Key Points
- Minor Hotels is adding urban hotels in Vietnam’s commercial hubs to its resort portfolio, starting with the 310-room Avani+ Hanoi in 2028, its first city property in the country.
- The rationale Romero gave: Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have grown into commercial and cultural centers, connectivity has improved, and domestic travel has expanded, with 137 million domestic trips in 2025, up about 25% year over year.
- New hotel supply in Vietnam remains concentrated on the coast, with Da Nang and Phu Quoc leading the three-year pipeline, according to Savills, while city inventory growth is comparatively constrained.
Summary
Minor Hotels is extending its Vietnam portfolio beyond the beach, moving into Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to capture corporate, meetings, domestic, and long-stay business its resort-heavy footprint has not reached. Chief Development and Luxury Officer Omar Romero told Skift that after more than two decades concentrated in leisure destinations such as Hoi An, Mui Ne, and Quy Nhon, the group now sees Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City as major commercial and cultural centers supported by better air connectivity and a larger domestic travel market. The first move is the 310-room Avani+ Hanoi, announced in September and due to open in 2028 inside Hinode City, a mixed-use development with a lifestyle mall and 1,099 residential and serviced apartments. Minor is targeting corporate travelers, meetings, short-stay leisure, and long-stay guests, with South Korea and China as key source markets alongside Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe, and Australia, and Vietnamese travelers as what Romero called a very important part of the mix. Vietnam recorded 137 million domestic tourist trips in 2025, up about 25% from 110 million the year before, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism. Romero said Minor is actively looking for more urban opportunities, with Ho Chi Minh City a priority, but named no specific projects.
