Developer joins Vietnam’s casino race with plans for $2B resort

A billionaire-backed real estate company, FLC Group Joint-stock Co., wants to cash in on Vietnam’s three-year casino pilot program.

In a statement to Bloomberg, FLC Group confirmed that the government of Quang Vinh gave the greenlight to its unit, FLC Faros Van Don, to build a $2 billion casino resort in the Van Don Special Economic Zone located on the islands of Ngoc Vung and Van Canh. The developer plans to build a five-star hotel, a convention center and a golf course on 4,000 hectares of land, which it hopes will attract not just tourists but also domestic gamblers, according to the news outlet.

FLC Group is co-founded by billionaire lawyer Trinh Van Quyet and operates in commerce and services, the company said on its website.

The government of Vietnam announced early this year that it would allow citizens over 21 years old to play in local casinos from mid-March as long as they have a monthly income of at least VND10 million (USD445). Under the three-year pilot program, local residents will be allowed to gamble at two select casinos—one in Quang Ninh province and the other on Phu Quoc island.