Legacy Entertainment, a leading theme park and resort design company, is celebrating the opening of The Sea Shell, the biggest and most technologically advanced aquarium in Vietnam. The new attraction is located within Phu Quoc Island’s popular VinWonders theme park and it opened to the public on 26 April 2022.
The Sea Shell, which was designed by Legacy Entertainment, covers an area of almost 300,000 square feet and features an iconic domed design that takes inspiration from the turtle, an important animal in the country’s culture. Being a cutting-edge aquarium, it will serve to raise the standard for all zoo and aquarium attractions in the region, both in terms of animal care and the guest experience.
A new era for aquariums in the region
Hollywood-based Legacy Entertainment has worked on a number of world-renowned zoo and aquarium projects. The company collaborated with operator Vinpearl to bring The Sea Shell to life.
“The opening of The Sea Shell signifies a new era for aquarium attractions in southeast Asia,” says Eric Carnagey, Legacy’s managing director and one of the firm’s owners. “With richly-immersive environments, oversized habitats, and cutting-edge Life Support Systems, every element of this new facility has been realized at a world-class level.
“Vietnam is emerging as one of the most exciting markets for Location Based Entertainment in the entire world, and we at Legacy currently have several active projects within that country. Developers like Vinpearl are giving our dreamers and designers bold opportunities the likes of which don’t come along very often. Where else in the world could you build a stadium-sized turtle?”
Helping tourism recover
Tourism is very important to the economy in Vietnam. According to Statista, tourism accounted for 9% of the country’s GDP and contributed almost $12 billion to the economy, before the global pandemic occurred. Now, with borders reopening across the region and international visitors travelling to Vietnam once more, the new aquarium will play a key role in rebuilding Vietnam’s tourist sector.
VinWonders is Vietnam’s largest theme park chain, providing quality entertainment, cultural experiences, nature discoveries, festivals and more. VinWonders Phu Quoc opened in 2020 and is home to rides and attractions from leading suppliers, such as Intamin, WhiteWater and Zamperla.
Legacy Entertainment also designed the colourful new Lotte World Adventure Busan in South Korea, which has regularly been sold out since opening.
