Banyan Tree anticipates Vietnam casino licence

Singapore-listed hotel and resort developer Banyan Tree Holdings Ltd expects to be granted a casino licence for Laguna Lang Co beach resort on the central coast of Vietnam.
Nguyen Ngoc Thien, chairman of the committee of the provincial People’s Committee, confirmed in an announcement the province’s support of Banyan Tree’s casino proposal. The developer does not have the official go-ahead to begin preparations for its casino proposal because the National Assembly has yet to ratify the decree.
Banyan Tree will begin establishing the framework of its proposal at the 280-hectare Laguna Lang Co resort, which opened in March last year, once the company receives its licence.
Apart from the casino, the development will give rise to a series of Angsana-branded hotels and spas, convention facilities, private villas, and other amenities, including an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Nick Faldo.
Macau and Vietnam are now linked by two daily flights via Jetstar Pacific Airlines providing 21 flights every week since March 28 between Da Nang and Hanoi, in Vietnam, and Macau.
Vietnam has become increasingly aggressive in licensing casinos in the country in a bid to make the city more attractive to tourists from Asia. The expected approval of Banyan Tree’s proposal will be the latest in a series of them in the coming years. Banyan Tree also has a hotel in Macau at Galaxy in Cotai.