Over the summer holidays we did a family trip to Danang, Vietnam. Prior to visiting, we did a lot of research on places to visit and that would be of interest to kids: Marble Mountains, Asia Park, Hoi An, Monkey Mountain and a few other things. However there was one kids’ location that surprisingly did not come up anywhere in my online research – the “Helio Center”, hence why I am writing a full article just on this place.
Now the Helio Center is not a “must see” Vietnam attraction, but if you have some free time (or if it is a rainy day) and you are not sure where to go with the kids on your Danang / Hoi An holiday, this is the place for you! Kids of all ages (including adults who love gaming) are sure to be entertained.
Let me give you an overview of what the Helio Center is all about…
The Helio Center is a huge indoor arcade with rides, bowling alley, indoor ice-skating, play gym, cooking classes and much more. It is located right next to Asia Park and might be missed if you aren’t looking for it but it is definitely worth checking out if you have kids ages 3 and up. There are lots of different activities for the kids to do. Great for a rainy day or even an afternoon activity after hanging at the beach.
Useful Information:
Location: Helio Center is located about a block away from Asia Park in Danang, Vietnam and is a short 3-5 minute walk from the entrance of Asia Park. Approximately 10 mins in a taxi from the Hyatt Regency, Crown Plaza & Melia hotels. Approximately 35 mins in a taxi from Hoi An.
Super Note: We went to the Helio Center the same day as Asia Park. We also went the following morning before we caught our flight back to Singapore. We were there for approximately 2 hours each time, although the kids could have easily much stayed longer and still been entertained.
Hours: 10am to 10pm
Size: The place is huge! It was very empty when we went (both a morning and afternoon on weekday) and was not crowded on either day. Your kids can easily spend 2+ hours here without getting bored.
Admission Cost: It is FREE to enter. You pay per game or activity and put money onto a cash card. For example the indoor play area was US$1 for the entire day. Bowling is US$1 per game. Each arcade game is approximately US$.25. You can get a full refund for any unused money that still remains on your card.
Prizes & Tickets: Certain games allow you to collect tickets which you can redeem at the store for a prize at the end.
Here are some pictures of what to expect at the Helio Center –
Arcade Games
Shooting Games
Ride-Along Games
The Rides
Bowling Alley
Indoor Ice-Skating
Kids Indoor Play Gym
Baby/Toddler Indoor Play Gym
Food & Drinks at the Helio Center
There is a small bakery and some snack stalls inside the Helio Center. There are no restaurants or fast food places in the walking vicinity (or at least that is what they told us when we asked).
SuperMommy’s Opinion:
The kids absolutely loved the Helio Center. The place is massive with tons of things to do. My boys could have easily spent half a day there without getting bored. The place is very clean and with a lot of helpful staff that speak English (at least good enough to communicate with me). The place was not crowded and had a lot of benches and places for the adults to sit and watch the kids. The Helio Center also has free wifi (just in case you didn’t purchase a US$5 Vietnam sim card at the airport – what a total deal)!! In comparison to other countries like Singapore, USA, UK and Australia, the activities and games at the Helio Center are very cost effective. This was a very relaxing and fun outing for both the adults and kids (even I started playing some games after awhile). Definitely worth checking out if you have some time to spare on your holiday.
Happy & Safe Travels.
-xoxo-
SuperMommy
