Hanoi (VNA) - Within the framework of the working trip to the US by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, Sun Group established a comprehensive strategic partnership with Visa, exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Marriott International, and attended a high-level meeting with Boeing.
These three strategic cooperation pillars spanning payments, hospitality, and aviation bring high-level Vietnam–US commitments closer to tangible projects.
Three strategic pillars - One globally connected ecosystem
On September 22, Sun Group and Visa established a comprehensive strategic partnership, bridging the destination development capabilities of the Vietnamese enterprise with global technology, data, and payment infrastructure. One day later, witnessed by General Secretary and State President To Lam and high-ranking leaders from both nations, Sun Group exchanged an MOU with Marriott International, aiming to develop world-class leisure and MICE tourism offerings.
Also during the mission, representatives of Sun Group, Sun PhuQuoc Airways, and other Vietnamese carriers attended a high-level meeting between General Secretary and President Lam and senior leadership of Boeing in New York.
The meeting unlocked strategic cooperation prospects not only in fleet development and international network expansion, but also in aviation infrastructure, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), and specialized technical training. The overarching objective is to enhance national autonomy and gradually deepen Vietnam's participation in the global aerospace value chain.
The three US corporations represent capabilities that directly complement Vietnam’s tourism ecosystem. Visa connects payments, analytics, and consumers across more than 200 countries and territories. Marriott possesses an extensive brand portfolio, operational standards, and global distribution networks. Boeing provides cutting-edge technological prowess, manufacturing expertise, and aerospace industry development capabilities. These represent three essential puzzle pieces of a seamless travel journey, elevating standards and curating world-class experiences for travelers visiting Vietnam.
With Visa, the collaboration is engineered across the entire traveler journey, from exploring Vietnam and selecting experiences to seamless payment execution and loyalty reward accumulation. Through Visa Destinations and international media channels, offerings within Sun Group’s ecosystem can reach travelers well before their arrival in Vietnam. Promotional campaigns will initially target eight primary source markets: the Republic of Korea, Japan, Mainland China, Taiwan (China), India, Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia.
The two parties also intend to broaden cooperation on the Visit Vietnam platform, a key initiative within the national digital tourism ecosystem developed and operated by Sun Group, sponsored by the Government, and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the National Data Association (NDA). The alliance will focus on optimizing payment experiences, data collaboration, and digital transformation; co-developing the Sun Signature Visa Infinite Private card; and integrating cross-border tier status and reward points. In Phu Quoc – host destination of the APEC Economic Leaders' Week 2027 – the collaboration targets advanced payment solutions for delegates and international visitors, alongside digital payment infrastructure roadmaps for major event facilities, including the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system.
This strategic direction unfolds against the backdrop of digital transformation becoming a top national priority for Vietnam. On September 23 in New York, General Secretary and President Lam received Mr. Robert (Bobby) Thomson, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Government Affairs at Visa, calling on Visa and Vietnamese partners to accelerate the digital tourism ecosystem toward delivering a friction-free traveler journey. This is precisely the vision Sun Group and Visa are realising through Visit Vietnam, progressively integrating digital experiences and payments on an advanced tech platform.
While Visa helps complete the "invisible infrastructure" of the visitor journey, Marriott brings world-class hospitality benchmarks, operational excellence, and a vast global distribution network. Marriott currently operates approximately 10,000 properties and engages over 300 million Marriott Bonvoy members worldwide. In Vietnam, the group manages 32 hotels and resorts across 11 brands in 10 cities, with more than 71 properties in its development pipeline.
Sun Group and Marriott plan to jointly explore opportunities to develop hotels, resorts, and branded luxury residences, initially targeting Phu Quoc and Da Nang; partner with Visa to deploy digital payment solutions and prepare infrastructure for APEC 2027 in Phu Quoc; and coordinate with Boeing to advance international aviation expansion opportunities. The potential portfolio encompasses 15 projects across 11 distinct brands, ranging from Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, and The Luxury Collection to Westin, Le Méridien, Moxy, and W Hotels. The core value of this partnership extends well beyond international brand flags – it integrates Vietnamese destinations directly into Marriott’s global customer base, elevates service benchmarks, and fosters a high-caliber domestic workforce.
Notably, these strategic initiatives gained momentum immediately following the issuance of the Politburo’s Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW on transforming tourism into a spearhead economic sector in the new era. The direct engagement of senior Party and State leadership with leading global corporations in the United States represents a decisive step toward promptly translating the Resolution's spirit into practice, mobilizing international capital and expertise, and enhancing the quality and competitiveness of Vietnam’s tourism industry.
Speaking on the partnership with these global giants, Mr. Dang Minh Truong, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sun Group, stated: "These are three of the world's leading brands, and we are deeply honored to share a unified vision with them to enhance visitor experiences and showcase Vietnam to the world. Our collaboration with these three leaders is not a collection of disconnected efforts, but a cohesive ecosystem encompassing the entire guest journey, from flight bookings to luxury accommodation and the full spectrum of world-class services that Sun Group, Vietnamese enterprises, and our country offer to global travellers.
With the superlative experiences delivered through the synergy of these premier brands, we are confident in our ability to contribute to the ambitious goals set out in Politburo Resolution 26-NQ/TW, driving tourism to generate 12–14% of national GDP and firmly establishing Vietnam on the global map as a safe, hospitable, and magnetic destination."
When diplomacy paves the way for new economic impulses
The cooperative initiatives advanced during the senior Vietnamese delegation’s mission to the US carry profound significance extending far beyond the corporate sphere. The Vietnam–US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is opening up expanded avenues for trade, investment, technology transfer, and digital economy growth. For enterprises of both nations, the mandate is to translate high-level bilateral commitments into substantive commercial partnerships capable of generating new markets, jobs, and industrial capabilities.
U.S. partners contribute pioneering technologies, global benchmarks, and extensive international distribution channels; Vietnamese enterprises bring robust execution capabilities, proven destination development expertise, and deep local market acumen. Partnering with world leaders brings unprecedented opportunities, but also holds Vietnamese enterprises to higher standards in technology adoption, corporate governance, safety, and service excellence. A distinguished international standing must therefore be anchored in authentic operational capability and enduring trustworthiness.
This strategic path directly mirrors the core tenets of Resolution 26-NQ/TW: establishing tourism as a spearhead economic sector; pivoting from volume-driven growth to high-quality, high-value models; and positioning cultural identity, premium experiential quality, technology, and digital transformation as decisive competitive advantages. When payments, hospitality, and aviation are seamlessly synchronized, Vietnam can effectively capture high-spending traveler segments, prolong length of stay, maximise visitor spending, and generate substantial added value for the national economy.
Building upon the strategic handshakes forged in the US, Sun Group is harmonising world-class international resources with its integrated ecosystem of aviation, infrastructure, resorts, entertainment, and digital platforms across destinations nationwide. The true value of these partnerships will ultimately be measured not merely by the number of signed MoUs or launched projects, but by the exceptional experiences delivered to travelers, the elevated standards of hospitality service, and the sustained global competitiveness created for Vietnamese tourism in this transformative new era./.
