4,500 Indian tourists to stay four nights in Hanoi, dine at Ninh Binh restaurant

The group will arrive in Vietnam in six groups on Aug. 26-28, accompanied by the owner of Sun Pharmaceuticals, one of India's wealthiest billionaires.

Dinh Xuan Phuong, director of the Trang An restaurant chain, which includes five establishments specializing in mountain goat meat and rustic rice, confirmed that the Indian group will dine at the restaurant while visiting Ninh Binh.

The restaurant previously hosted several Indian groups of 200-500 guests from the company.

Phuong said that the tourists will not be sampling Ninh Binh's famous goat specialties as most are vegetarians. The menu is focused primarily on Indian and vegan dishes.

To accommodate this large group, the restaurant has recruited additional Indian chefs from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The space of Trang An 5 restaurant in Ninh Binh in northern Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Trang An 5

"This is the largest group of Indian guests we have ever welcomed," Phuong said, adding that the restaurant was chosen for its large space and meeting culinary standards in previous visits.

The group will not stay overnight in Ninh Binh or Ha Long, although these locations are part of their itinerary.

They will spend all four nights in Hanoi, staying at 5-star hotels InterContinental Hanoi Landmark72, Meliá Hanoi, Movenpick Living West Hanoi, Pan Pacific Hanoi, and Novotel Hanoi Thai Ha.

A representative of InterContinental Hanoi Landmark72 said the tourists booked king and twin room types. The hotel's event room will be used to host lunch and dinner for the group during their stay.

Santiago Cabre, general director of Meliá Hanoi, said that the Indian group has booked a total of 300 rooms, mainly twin rooms. Meliá Hanoi will also host six gala nights for the group.

Novotel Hanoi Thai Ha will accommodate 800 guests. The first group will stay from Aug. 27 to 30, and the second from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1. Guests will have access to all room types.

Vietnam is rapidly emerging as a favored destination for Indian tourists. According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the country received 392,000 Indian visitors last year, up 231% from the pre-Covid year 2019.

In the first six months of this year the number was 231,000, a 164% increase year-on-year.