Indian billionaire to bring 4,500 employees to Vietnam

According to Nguyen Nguyet Van Khanh, marketing director of leading tour operator Vietravel, the company will welcome 4,500 guests, divided into small groups, from August 27 to September 7.

The guests are employees of the largest pharmaceuticals company in India, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, and are mainly Indians. Shanghvi, the group’s billionaire founder, who is one of the wealthiest men in India, will also join the tour.

According to Khanh, arrangements for this trip were made three months in advance, and it is the first time that the travel agency has received such a large group. Previously, Indian groups typically consisted of around 100-200 people.

The group will visit famous tourist attractions in Hanoi before heading to Ninh Binh and Halong Bay.

Bui Van Manh, director of Ninh Binh Department of Tourism, stated that they had received the booking information and were arranging staff to serve, welcome, and allocate separate areas at the Trang An scenic complex.

“The reception work is not difficult for us because we have experience of welcoming large numbers of guests,” Manh said.

He believed that the visit will set a precedent and attract other large groups in the future.

The guests from this pharmaceutical company will be staying in 4-star and 5-star accommodation when they arrive in Vietnam, with specific requests for food to align with their beliefs and religions.

In addition, they also want a minimum of three tour guides for each group of 30-35 guests to ensure the best experience. The tour guides selected must be fluent in Hindi, and information available at the tourist sites, usually in English and Vietnamese, will be translated into Hindi.

Vietnam is currently experiencing a strong wave of Indian travellers. According to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, received 392,000 Indian visitors in 2023, a 231 per cent increase compared to 2019.

In the first half of this year, Vietnam has welcomed over 231,000 Indian visitors, a 164 per cent increase compared to the same period last year. Vietnam has many advantages to attract Indian guests, such as convenient connectivity, with only a 4-5 hour direct flight.