Da Nang on Indian billionaires’ radar for exotic weddings

The city Department of External Affairs said on Saturday that an Indian businessman, whose identity it did not reveal, had chosen Da Nang, Vietnam’s third largest city after HCMC and Hanoi, to organize his daughter’s wedding at the end of this month on the recommendation of the Vietnamese embassy in India.

The billionaire’s family has booked a beach resort in Ngu Hanh Son District for the venue, according to Nguyen Cong Tien, deputy director of the department.

Around 700 guests would fly to Da Nang to attend the wedding, with 55 top chefs from India making the food, he said.

Vietnam’s ambassador to India, Pham Sanh Chau, said Da Nang is one of the best locations in Vietnam to host Indian billionaires’ multimillion-dollar weddings thanks to its picturesque landscapes and the availability of five-star hotels that can accommodate 700 to 1,000 guests.

The convenient air link is also an important advantage, he said. "Vietnam, Da Nang in particular, has been rising in popularity for organizing Indian billionaires’ weddings."

Da Nang has gained worldwide popularity for its Golden Bridge, which has attracted a huge number of visitors since it opened at the Ba Na Hills mountain near the city in June last year, and the two UNESCO world heritage sites of Hoi An and the My Son Sanctuary nearby.

The city is the second destination in the country to hold big fat Indian weddings after Phu Quoc Island off the southern province of Kien Giang.

The first wedding on Phu Quoc was held last March with Kaabia Grewal and Rushang Shah tying the knot during a week-long celebration.

The number of Indian tourists to Vietnam remained low compared to other Asian countries such as China and South Korea, with only 130,000 arrivals in 2018. But the growth was 30 percent year-on-year. China and South Korea are Vietnam's top feeder markets with 4.9 million and 3.4 million visitors last year, respectively.

Vietjet Air plans to operate direct air services between HCMC and New Delhi and between Hanoi and the Indian capital this December, becoming the first Vietnamese airline to launch direct air links to India.

The former route will open from December 6 onwards with four flights a week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, while the latter will operate from December 7 onwards with three flights a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.