Snow Town, an indoor playground with artificial snow located in CBS Premium Homes in HCM City’s District 2, opened last week, attracting hundreds of families wanting to cool off during hot summer days. VNS Photo An Phương

By An Phương

Snow Town, the largest facility of its kind in Southeast Asia, has already attracted hundreds of visitors since its opening last week in HCM City.

The indoor playground with artificial snow, covering 4,000 square metres, is located in CBS Premium Home’s third and fourth floors on Đồng Văn Cống Street in District 2.

Most of the visitors have been children aged six to 14, according to Sa, a Snow Town employee.

“At one time, we welcomed 400-500 visitors at once,” she added.

Besides skiing and making snow sculptures indoors, multiple activities are offered outdoors, including taking entrance photographs, playing 3D virtual games, painting clay statues, and making Do-It-Yourself phone cases.

“The settings in Snow Town remind me of the ArtScience Museum in Singapore, where every booth is compact yet conveniently next to each other. It’s enjoyable browsing the venue,” Ngọc Tâm, a visitor, said.

Tickets to enter the snow hall are VNĐ90,000 – VND200,000 (US$4 - 9) per person, depending on age. A two-hour private skiing or snowboarding lesson can be booked for VNĐ200,000 (US$9) per person.

“Though it’s reasonably priced, I think many people may not want to pay for a lesson since the total fee would be around VNĐ300,000 (US$13). Imagine how much it would cost for a family of three to four members,” Sa said.

The snow hall, which is designed like a quaint ski village, is kept at a refreshing 15 to 16 degrees Celsius, so it never really gets cold, though it’s a huge difference from the tropical temperatures of HCM City.

“I thought it would be freezing like Băng Đăng in Đầm Sen Amusement Park in District 11, so I packed some warm clothes for my daughter. Though I was wrong, she needs winter gear to avoid getting sick. Snow is ice, by the way!” Tâm said.

Each visitor receives a jacket, boots and, most excitedly, a toboggan.

Everyone seems to enjoy the sledding sessions when visiting Snow Town. Since the slope is only moderately high, most parents feel safe letting their kids slide down by themselves.

“I’ve never seen snow before. Climbing up the snow hill and then sliding down is the most awesome experience! Oh, and I love when snow flakes fall from the roof. It makes me feel as if I’m in a mini winter wonderland!” Tâm’s son, Duy Bảo, said.

Snow Town has merchandise booths inside the snow hall, which sell items like woolen gloves, socks and ear muffs, and toys that help enhance children’s playing experiences.

Goods are offered at slightly higher-than-market prices ranging from VNĐ50,000 to 150,000 (US$2 - 6.6), but they’re worth the fun, according to Tâm.

Skiing and snowboarding lessons have yet to begin, so customers cannot rent the advanced gear. However, staff said these services would be available in one to two months.

With such activities, Snow Town is expected to be attractive to teenagers and adults.

“Though my family enjoyed our time here, we wouldn’t recommend visiting Snow Town during weekends since the huge crowd makes it difficult to do anything, even taking photographs. It would be best on Monday or Tuesday nights,” Tâm said.

Another concern is that Snow Town is located 25-30 minutes away from the city centre. It can take up to 40-50 minutes for visitors to get there during peak traffic hours.

However, city residents will not want to miss this unique winter experience, the only one of its kind in the country.

Snow Town, developed by the Phước Thành Construction Company, is open year-round. – VNS