Vietnam’s Ho Tram Strip to take on the Cotai Strip®

Filed Under Macau, Macao, Cotai, Ho Tram Strip | Leave a Comment

There’s gonna be a new Strip in town!

As if it isn’t bad enough that Japan, Taiwan, and Pagcor City in the Philipines are all planning to steal gambling business from Macau and Cotai, now Vietnam enters the fray.

Canadian based Asian Coast Development recently announced their plan for the Ho Tram Strip in Vietnam that they hope to begin construction on by the end of 2007 and is still pending official approval by the Vietnamese government. The Ho Tram Strip will include five hotel casino resorts and an 18 hole golf course along the gorgeous, white sandy beaches of Ho Tram, Vietnam.

In my opinion, climate could end up being Cotai’s achilles heal. The water is murky, and the heat and humidity can make it unbearable at times. I know the Chinese are not quite the sun worshippers that American and Europeans are, but c’mon, would you rather vacation in a tropical paradise or an overcrowded, industrialized island? I guess the counter-argument would be that Vegas has become the entertainment capital of the world despite being located in the middle of the desert. (*more below the ads*)

Anyway, back to the Ho Tram Strip. So this Asian Coast Development company doesn’t look to be some fly by night operation. There are some big names on board. Some of the names are:

Paul Steelman, the well respected Las Vegas casino architect
Glenn Schaeffer, legendary Mandalay Resort Group executive and part-owner of the upcoming multi-billion Fontainebleau Casino on the Las Vegas Strip
Greg Norman, the legendary golfer, will design the golf course
Turnberry Associates, one of the US’s premier real estate developers