Quang Ninh (VNA) – The northeastern province of Quang Ninh is increasingly becoming a preferred destination for affluent Indian couples seeking luxury wedding venues, marking a new stage in the province’s development of high-end wedding tourism.
Since the beginning of 2026, the coastal province has hosted six Indian high-net-worth weddings, most of them held along the shores of the world-famous Ha Long Bay.
Each celebration typically lasts at least three days and attracts around 500 guests from India’s upper-income circles, including entrepreneurs and business leaders from both India and overseas. The dramatic seascape of Ha Long Bay, combined with private high-end resorts, has created memorable and highly personalised wedding experiences.
Wedding budgets often run into millions of US dollars. A notable example was the wedding of Indian couple Manisha and Karik earlier this year, which was estimated to cost around 3 million USD.
Alongside wedding tourism, Quang Ninh is also seeing robust growth in arrivals of Indian MICE travellers. Delegations of hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of visitors have been coming to the province for conferences, seminars and incentive travel programmes combined with leisure stays.
The province is also beginning to attract the attention of India’s film industry. Early this year, the film Silaa selected Ha Long Bay and Tuan Chau Island as filming locations. Featuring actress Sadia Khateeb and directed by Omung Kumar Bhandula, the production is expected to further promote the image of Ha Long to millions of Indian viewers.
According to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Indian visitors are among Quang Ninh’s fastest-growing international markets. In the first four months of this year, the number of Indian arrivals rose by around 28% year-on-year.
The growth reflects a long-term strategy under which Quang Ninh aims to become an international tourism hub with a diverse tourism ecosystem. The province is positioning itself as a destination for honeymoons, luxury holidays, wellness tourism, major events, festivals and spiritual travel.
Each million-dollar wedding, each MICE delegation and each international film project serves as a highly effective promotional channel. When Indian entrepreneurs, celebrities and affluent travellers share their experiences in Ha Long, Quang Ninh’s image spreads naturally through global high-end networks in ways that conventional marketing campaigns often cannot achieve.
Quang Ninh currently has 1,630 rated accommodation establishments offering 44,241 rooms. It also operates 115 overnight cruise vessels with 2,033 cabins. The province has designated 13 shopping sites and two entertainment venues meeting tourism service standards.
The Ha Long Tourist Boat Association, which represents 225 members operating nearly 400 vessels year-round, said all boats meet safety requirements and undergo regular inspections. Operators have completed maintenance, upgraded facilities and prepared crews, decorations and catering services for the summer peak season.
With these preparations, Quang Ninh is targeting 22 million visitors in 2026, reinforcing its ambition to remain one of Vietnam’s leading tourism destinations./.
