The US$1 billion Phase 2 expansion of integrated resort Hoiana, located outside the historic city of Hoi An in Central Vietnam, will include the addition of over 1,000 five-star hotel rooms, 198 beachfront villas and a convention center, according to information from developer Hoi An South Development Co Ltd.
It will also boast a family-oriented retail and entertainment zone, plus a second golf course linked to a professional training academy issuing international certifications – further playing into the rising phenomenon of golf tourism.
The update on Hoiana’s Phase 2 development was provided by Nguyen Vinh Tran, the CEO of Hoi An South Development, at a business forum in Da Nang late last week and reported by local media outlet The Investor.
Hoiana’s plans to accelerate its Phase 2 expansion were revealed by IAG last February following a change of control that saw former Resorts World Sentosa and NUSTAR executive Alan Teo appointed CEO. Hoi An South explained at the time that Teo’s appointment formed part of its key development strategy aimed at building out Hoiana’s offerings.
The Phase 2 development is set to span 209 hectares.
According to the latest comments by Tran, the planned convention center will accommodate up to 2,500 people, while the retail and entertainment facility will comprise Vietnam’s first outlet mall to be combined with a duty-free shopping center.
This, Tran explained, supports the area’s goal of becoming a regional hub for events, sports, shopping and high-end resort tourism.
Phase 1 of Hoiana, opened in 2020, includes around 1,200 hotel rooms, an 18-hole international standard golf course and a foreigner-only casino with 140 gaming tables and over 270 slots.
In comments to IAG at the IAG Academy Summit in September, Teo explained that while Hoiana has not yet been granted permission to welcome local players – unlike fellow Vietnam resort The Grand Ho Tram – the property has enjoyed some success by focusing on its own unique offerings.
“I think when Hoiana first opened during COVID times, the focus was casino first, then the destination, but we have changed our focus to market the destination first, then the casino for foreigners,” Teo explained.
“There are three factors that are very important for success for foreigner-only casinos. One is the purpose of visit, so the destination must be able to create that purpose of visit for people to want to fly to that country and make their way to their destination. Two is ease of travel. How easy is it for someone to book a flight and to travel from the airport to their destination? And three is safety – whether your country is safe to travel in. So, what Hoiana did is we refocused on anchoring around these three key factors.
“For example, we leverage on having one of the world’s top 100 golf courses as a reason for people to come; we are only 45 minutes from the airport; and, Vietnam being Vietnam, it’s a very safe country to be in.”