Casino investors are now nowhere to be found on the southern island of Phu Quoc although the Vietnamese government has given the green light to gaming operations, local authorities said Monday. 

Dinh Khoa Toan, chairman of the People's Committee of Phu Quoc District, administered by Kien Giang Province in southern Vietnam, asserted on January 19 that no investors have registered for the development of an entertainment complex that houses gambling facilities after governmental approval for such a project was given recently.

Toan said the go-head for casino operations is not new, as the Vietnamese government once called for investment in a similar project at the Da Chong area in Bai Thom Commune of Phu Quoc Island, but there was no official registration by any investors.

“Our new planning of Phu Quoc will have some adjustments so the specific location of the entertainment complex is still up in the air. We will take it into consideration after having an official investor,” Toan said.

Huynh Vinh Lac, deputy chief of the office of the People's Committee of Kien Giang Province, said that a new point of the approval this time is that the Prime Minister has assigned the Ministry of Planning and Investment to coordinate with provincial authorities and relevant state agencies to work further on the details of the establishment of such projects in accordance with regulations.

After that, they need to submit a complete report on the casino and related issues to the Prime Minister for consideration after the government issues a decree on casino business.

“There were previous plans to construct tourism centers that include casino components but the process of calling for investment from international channels yielded no results for many reasons. This time, the local administration is expected to ask relevant state agencies to choose a local investor,” Lac added.

Under a scheme by the Kien Giang administration, investors who want to operate gaming facilities on the island must commit capital of at least US$4 billion. Casinos are projected to be built on a total area of 30,000m² with 200-400 roulette tables and 2,000 gaming machines.

Phu Quoc Island is located off the western coast of the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang. The southern island is also situated in the heart of Southeast Asia and an economic belt between Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, with an area of 589.23 km² and a population of 96,940 people. Many large projects have been developed on the island, such as Phu Quoc International Airport and the An Thoi international seaport.