the whole time does not make sense for our family but, yes, if you are only here for vacation then booking a 4+ star resort may be a good idea...Really just depends on your preferences and expectations. Vietnam is beautiful either way.
Not rated high. You will definitely see rats in public places and at restaurants. I also typically bring toilet paper with me for my wife and daughter since it's about a 50/50 chance that there will be toilet paper available in the restrooms. Littering is also a common norm. It's not terrible though.
Another great video. You all are full of adventure. Only gondola I've been on is in Las Vegas. 😂
Thanks Amy. Do you remember how much a gondola ride in Vegas is?
@blake-go I had to look it up, as it was 20 years ago. Gondola rides at The Venetian cost$34 per person Monday - Thursday and$39 per person Friday - Sun. Plus tip. I know that's not what we paid way back when.
@@askssk715 Wow. Okay. Seems pretty similar to what they were charging but in the US that rate seems a bit more relatable to other costs. ~$41 was the rate they were charging per person for the Gondola ride when we were there. I don't remember if is was a weekday or weekend though. Either way, that's a lot of money in Vietnam. Our beachfront hotel was around that rate/night with a scooter included. Lol.
@blake-go Wow, amazing! Well, America is overpriced for everything. It's kind of insane.
This part of Phu Quoc is NOT a place for the kind of tourism in which people seek genuine discoveries and mysterious wonders. This is an amusement park designed to give people, especially a family with small children a great time together on a getaway. The value isn't for people to see all those fake facades of Roman remnants, fake Amalfi coast - Naples, Venice, or Serengeti, or lost Maya empire, or even Egypt (in Hon Thom theme park). The real value is for a family to spend quality time together in a 5-star tropical resort to get away from the dread of winter. Nothing is more precious than the memory of having fun together with children, family, friends; and all those water parks, theme parks, amusement arcades are just venues for people to bond.
Investors of this Phu Quoc project aimed for winter escapists from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, and additionally, North America and EU, although a bit too far for the latter two. International tourists can fly in visa-free and spend 1-2 weeks completely insulated in a posh resort without experiencing the less savory sides of a developing Vietnam. This will not compete with the Caribbean, Maldives, Fiji, Bora Bora, or even Phuket or Bali, but simply offer a more economical children-friendly/educational alternative for family vacations.
The various theme/amusement parks from safari to aquarium to world-culture/civilization exhibits have a strong educational aspect to inspire young children, who learn better about nature and human history through direct physical experience and fun as opposed to gluing to Tiktok. Children are not discriminating whether things are real or replicas. A Mayan pyramid model can instill a sense of wonder in a child, who might dream of being an Indiana Jones when grown-up searching for a secret Mayan necropolis in the Guatemala jungles. Stimulating the mind, infusing a sense of wonder are the best gifts that parents can give to their children.
But Covid-19 was the wild card that threw them off 2020-2023, and now they have to survive the bleeding for a few years while building up its market. A disadvantage of Vietnam is that nobody heard of Vietnam for upscale family tourism. Numerous young single, curious, adventurous backpackers, digital nomads would go to Vietnam to immerse in its poverty as a form of "slumming fun". A North American family can easily spend $10 K on vacation in the Caribbean, Mexico, Costa Rica, etc., or as far as Phuket or Bali, but not Vietnam, as they would conjure the images of roach-infested hotels without modern toilets. In one market research survey, nobody (Americans and Europeans) answered correctly that the world-class 6-star Amanoi resort was in Vietnam (they were shown the video, and none could believe it was in Vietnam; all guessed elsewhere). So, it will require several years of successful marketing for the investors to recuperate the money. It is cheap now because essentially it is subsidized to build up the market.
Wow, I did not know Vietnam had a 6-star resort. Thanks for the info. We're currently living here so staying at a resort the whole time does not make sense for our family but, yes, if you are only here for vacation then booking a 4+ star resort may be a good idea...Really just depends on your preferences and expectations. Vietnam is beautiful either way.
How is the cleanliness ans hygiene in Vietnam?
Not rated high. You will definitely see rats in public places and at restaurants. I also typically bring toilet paper with me for my wife and daughter since it's about a 50/50 chance that there will be toilet paper available in the restrooms. Littering is also a common norm. It's not terrible though.
stay in 4-star and above and you are as good as anywhere.