In late November 2019, a 5-star resort in the Central city of Da Nang held a million-dollar wedding ceremony for the daughter of an Indian billionaire, serving well over 700 guests.
Earlier, in March 1919, the wedding of another Indian billionaire took place in Phu Quoc Island in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang, attracting the attention of both Vietnamese and Indian media, with hundreds of guests, waiters, and performers from 10 countries. Food for the reception was delivered by specialized aircrafts from India.
The person helped make this possible by promoting wedding services to Indian billionaires and millionaires is the Vietnamese Ambassador in India, Mr. Pham Sanh Chau. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs of Da Nang City, several deep-pocketed Indians are also considering Da Nang for their wedding in 2020.
Foreign tourists visiting Ha Long Bay (Quang Ninh) at the beginning 2020
Regarding strategies to attract visitors who are willing to spend big money, mainly international millionaires and billionaires, leaders of Da Nang City and Phu Quoc Island District aimed towards potential guests from India and Muslim countries.
Meanwhile, other district-level agencies also focus on MICE tourism, and develop diverse forms of entertainment and traveling like golf, helicopter, yachts, etc. for potential guests. The tourism sector has been cooperating with travel businesses and professional event organizers to advertise their services to visitors.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Khanh, Vice President of Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association, emphasized that the tourism sector should have specific strategies targeting wealthy guests. It is known that a large number of customers from the Middle East and Arab prefer going to Thailand, because Vietnamese market have yet to meet stringent requirements on food and hospitality for high-class guests.
Ambassador Pham Sanh Chau stressed said that the influx of Indian big spenders demands complete privacy and do not want the media to disclose their family’s wedding information. The director of a 5-star hotel in HCMC added that strict regulations on privacy are always in their hotel handbook and violations will be severely punished.
According to Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association Nguyen Huu Tho, the top tourist destinations for affluent Indians looking to have wedding receptions are world-class resorts with clear touristic advantages.
There are several locations in Vietnam that can provide such services, for example JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort at Kem Beach in Phu Quoc Island, and Sheraton Grand Da Nang Hotel Resort in Da Nang, with a 250m long swimming pool and a take-off area for helicopters.
Four Seasons Group, a tourism company, is introducing a 21-day tour called Remote Wonders 2021, expected to depart by the end of December 2021, costing about US$191,000 per person, departing from Dubai (UAE) on the A321neo jet through Hoi An (Vietnam), Cambodia, Thailand, Seychelles, Tanzania, Rwanda, then return to Dubai.
