Vietnam has enacted a major shift in its gaming policy by granting permanent access for Vietnamese nationals at the Corona Resort & Casino and authorizing five-year pilot programs for local entry at The Grand Ho Tram Resort and the planned Van Don integrated resort.
The changes were formalized under Resolution No. 307/2025/NQ-CP, issued by the government on November 26th, 2025.
The resolution, which takes immediate effect, represents the country’s most significant expansion of domestic casino access since the initial local-entry pilot launched in 2017.
Under the new framework, Corona Resort & Casino in Phu Quoc Island—previously the only property permitted to admit Vietnamese nationals under the local-entry trial—has been approved to continue welcoming eligible local players without a fixed end date. The decision reinforces Corona’s position as Vietnam’s long-standing testing ground for regulated local participation.
The resolution further authorizes The Grand Ho Tram (Ba Ria–Vung Tau Province) and Van Don (Quang Ninh Province) to accept qualified Vietnamese nationals for a five-year pilot period beginning upon the resolution’s effective date. The scheme supports the government’s broader goal of evaluating the economic benefits, regulatory performance, and social-safeguard measures associated with expanded local-player access.
According to the document, all management and oversight requirements for Vietnamese gamblers must comply with Decree 03/2017, including income thresholds, entry-fee rules, and strict monitoring obligations. Pilot operations at Ho Tram and Van Don will conclude only after authorities conduct a comprehensive assessment and determine whether to continue, expand, or end local access.
Decree 03/2017, which took effect in March 2017, sets two entry-fee options for eligible local players: a daily pass priced at VND1 million ($44 at the time of issuance) for 24 consecutive hours, and a monthly pass priced at VND25 million ($1,100).
Beyond meeting the fee requirement, Vietnamese nationals must be at least 21 years old, have full civil act capacity, and demonstrate a stable monthly income of at least VND10 million ($400) or be subject to grade-3 income tax or higher. They must also not be subject to written objection from their parents, spouse, or siblings.
Earlier this year, industry analyst Tim Nguyen told AGB that following the resumption of the Van Don development, it was “only a matter of time” before controlled local access became a long-term feature at selected resorts.
The Van Don integrated resort is considered a strategically significant project. First approved more than a decade ago, the VND51.5 trillion ($2.16 billion) development is planned for Van Yen commune near Ha Long Bay. Designed to roll out across three phases over nine years, the project aims to serve as a major tourism anchor for northern Vietnam and will operate under a 70-year concession. The inclusion of local-player access is expected to strongly influence investor sentiment and the resort’s long-term commercial viability.
Ho Tram, meanwhile, remains Vietnam’s largest operating integrated resort and the country’s most established gaming destination in the south. Opened in 2013 following an investment of around $500 million, the property is currently undergoing a $1 billion expansion that will increase its capacity to more than 9,000 hotel rooms, alongside new entertainment offerings and expanded gaming facilities.
