Indian billionaire to visit Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay with 4,500 employees 

Leading Vietnamese travel agency Vietravel will host a group of 4,500 tourists from India’s Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Group led by founder Dilip Shanghvi, from August 27 to September 7.

They will visit Ha Long Bay and Hanoi, Vietravel marketing director Nguyen Nguyet Van Khanh said Tuesday.

Khanh said this was the first time that the travel agency was handling such a large-scale tour. The group will be split into smaller ones during the visit, she added.

While the employees of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Group are primarily from India, they will come to Vietnam from several countries. They are considered high-spending customers and arrangements for this trip were made two-three months in advance, Khanh said.

Shanghvi, 68, the group’s billionaire founder, will also join the tour. According to Forbes, he’s worth $28.7 billion and is the 69th richest person in the world.

The group’s itinerary covers major tourist destinations in the north including Hanoi, Ninh Binh province and Ha Long Bay (Quang Ninh province). The group has requested Vietravel to arrange accommodation in four- to five-star hotels, ensuring high standards of hygiene and safety in both lodging and dining.

According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Vietnam welcomed over 392,000 Indian visitors in 2023, a 231% increase from 2019. In the first half of 2024 alone, the country welcomed 231,000 Indian visitors, a 164% increase compared to the same period in 2023.

These impressive statistics underscore the fact that India has become one of Vietnam’s top 10 international tourist markets for Vietnam. It also highlights the country’s growing popularity among Indian travelers.

The northern province of Ninh Binh is home to the UNESCO world cultural and natural heritage site Trang An Landscape Complex. Trang An is one of 12 coolest Asian film locations to visit, according to Travel + Leisure. The U.S. travel site credits the listing to the province being a filming location for the 2017 blockbuster “Kong: Skull Island.”

Around two hours to the east of Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO-recognized world heritage site, is famous for its cruise tours through the thousands of vegetation-covered islets and towering limestone karst mountains.

A Skyscanner report released in late 2023 shows that Indian tourists are most interested in visiting Da Nang, with the central coastal city topping their destination searches; and the capital city of Hanoi is another top 10 draw. Scotland-based Skycanner is one of the world's largest flight travel search platforms.

Hanoi, home to UNESCO heritage site Thang Long Imperial Citadel and ancient pagodas as well as historical relics, came fifth on the list with a 396% search increase year-on-year after Japan’s Osaka (435%).