Sun Group and Marriott Sign Cooperation Deal to Expand Luxury Hotels in Phu Quoc

Vietnamese conglomerate Sun Group and Marriott International formally exchanged a strategic cooperation document in New York on 23 September, outlining plans to expand Marriott-branded hotels on the island of Phu Quoc and in Danang, according to Vietnamese media coverage of the signing.

A Major Beach Development

The exchange took place during a US visit by Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary and President To Lam, who witnessed the signing, the reports said. Under the plans, Sun Group’s Ruby Beach mixed-use development on Phu Quoc is envisaged to include four Marriott brands — JW Marriott Marquis, W Hotels, Le Méridien and The Luxury Collection — with a first phase of 17 hotel towers and more than 7,000 rooms, expanding to nearly 20,000 rooms across later phases, according to the reporting. The companies said the cooperation would also involve hotel management, brand franchising and branded residences, with each project to be reviewed and finalised separately.

Building Out MICE Tourism

The partnership is intended to position Phu Quoc as a hub for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) tourism, supported by infrastructure Sun Group is separately developing on the island, including an expanded airport, a convention centre and a light rail transit system, the reports said. Sun Group has also been building up regional air links, with its Sun PhuQuoc Airways unit taking delivery of its first wide-body Airbus A330 in the days before the signing, part of a planned fleet of eight wide-body aircraft alongside a separate order for 40 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners valued at roughly $22.5 billion, according to the reporting.

Why It Matters

The scale of the planned rooms and infrastructure signals continued confidence from international hotel groups in Vietnam’s tourism growth, even as some Southeast Asian destinations report slowing visitor numbers, and reflects Vietnam’s broader push to position islands such as Phu Quoc as luxury and business-travel destinations ahead of hosting APEC-related events.