The pedestrian streets of Hanoi's Old Quarter were packed with people on the weekend. I wandered around Hoan Kiem Lake to enjoy the pure morning air after finding a perfect parking space for my scooter before heading to the Old Quarter, where my friends are waiting. The four of us decide to challenge ourselves by playing “Escape room”, a physical adventure game, in lieu of the usual coffee and chit-chat.

At the Trap Vietnam – Real Life Escape Room, we meet game creator Nguyen Hoang Duy, who explains the rules to us: “Escape game is basically, you have to escape from a locked room and you have to try to think outside of the box to find answers and words and numbers to fill in the log, and then you can get out. We have 3 rooms. This room is named Egyptian room, which is for the beginner, like first-time player. The second room is for intermediate, like if you have played several times, you have no difficulty unlocking this room. And the last room is for experts ones."

"You have to be like playing 10 or 20 times to complete it because it’s very hard. There are about 20 games per room. The first room is usually the easiest room,” Duy further explained. 

To escape,  players have to examine everything around, from a small wooden beetle hanging on the wall to the giant Egytian statues all around (Source:The Trap Vietnam's official FB)

At Duy’s suggestion, we decide to accept the challenge of the easiest room, the “Egyptian room”. The goal is simple. You have to get out of the room in time by finding hidden clues and solving puzzles using strategy, creativity, and logic.

The escape process requires you to examine everything around, from a small wooden beetle hanging on the wall to the giant Egytian statues all around. Players are advised to wear comfortable clothing, as there may be a lot of standing, sitting and searching for items on the ground. Don’t hesitate to try even the craziest method to get out. It might be the right way.

Player Lam Nguyen said: “This game model is interesting and unique. In order to beat the game, you and your team must work together to find clues and use your powers of observation and problem solving to escape. But don’t worry. Sometimes, suscess comes automatically. For example, when the door suddenly opens after you unintentionally touch a button on the wall. That’s pretty cool.”

Clues are hidden anywhere and everywhere. To win the games, players have to think creatively and well - collaborate with their teammates (Source: Trap Vietnam's official FB)

The game is suitable for teams of 2 to 8 players. The recommended age for the games is 8 years and older. Each room has a guide, who provides hints. Game master Le Gia Hung said: “The players will try to escape from this room in only 60 minutes. We also have help buttons. If the players need help, they can press the button and we will come to help.” 

Each of the games in the “Escape room” has a different theme that comes with a backstory. The “Egyptian room” is based on a story about a Pharao whose soul was trapped inside a pyramid. The second room, the “Taken room” is based on a story about an undercover agent, who tries to find clues about a human trafficking gang. The third room based on a story about a journalist trying to find why the patients and doctors in a hospital are suddenly disappearing.

Clues are hidden anywhere and everywhere. To win the games, players have to think creatively and well - collaborate with their teammates. As the difficulty of the games increases, players might not solve all challenges the first time.

Andonis Sarmias, an English teacher from South Africa, said: “I thought it was amazing. I thought I was clever until I played this game but I could not figure it out. I think in the first room, probably it took us about 30 minutes to get out of the trap. In the second room, about 50 minutes; and the last one, about 45 minutes. I will be back with friends, definitely.”

Since there are several escape games with different themes and levels of difficulty, players can choose the game experience that best fits their needs (Source: Trap Vietnam's official FB)

No internet-access devices are allowed in the room, because playing the ecape game is a way to push players to think creatively and break out without outside support.

“I spent 1 week designing the room. Nowadays people use smart phones too much. I want them to get rid of the smart phones and play some games that you have to interact with like an actual human, not the slave of a smart phone," Hoang Duy elaborated.

The shop owner is Phan Truong Linh, who noticed that some Vietnamese people are now more interested in physical adventure games than computer games. He created the Trap Vietnam – Real Life Escape Room in 2015 to give young people a new entertainment choice. 

“I had a passion for mental games, puzzles and logical games. I wanted to do something new to make a blast in the game field in Hanoi, so I brought escape games from Hungary to Vietnam, to Hanoi, my hometown. The best escape room of the Trap is the “Egyptian room” which has 100 automated devices in it. All of my customers really like the room. My plan for the future is to expand the Trap to Ho Chi Minh City or Danang,” Linh said.

Since there are several escape games with different themes and levels of difficulty, players can choose the escape game experience that best fits their needs.

Taras Ivanov, a visitor from Russia, said: “That was pretty cool. I really liked it and enjoyed it with my friends. Actually it’s quite an interesting experience. I would suggest my friends to come here next time. Maybe I will try something different if they have another quiz.”

For more information, go to trap.com.vn, or call 0932 232 408. Prices range from 150,000 to 240,000 VND per person per room.