Gambling in Vietnam

The gambling scene

Vietnam has licensed casinos, the state lottery, poker tournaments run as an "intellectual sport," and a betting framework for horse racing, greyhound racing and international football that exists on paper but has not yet produced a licensed operator⁴. The country opened brick-and-mortar casinos in pursuit of economic stabilization, and locals were banned from them for over a decade before being allowed in under strict conditions³. Everything else, from online casinos to underground football betting rings, is prohibited and strictly punished⁵.

The scene is also deeply cultural. Card games like Tiến Lên and Xì Dách, the dice game Bầu Cua Tôm Cá and mahjong are woven into family life, especially around Tết, and most Vietnamese people's first gambling experience happens at a home table rather than a casino⁶. Our page on gambling culture and history in Vietnam traces how the country moved from banning everything to piloting casinos for its own citizens, and why the daily limits and entry fees look the way they do.

Casinos and resorts

Vietnam has nine land-based casinos plus roughly 60 electronic gaming clubs, nearly all attached to five-star resorts along the coast¹. The largest is Corona Casino Phu Quoc on Bai Dai in the north of Phú Quốc island, with an 18,500 m² gaming floor, more than 100 tables and over 1,000 machines, set inside a $2 billion resort complex¹. Table minimums typically run USD 25 to 100 per hand, and most casinos accept USD, VND and major credit cards for chip purchase¹.

Foreigners have the easiest time of it: gambling is straightforward at any of the nine casinos with an original passport, an age of 18 or above with full civil capacity to act according to provisions of Vietnamese law, and no entry fee¹. Most venues remain foreigner-only, and electronic gaming machines in five-star hotels are likewise allowed only for foreigners⁶. Vietnamese citizens can enter only designated pilot casinos, and only after proving a monthly income of VND 10 million or more and paying VND 1 million for 24 hours or VND 25 million for a 30-day pass¹.

For the full picture, see:

• Casinos in Vietnam: the complete list of venues, what each floor offers and what a visit costs.
• Corona Casino Phu Quoc: the biggest casino in the country and the one most open to Vietnamese players.
• New Casino Resorts in Vietnam: the wave of integrated resorts built since the pilot program began, and the rules that came with them.
• Baccarat in Vietnam: the game that dominates every Vietnamese casino floor. At Hoiana Resort & Golf, a Tie pays 8 to 1, Pairs pay 11 to 1, and in the no-commission version a Banker win on six points pays only 50%¹¹.
• Casino Table Games in Vietnam: what sits alongside baccarat, from roulette to sic bo, and where cash games are found (exclusively in licensed casinos)⁶.
• Slot Clubs in Vietnam: the smaller electronic gaming clubs, which foreigners can enter but which are off limits to locals⁹.

The lottery

The lottery is the one form of gambling open to nearly everyone in Vietnam, from age 18. There are two worlds: the traditional provincial paper lottery (xổ số kiến thiết), sold from small shops and street vendors, and the modern Vietlott draw games sold through a national network of terminals.

Vietlott's flagship is Mega 6/45: pick 6 numbers from 01 to 45 for VND 10,000 a ticket². The prizes work like this:

The other Vietlott products:

• Vietlott Keno: a fast draw game with 20 draws per draw period, selecting 20 numbers out of 01 to 80¹².
• Vietlott Max 3D: pick three digits, with four prize tiers drawn 20 times per draw period. Matching any 2 of the 4 first-prize triples pays VND 40 million per VND 10,000 entry, and matching one prize triple pays VND 40,000¹³.
• Mega 6/45 and Power 6/55: the number-picking draw games, their ticket prices, prize tiers and system plays.
• Xo So Dien Toan: the computerized terminal games that sit between the paper lottery and Vietlott.

On the traditional side, Xo So Kien Thiet covers the provincial paper lottery and how it is sold, and our overview page, The Vietnam Lottery, ties it all together with where to buy and how to claim.

Sports betting and racing

Vietnam opened sports betting as a state-controlled conditional business, and the permitted types are exactly three: horse race betting, dog race betting and international football betting¹⁴. The framework allows Vietnamese citizens to bet on international football and on horse and dog races inside Vietnam¹⁶.

In practice, though, there is nowhere licensed to bet yet. The Ministry of Finance has not certified any operator to run betting business, which is why football and race betting have not actually launched⁴. A draft decree now under discussion proposes a minimum bet of VND 10,000 and a maximum of VND 10 million per player per day, all handled through a player account connected to a payment account and e-wallet for identification and limit control¹⁷. Racing itself is limited to no more than three race days a week, with races ending before 23:00¹⁸; dog racing has been run at Lam Son stadium in Vũng Tàu since 2000¹⁹.

Read more on Sports Betting in Vietnam, Horse Racing in Vietnam and Esports Betting in Vietnam, where you will also find the rule that players at prize-gaming venues may not bet directly against each other on the results¹⁵.

Poker

Poker occupies a special niche: it is classified as an intellectual sport under the Vietnam Bridge and Poker Federation, and in city clubs it is permitted only in tournament format, with traditional cash games strictly prohibited there; legal cash action is found exclusively in licensed casinos⁶. Cash play is found exclusively in licensed casinos, where foreigners and tourists have the most access⁶. Vietnamese citizens are generally restricted from casino poker except at casinos meeting the pilot program criteria⁶.

Clubs exist in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and many provinces, and the tournament format is allowed when run under the federation's rules: players pay a buy-in used for organizing costs and prizes, with taxes paid on winnings²⁰. Buy-ins range from a few hundred thousand dong to a few tens of millions of dong²⁰. The Asia Poker Tour became the first organizer to host an international event in Vietnam that locals could join, at the Pro Poker Club in Ho Chi Minh City in 2018⁶. Some clubs have served as fronts for illegal gambling, and police have busted rings operating behind legitimate-looking associations²¹.

The in-depth pages: Poker in Vietnam, Poker Tournaments in Vietnam and Online Poker in Vietnam, which covers the gray area of offshore sites and the practical workarounds players use, such as e-wallets, since local banks may restrict gambling transactions⁶.

Local and traditional games

This is where most gambling in Vietnam actually happens, at kitchen tables and café corners. The most popular gambling game in the country is Bầu Cua Tôm Cá, played with three dice whose faces show a gourd, a crab, a shrimp, a fish, a rooster and a deer; players bet on which pictures will come up after a roll²². It takes 2 to 8 players and is easy to learn²².

The card games:

• Tiến Lên: the national shedding game, where hearts rank highest among suits.
• Xi Dach: Vietnam's blackjack cousin, played with flexible house rules at home; uniquely, lower points win ties²³.
• Tu Sac: a four-suited game with a strict card ranking from Tướng down to Tốt, and special hands like four or five Tốt of the same color²⁴.
• Traditional Vietnamese Card Games: the wider family of home games and how money changes hands at them.

The dice and tile games:

• Bau Cua Tom Ca: the dice game above, with its full rules and betting layout.
• Xoc Dia: the bowl-and-dice game; the casino version, sic bo, uses three dice²⁵.
• Vietnamese Mahjong: a distinct variant with 16 bonus tiles including four kings and four queens, jokers in two color groups, and scoring close to Chinese Classical, with doubles for sets on king and queen tiles²⁶.
• Cockfighting Betting: the traditional rural spectacle and where the law draws the line on betting on it.
• Game Bai Doi Thuong: the smartphone apps that let people play these games for redeemable points, and the legal questions they raise.

Online

Online gambling is the clearest no in Vietnam. No online casino is licensed, locals are not allowed to gamble online, and the government has blocked many gambling sites at the internet provider level since 2018³. Playing on offshore sites is treated as illegal gambling, even though a large number of offshore casinos, offering slots, table games and live dealer games, still accept Vietnamese players³. Police regularly take down large online football betting operations, including rings handling hundreds of millions of dollars²⁸.

Our page on Online Gambling in Vietnam explains what is blocked, what still gets through, and what the practical risks are for players who go offshore.

Money and payments

At licensed casinos, most venues accept USD, VND and major credit cards for chip purchase, with table minimums typically USD 25 to 100 per hand¹. Vietnamese citizens playing at casino business points may only use Vietnamese dong to exchange for chips, and unused chips must be converted back into dong²⁹. Foreigners and overseas Vietnamese holding foreign passports may receive winnings and carry or transfer them abroad in foreign currency under Vietnam's foreign exchange rules³¹.

For betting (once it launches), Vietnamese dong must be used to buy tickets and pay prizes, and telephone betting requires a registered account with ID details and a bank account at a licensed credit institution¹⁸. Poker tournament winnings are typically subject to a 10% personal income tax⁶. The details, including how prize money moves and what documentation you need, are on Gambling Payments in Vietnam and Tax on Gambling Winnings in Vietnam.

Who can play

The rules differ sharply depending on who you are, so here is the short version.

If you are a Vietnamese citizen, you can play the lottery from age 18, and you can enter only the designated pilot casinos if you meet the conditions listed in the casinos section above¹. You cannot gamble online at all; no online casino is licensed and playing on offshore sites counts as illegal gambling³. Playing at casinos abroad where gambling is permitted, such as Singapore, Macao or the Philippines, is fine.

If you are a foreign resident or visitor, you can play at any licensed casino by showing a valid foreign passport; there is no entry fee or income check, and lottery play starts at 18¹. Online gambling is not licensed for you either, and playing on offshore sites, though many accept players in Vietnam, is treated as illegal gambling³.

One more rule: people who work in the betting industry, race officials, jockeys and referees are barred from betting on the events they run³².

Visiting and living there

For visitors, the practical picture is simple: bring your passport and the casino floor is open to you free of charge, under the age and entry rules described above¹. Expect resort-style venues rather than city gambling halls, since most casinos sit inside beach or golf resorts; our page on Gambling in Vietnam as a Visitor covers what to expect on the day, dress norms and how resort pricing works. Vietnam has limited English-language support services, so travelers tend to arrange their plans before they travel rather than after³³. If you live in Vietnam and want to combine a trip with gambling, Gambling Trips Abroad From Vietnam looks at the nearby destinations locals and expats actually use.

Getting help

Vietnam has a free and confidential problem gambling support hotline, 1800-1567, run under MoLISA³⁴. International options also exist: GamCare in the UK, GamblersHelp Online in Australia and GamAnon internationally all offer free chat and phone support³⁴. Because English-language help inside Vietnam is limited, many travelers save these contacts in advance³³.

Two more pages round out the picture: Betting Scams in Vietnam, which covers the rigged online football betting rings and fake lottery sellers that police keep busting⁵, and Gambling Help in Vietnam, with the full list of support services and how to reach them.