Hoiana Resort Begins $1B Expansion as Vietnam Tests Casino Pilot

Hoi An South Development Ltd confirmed that it is planning to expand the popular Hoiana Resort and Golf casino resort near Hoi An, and the project is estimated to cost over $1 billion. The expansion will add over 1,000 hotel rooms, construct a second golf course, an entertainment complex and more retail options. The coastal resort is a hugely popular destination for tourists, and Phase 2 of the project is set to begin later this year.

Vietnam’s Casino Resort Projects

This is a massive investment for Vietnam, and it is not the only ongoing development in Vietnam’s emerging gambling sector. The Grand Ho Tram is undergoing an expansion, started back in May of 2025, and the Van Don IR in the Quang Ninh Province near Hanoi in the North, was started back in December. On top of these developments, the Vietnamese government launched a 5-year pilot program that will give locals access to the Grand Ho Tram and Van Don casinos. Vietnam is cautiously building on its gambling industry, and with investors on its side, this project may bolster Vietnam’s presence as a gambling destination.

Hoiana Casino Resort Phase 2 – Expansion

Hoiana Resort & Golf is a casino resort that is near Hoi An, in the Da Nang province of Vietnam. It is the only casino resort in that region, other integrated casino resorts are either located near Hanoi in the North or in the Southern region of the country. Da Nang is also a growing tourist hotspot, over 7.5 million tourists visited this region in 2025, marking a 25% increase from 2024. Hoiana is the only casino resort in the middle of the country’s long coast, and it features a golf course, dining options, over 1,200 hotel rooms across four luxury hotels and a private beach.

The casino runs 24/7 and has over 140 gaming tables, featuring blackjack, baccarat, roulette, poker and the Asian classic, Sic Bo. Hoiana also has over 300 slot machines, with all the standard games and progressive jackpots. The casino floor is not going to be extended in this $1 billion expansion, it will revolve around the other amenities. Phase 1 was completed in 2020, and construction on Phase 2 will start this year. It will add beachfront villas, family attractions such as an integrated mall, and a convention center.

Grand Ho Tram Casino Resort – Expansion

In the meantime, the Grand Ho Tram casino resort near Ho Chi Minh City in the South, was originally opened in 2013, and a multi stage buildout expansion started back in May, 2025. While construction is ongoing, the Grand Ho Tram is still hosting players and visitors, and from January, Grand Ho Tram began accepting Vietnamese nationals. It is one of Vietnam’s most well known casino resorts, and the expansion on this casino resort will see more room capacity, added entertainment facilities, and the developers also want to expand the gaming operations.

Van Do IR – New Project

The official groundbreaking ceremony for the Van Don Integrated Casino Resort was held back in the middle of December 2025. This casino resort in the Quang Ninh Province is one of the most ambitious ongoing projects in Vietnam, with an estimated construction cost of $2.16 billion. Run by the Sun Group, this integrated resort aims to bolster the tourism and entertainment potential of Vietnam’s Northern Coast, and it will include retail, leisure, hotels, and gaming facilities to attract visitors.

Like the Grand Ho Tram, Van Don Integrated Casino & Resort has been given the green light by the Vietnamese officials, and it will be part of the 5 year pilot that allows locals to gamble. A partial opening is scheduled for 2032, when the casino should open and admit players. From that point, Van Don can accept Vietnamese nationals into its new casino floor.

Vietnam’s Pilot Scheme for Local Gamers

Vietnam has strict laws against locals playing at landbased casinos, and until 2017 it was completely illegal for foreigners and locals alike. This is quite common for countries in Southeast Asian countries, except for countries like Singapore, the Philippines and Macau (though in mainland China, gambling is completely illegal). These types of laws are made to prevent addiction, preserve social norms, and casinos are only allowed to admit international tourists. You even have the same situation in Monaco casinos – locals are prohibited from gaming.

In 2017 this changed when Vietnam lifted the ban on the Corona Resort & Casino, which is located on the island of Oho Quoc. Vietnam legalized landbased casinos in 2017, allowing 8 casinos to open for foreigners, and the Corona Resort & Casino was given the exclusive rights to allowing both foreigners and locals. Now that is set to change, as in November the Vietnamese goverment issued Resolution No. 307/2025/NQ-CP, which would allow the Grand Ho Tram and the upcoming Van Don casino resorts rights to accept Vietnamese players for a five year pilot program.

Just to be clear – Hoiana Resort & Golf was not included in the resolution, so it will continue to serve foreigners only.

Locals can only enter these casinos if they are 21 years old, and they must have a minimum income threshold, and pay a fee for entering the casinos. The daily fee for entering a casino for locals is 1 million Vietnamese Dong, which converts to under $40. Monthly passes cost 25 million VND (~$950) and Vietnamese locals must earn at least 10 million VND (~$380) per month to be eligible to enter.

Vietnam’s Position in the Asian Gambling Sector

When examining the biggest Asian casinos, Vietnam has a far more modest and controlled market than the likes of Macau, Singapore or the Philippines. These jurisdictions have had landbased casinos longer than Vietnam, but Vietnam is seen as an up and coming gambling tourist destination for gamers. Recent policy shifts that allow for locals to enter the market will also help bolster the industry, albeit in a deliberately controlled environment that helps preserve the social norms and curb addiction.

The Grand Ho Tram, which sits on the Grand Ho Tram Strip, is one of the country’s most established and recognizable casinos, and it is also a lot more readily accessible than the Corona Resort, off Vietnam’s mainland on the Phu Quoc island. With the Van Don resort opening in the future, it will give Northern Vietnamese gamers opportunities to test their luck at local games of chance. For lawmakers, it looks like the perfect way to test the local appetite for games of chance, but without fully opening the casino floors, which may cause an overwhelm and sudden rush to gamble.

While in recent history casinos and games of chance have been strictly forbidden, Vietnam actually has a rich history of games of chance, with popular games like Xoc Dia, and Ba Choi, and dice games like Bau cua ca cop. It is not out of the norm to have cow, pig or crab racing, with proposition wagers.

Local casinos are more likely to serve games of Xoc Dia, Sic Bo, and Asian variants of poker or draw poker, in addition to the Western casino staple games like blackjack, baccarat, roulette, and slots.

What to Expect Next in Vietnam

The slow, yet stable, approach that Vietnam is going for with its gambling expansion is a measured step forward for gamers. It is carefully liberalizing the gambling market, allowing more options for locals to participate in, but without paving the way to a surge of gambling activity. The country has dealt with illegal gambling dens, blocked illegal gambling sites, and battled the black market for years. Now, it seems to have found the middle ground for players, offering a compromise scenario that can be easily monitored and reviewed after the 5 year program expires.

This expansion is more focused on the tourism infrastructure, with most of these casino resort expansions focusing on more hotels, entertainment venues, leisure facilities and even golf courses over expanding the casino floors. It aligns with the country’s broader tourism strategy, and if high rollers do come to Vietnam, they will have options to game. The 5 year pilot program for local gamblers is also not one to bring in the masses. It looks to be a way to allow serious gamers and high rollers to get their kicks, but without swinging the doors wide open to low budget players – those who may be more prone to addiction. In the long run, Vietnam is very far off competing with the likes of the Philippines, Singapoer and Macau. But if this program is successful and Vietnam considers expanding further, it will have the stable foundation it needs to create one of the safest gaming environments for players.