Vietnam’s Grand Ho Tram casino opens to locals

The Grand Ho Tram casino in Vietnam has now opened to locals, marking another casino welcoming eligible Vietnamese gamblers as part of an effort to modernise the country’s tourism industry.

Vietnamese gamblers are now able to play at the casino resort in the Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Province, and the integrated resort has now become part of an expanded five-year trial of locals gaming in the country.

In December 2025, Grand Ho Tram had announced that it would permit “eligible Vietnamese citizens” to play “under strict supervision” on the resort’s 5,000-square-metre gaming floor. It had stated that entrants are required to be at least 21-years-old in addition to demonstrating that they maintain a monthly income of at least VND10 million, which is equal to around US$380. Additionally, such gamblers may only make use of Vietnamese currency to gamble, and must also reconvert remaining chips at the end of a session.

The Grand Ho Tram casino reportedly has around 90 table games available, along with 500 electronic gaming machines. It had initially opened as a casino resort for foreigners in 2013, with the initial development cost having stood at around US$500 million.

Historically, Vietnam has limited casino gaming to foreigners and Vietnamese nationals who hold foreign passports. In 2016, the Politburo made its first move towards liberalisation when it approved a three-year pilot which allowed locals to gamble at two casinos, those being the Corona casino in Kien Giang Province, and the Van Don casino in Quang Ninh Province. 

However, Covid-19 had interrupted this test run, resulting in the Corona casino closing a year after it opened. Following this, the Ministry of Finance later requested a two-year extension of the programme through to 2024. In November 2025, lawmakers passed Resolution No 307/2025/NQ-CP, which granted locals permanent access to the Corona casino.

The Van Don casino project

The Van Don casino, which is a project of the Sun Group, currently remains under development, with completion of the project expected for mid-2032. The casino is expected to include 214 casino tables and 2,140 slot machines, with its five-year licence commencing upon the casino’s opening.

Based on the approved master plan for the Van Don casino project, it is expected to cover an area of 244.45 hectares within the Van Don Economic Zone. The Sun Group stated that this project is envisioned as a “mega integrated resort and entertainment complex of international scale for Vietnamese citizens”. It continued that the complex will integrate multiple functions, including luxury casino operations, high-end hotels and resorts, shopping and commercial centres, convention and exhibition halls, as well as premium wellness, health care, and entertainment services, along with sports facilities.

Nguyen Quang Huy, the Chairman of Sun Group Northern Region, stated that Sun Group believes that this project will make significant contributions to Quang Ninh’s economy, and added that it will drive the Van Don Economic Zone forward “to become a new benchmark of tourism and entertainment in Vietnam”.

Vietnam’s expanded five-year pilot program

The Grand Ho Tram was included as part of the Vietnamese government’s expanded five-year pilot program allowing eligible Vietnamese citizens to participate in regulated gaming activities under strict supervision. The Grand Ho Tram had described this initiative as one which supports Vietnam’s responsible tourism vision, and added that it marked an important step in the government’s ongoing efforts to modernise the tourism sector and strengthen regulatory oversight over gaming activities, while in turn also promoting economic growth and responsible entertainment.

It had continued that under the pilot framework, Grand Ho Tram would operate under strict government supervision and in turn implement comprehensive safeguards, ensuring safe and transparent participation. Such safeguards included government-mandated entry controls, responsible gaming programs, as well as social protection measures which aligned with responsible entertainment principles.

The Grand Ho Tram called the pilot “an important step in the government’s ongoing efforts to modernise the tourism sector … while promoting economic growth”. Grand Ho Tram CEO Walt Power stated that the resort is “honoured to contribute in a small way to the government of Vietnam’s vision for sustainable economic prosperity through a responsible managed entertainment and tourism sector”.

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