A new multibillion-dollar international airport now under construction in Long Thanh, Vietnam will cut travel time in half for people heading to the Grand Ho Tram Strip casino near Ho Chi Minh City. The airport is expected to be complete in 2025.
Walt Power, chief executive of the venue, told GGRAsia, “The drive time from the current airport is about 2.5 hours,” and the new airport is “less than one hour” by road from Ho Tram.
The new airport would make Grand Ho Tram more competitive with the Hoiana casino resort in Da Nang and the Corona Resort and Casino on the island of Phu Quoc, both of which are “about 40 minutes” from their respective nearest airports, said Power. “It puts us in the ballpark” in terms of access and ease of travel, he said.
“In my opinion location, accessibility, are the most important things regarding competitive advantages,” he added.
He described Grand Ho Tram Strip as “a true integrated resort.”
“It’s not only about casinos at Ho Tram. It’s about the beach, it’s about the hotel rooms, the restaurants, the golf course, the bowling alley, the movie theaters: it’s about the other activities we have at the property,” he said. The complex recently added two global hotel brands—InterContinental and Holiday Inn—to its accommodations.
GGRAsia reported that Vietnam’s casinos could be competing for high rollers from outside China, including South Korea, as Macau phases out its VIP segment. Power noted, “We have multiple junkets,” or international tour operators (ITOs), he said. “We have two Korean junkets working with us.”
That said, Power said the casino’s customer base is “mostly mass and premium mass.” He added, “We treat all customers” with the same care. “We want everyone to have a great time. We recently upgraded part of our slot machine floor at Ho Tram, and we have seen a tremendous acceptance of those new machines.”
He acknowledged that the foreigners-only property would like to join Vietnam’s pilot program to test the efficacy of locals gaming.
“We are certainly in discussions with the government, and if they do decide to expand it—for whatever reason—we are more than happy to join that pilot program, and we have communicated that to them.”
