Day Sixteen - 06/12/25
The Wildest Day Yet at Vinpearl Safari.
We were up a little earlier than usual so we could squeeze in our morning exercise, grab breakfast, and sort out the mountain of dirty clothes we’d somehow accumulated. Another 660,000 VND later and 11 kilos of washing were off our hands. Clean clothes pending… a big win.
By 9 a.m. our Grab driver rolled in early, but that worked in our favour. Sunscreen on, bags packed, and hunting for a t-shirt for Emmett (the kid goes through shirts like it’s his job), we piled into our ride, which was a Vinfast. I’d never been in one before, but they’re everywhere here. Smooth, quiet, fully electric, and honestly… pretty slick.
Our driver, Kent, pulled over on the way so we could buy discounted tickets from a vendor outside the park, saving us the queue. Smart man. At the entrance, the place felt huge. A whole mini-city of shops and stalls, including a Starbucks that called our names instantly. The first decent coffee we’d had in a while. Bliss.
With tickets in hand, we breezed in and landed at an amphitheatre just as a show was starting. A super-enthusiastic host was shouting into the mic so loudly it felt like we’d walked onto a game show. We had no idea what was happening. Until birds started flying in from everywhere. Parrots, falcons, flamingos, geese, ostriches… a full bird army marching out to finish the show. The kids loved it, especially getting photos with flamingos afterwards.
Next stop was the kids’ zoo where goats, baby goats, donkeys, and sheep all came in for cuddles. Some other visitors weren’t exactly gentle, which made us cringe, but our two were in their element. Maddie got her finger cheekily nipped by a young ostrich while trying to wash her hands. Made for a great video, once we knew she was fine.
From there we wandered into the primate section: monkeys, chimpanzees, orangutans, all swinging, climbing, lounging, and blatantly begging for food despite the very clear “do not feed” signs. People still threw fruit in anyway.
And then it kept going: gazelles, lions, leopards, elephants, camels, hippos, warthogs, crocodiles, sea otters… I’ve never seen so many species in one place. You could feed and pat some of them too, such as lemurs, camels, and these strange sloth-dog-looking creatures that had coarse horse-hair coats and very concerning teeth. I stayed clear of the mouths.
The only downside of the day: we missed the safari bus by five minutes. The final departure was 3:20 p.m. and we arrived at 3:25. No exceptions. Emmett was heartbroken. To be fair, we’d walked more than 10,000 steps by that point and he was cooked.
We made up for it at the Giraffe Café where you can feed giraffes from the deck. Maddie even got to pat one, which she absolutely loved.
On the way back we wandered through the giant aviary, which had waterfalls, high walkways, ponds, birds everywhere. Honestly, the entire place blew us away. It has to be one of the biggest, most diverse wildlife parks in the world. And surprisingly affordable.
Ice cream at the exit sealed the deal. Kent’s friend picked us up for the drive home, and by the time we reached the resort around 5 p.m., the kids were straight into the pool. I got the drone out and grabbed some sunset shots over the resort before jumping in myself for a swim with Emmett.
Dinner was our last one at Bambusa. Pasta for Kia, Maddie and me, and fish and chips for Emmett. Delicious, simple, perfect.
Bambusa has been incredible. The staff are so friendly, great food, good prices, and a short scooter ride to On Lang Beach. We’d recommend it to anyone.
I’m recording this on Sunday morning, our final few hours here before heading off to Le Forest Resort for our first World School Hub. The kids are buzzing at the idea of meeting more kids and having more activities. We’re excited too.
Here’s to the next chapter.
Onwards and upwards. Let’s see what the run into Christmas brings.