LEDO to Build U.S.-Style Theme Park for Vietnam

Proving that you can lose the war and win the peace, Leisure Entertainment Development & Operations International (LEDO) of Newport Beach has landed a contract to build an American-style mini-theme park and entertainment center in downtown Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

It’s the first phase of a mixed-use development project that will include a shopping center, a public park, a five-star hotel and a 38-story office building, according to LEDO co-owner Thor Degelmann.

The project is a joint venture between Taiwanese investors and the Vietnamese government. The part LEDO is designing is expected to open by summer 1998.

Because the city formerly known as Saigon is so densely packed, the theme park will be constructed on 3.5 acres on the roof of the shopping center as well as 2.5 acres on the ground floor, Degelmann says. It will feature rides, attractions, food and merchandise, while a 160,000-square-foot entertainment center on the fourth floor will include a skating rink, bowling alley, arcade and restaurants.

Degelmann is proposing Hollywood movie theming for the entertainment center in the heart of Communist Vietnam.

“It’s American culture that’s well accepted anywhere,” Degelmann said. “It’s colorful, universal and not political--which should keep me out of trouble.”

Degelmann said the mini-theme park is part of a flurry of entertainment projects being developed throughout Southeast Asia. Rising incomes and shorter work hours have spurred the demand for more leisure pursuits on the continent.

Tokyo Disneyland set the standard, and entertainment giants like Disney continue to scout the region for opportunities. But Degelmann says there is plenty of room for smaller players to bring typically American fun to the masses. He’s currently working on other theme park projects in Bali and South Korea.

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Marla Dickerson covers tourism for The Times. She can be reached at (714) 966-5670 and at marla.dickerson@latimes.com.