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SPECIAL REPORT: Vietnam www.travelweeklyweb.com A defi nite tourism juggernaut in Asia in the next decade Six Senses Nha Trang. By James Chen Ho Chi Minh City, a city in Vietnam which draws much nostalgia. The epicenter of the Vietnam war, it was formerly affectionately known as Saigon. The city now is in a state of rapid development in the tourism and hospitality industry. But so too are virtually the rest of Vietnam, as the entire country seeks to move towards positioning itself as one of the tourist destinations not only in Southeast Asia, but Asia as a whole. Proliferation of major hospitality brands into Vietnam The rate of tour i sm deve- lopment in Vietnam is growing at a phenomenal rate. There are hotels and resorts sprouting all over the country. The Accor group is the latest in the line of international hospitality groups to make their foray into the Vietnam market. The group has sealed a partnership with the Benthanh Group to develop at www.travelweeklyweb.com least eight newly-built Ibis hotels across the major cities in Vietnam. The construction of the Ibis Saigon Centre in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) has already commenced, with the hotel scheduled to open in 2012. Other developments will sprout out in Hanoi, HCMC, Danang, and Binh Duong. Patrick Basset, Accor's VP of Operations for Vietnam, Philippines, Japan and South Korea cited Viet- nam's strong domestic growth and signifi cant foreign investments, as key factors driving demand for business and leisure travel from both domestic and international markets. The entry of Ibis chain of hotels in the country looks to fi ll the void of a world class brand fi lling the vacuum in the budget business and leisure travellers niche. However, the Accor group via the Ibis brand is definitely not the first nor the last established brand seeking a share of the burgeoning tour ism and hospi t al i ty pie in Vietnam. In Q3 of last year, the Banyan Tree Group held a ground- breaking ceremony for Laguna Hue, one of the first fully integrated world-class hospitality projects to be developed in Vietnam. Situated on a 280-hectare beachfront site that is within an hour's drive from both Danang and Hue international airports, Laguna Hue is positioned to be one of the largest premium integrated resorts and second home destination in Vietnam and across South East Asia. Opening in 2012, the development costs for the first phase are estimated at approximately US$200 million, and will include Banyan Tree Hue and Angsana Hue and a 18-hole golf course designed by Nick Faldo. Expansion of existing hospitality brands Besides the new hospital ity brands seeking to enter the market, the ones currently in Vietnam are not content with their existing holdings. The Six Senses Group for example will be opening their Con Dao and Saigon River properties in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Said Susan Noonan, the GM of Six Senses Con Dao, "The tourism and hospitality industry in Vietnam is increasing at a rapid pace, with more new concepts, products and destinations exposed to the international market than ever before in the history of tourism in Vietnam. Con Dao for example has even been cited by the New York Times as one of the upcoming destinations in Vietnam. Opening in December 2010, Six Senses Con Dao is well placed to serve the forecasted rise in tourism numbers in Con Dao in the next decade." The rise of the other provinces As seen from the current and forthcoming developments, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are not the only provinces within Vietnam striving for the international and internal tourism dollar. It is only a matter of time before, provinces such as Hue, Con Dao, Danang, Hoi An, Dalat, Sapa, Nha Trang and Phan Thiet join the party. Nha Trang for example has immense potential to 14 DECEMBER 2010 | TRAVELWEEKLY ASIA ■ | 5

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