Foreign cruise ships seek approval to keep casinos open The Prime Minister has been asked to allow foreign cruise ships to keep their casinos open during their stopovers in Vietnam.   In early September, Hoang Tuan Anh, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, spoke with officials from the Thua Thien-Hue People’s Committee and John Tercek, vice president of Royal Caribbean Cruises. Tercek asked for permission to keep the casinos, souvenir shops and other services open after the cruise ships dock at Vietnamese ports. Tercek was the first businessman to meet with the highest-ranking official of the tourism ministry to make the proposal. HIs company is planning to scale up its business in Vietnam, striving to serve 25,000 travelers a year. Instead of sending cruises with the capacity of 2,000-3,000 travelers, Royal Caribbean plans to bring cruise ships that can serve 5,000 passengers to Chan May Port in Thua Thien – Hue province. After the cruises dock at Vietnamese ports, many travelers do not want to go sightseeing, but would rather stay on the ship. They need entertainment services, while others who go on the mainland often return after several hours. Foreign cruise ships are all requested to temporarily close on-cruise casinos and shops when entering Vietnamese territory. According to the director of a travel firm, when the first foreign cruises came to Vietnam 20 years ago, customs officers requested that cruises temporarily close casinos and wine and duty free shops to prevent smuggling. The ban is still applied. However, the director said the ban is just a verbal request from customs officers, while he cannot find any legal documents. “The ban was not mentioned in the Tourism Law and Maritime Law,” he said. “There is a regulation set by the Ministry of Finance on the operation of ashore casinos. However, the regulation does not mention the on-cruise casinos.” “I asked relevant ministries and state management agencies, but none of them can show the legal document on the issue,” he said. “They only said the ban has been applied for many years.” A number of cruise companies are planning to expand their fleets. They are building large and modern ships with modern facilities, shops and services. Meanwhile, cruise travelers tend to be younger, and therefore, demand more services. In the latest news, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh has agreed on the proposal and requested relevant agencies to cooperate with Thua Thien – Hue provincial authorities to make documents to submit to the Prime Minister’s approval. TBKTSG