Leading international casino builders eye Viet Nam

From WIRE REPORTS

            The Las Vegas Sands Corporation intends to begin work on
a pair of casino hotel and resort complexes in Ha Noi and Sai Gon.

            During the opening ceremony of the Sands Cotai Central in
Macau last week, Sands CEO Sheldon G. Adelson said that Viet Nam was ripe for
integrated casino resorts.

            Adelson said his firm wants to introduce and nurture
event tourism in Viet Nam to bring more business people and high-end visitors
to the country.

            “We only invest in countries that we think are in highest
need of integrated resorts,” Adelson said.

            Adelson said Viet Nam needs a top-notch destination like
the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore or the Venetian in Macau. Vietnam can follow
the operation model employed by Singapore, which strictly regulates casinos, he
added.

            Since the opening of the Las Vegas Sands in 2010,
Singapore, an island nation of 5 million residents, has seen its tourism
arrivals jump from 9 million to 13 million.

            Viet Nam, with its 90 million people, only sees 6.1
million visitors every year, which is too few, according to the American
billionaire.

            The Sai Gon resort will consist of two buildings shaped
like a pair of full sails. His architects are still working on the final design
for their Ha Noi resort.

            “We chose the sails design because the Sai Gon River and
water is an indispensable part” of Sai Gon, Adelson said.