Vietnam’s Sun Group is scheduled to fully open its US$2-billion casino resort at Van Don, in Quang Ninh province, by the second quarter of 2032, according to information included in an environmental impact assessment report, as per a number of local media outlets.
In mid-August, Sun Group said it had been selected by the nation’s authorities as the investor for a resort scheme (pictured in an artist’s rendering) in Van Don, on the country’s northern coast, which will be permitted to have a “high-class casino”.
The casino would “allow Vietnamese citizens to participate [in gaming activities] under a carefully regulated policy,” said the promoter at the time.
The media outlets cited the report as saying the casino would have 214 gaming tables and 2,140 slot machines.
Sun Group said in its August announcement that, aside the casino, the project would “combine leisure, hospitality, and cultural experiences, forming an ecosystem designed to attract both global travellers and Vietnam’s middle- and affluent classes”.
The Van Don project was approved in principle by the country’s prime minister in a decision dated June 27 this year. The concept, however, dates back further. It was included in a 2017 government decree establishing a pilot scheme permitting Vietnamese nationals to gamble at selected casinos; eventually, the Van Don development – which had already been connected at the time in media reports to Sun Group – did not move ahead until now.
According to the approved master plan, the project will cover 244.45 hectares (604.0 acres) inside the Van Don Economic Zone. It will be based “mainly on forest land, with one side facing the sea,” according to the environmental report.
The complex will be developed in three phases, and be fully operational by 2032, reported local media.
Sun Group has said the “Van Don Integrated Casino & Tourism Complex” represents “total investment capital of more than US$2 billion, funded through investor equity, loans, and other mobilised sources”.
It stated that the approved operating term would be “up to 70 years from the date of official investor approval”.
The promoter’s August statement said the complex would also serve as a hub for “international-scale art performances, world-class cultural shows, and vibrant entertainment venues operating around-the-clock”.
