Da Lat in Vietnam Plans to Build a Casino to Boost the Nighttime Economy

The tourist city of Da Lat in Lam Dong Province in Vietnam's Central Highlands plans to create a new night market and open a casino, city officials said during the publication of the night economic development plan.

 

Based on the plan that the local authorities submitted to the Lam Dong regional government recently for approval, the city has selected 16 potential areas for infrastructure that will be its night economy for the period 2023-30. The new facility will include a modern night market that represents the current night market in the city center and the casino in Thung Lung Tinh Yeu (Valley of Love), a famous place, local authorities said last week.

 

The new night market will be located at Anh Sang (Light) Park on Nguyen Van Cu Street in the downtown area, about 100 meters from the night market on Nguyen Thi Minh 바카라사이트 Khai Street. The market will have souvenir shops, typical Da Lat products, street food, and facilities for culture and entertainment, including paintings, sculptures, magic shows, and dancing.

 

Meanwhile, the proposed casino, which will be the first of its kind in Da Lat, is set to open in Thung Lung Tinh Yeu as part of a park that runs through the valley and mountains of Mong Mo and Thong Nhat. Apart from the casino, whose operating schedule has not been announced, the complex will include restaurants, shops and other entertainment facilities.

 

If approved by local authorities, Thanh Thanh Cong Lam Dong Tourism JSC will operate the complex, based in Da Lat, they said. Vietnam's Ministry of Finance supports proposals by Da Nang City and Khanh Hoa Province to license two new casinos exclusively for foreigners.

 

Potential casinos would be built in Da Nang city's entertainment and resort complex, Sun World Ba Na Hills, and on Hon Tre Island in Khanh Hoa province. Both sites have great tourism potential and attract foreign visitors.

 

Da Nang does not yet have a large casino, while Khanh Hoa has received approval to build a casino and theme park in KN Paradise and Cam Ranh, and it is under construction. But the ministry refused to support plans to build a casino through the central Binh Thuan area, citing its low tourism potential and pointing to its lack of a port or airport.

 

The ministry proposed extending the pilot program allowing Vietnamese people to gamble in Phu Quoc casinos until 2024. With gambling considered a "public evil" in Vietnam, locals have been allowed to enter casinos since late 2018 under a trial program initially expected to last three years.

 

But the Finance Ministry is now looking to extend it since the Covid-19 pandemic has devastated casinos in the past two years.