Vietnam breaks ground on first large-scale casino resort in the north

Vietnam’s Sun Group has officially started construction on a US$2bn integrated casino and tourism complex in Quang Ninh’s Van Don Economic Zone, a flagship project set to become northern Vietnam’s first major casino resort city and a new regional gaming hub.

Vietnam has launched construction on its first large-scale casino resort in the north, with local developer Sun Group breaking ground on an integrated casino tourism services complex in the Van Don Economic Zone, Quang Ninh province, on 19 December 2025.

The project, led by Sun Group subsidiary Van Don Sun Joint Stock Company, carries a total investment of around US$2bn and will span roughly 244 hectares on coastal land designated as a special economic zone. Authorities and the developer describe it as a multi-functional “resort city” combining a pilot casino, high-end hotels and villas, retail and dining zones, conference facilities and year-round leisure and entertainment attractions for both domestic and foreign visitors.

Under current plans, the casino component is scheduled to open in 2028, with full completion of the wider complex targeted for the early 2030s, as construction phases roll out in stages. Local officials say the resort is expected to attract high-spending tourists from North-East Asia, create thousands of jobs and anchor Van Don’s long-term transition into a regulated gaming and tourism hub that can compete with destinations such as Macau and Singapore.

The Van Don casino resort forms part of Vietnam’s broader infrastructure and tourism push, which includes hundreds of large projects across the country. For the gambling industry, it represents a key test case for the country’s evolving policy of allowing Vietnamese citizens to gamble on a limited, pilot basis in selected integrated resorts, while maintaining tight central control over licensing and supervision.