The Lam Son dog racing track in Vung Tau closed on 10 March 2023 because its license expired, according to a Tuoi Tre Online report published on 20 March 20241. The track is the only dog racing venue the report names in connection with the closure1.
The closure sits inside a wider picture in which no betting project in Vietnam has been licensed to operate publicly. The Ministry of Finance said seven provinces and cities have proposed licensing investment in horse racing and dog racing projects with betting: Ha Noi, Phu Yen, Binh Duong, Vinh Phuc, Da Nang, Lam Dong and Ha Tinh1. Most of those projects remain at the proposal stage, with no construction started and no betting organized1.
On international football betting, the ministry proposed a pilot covering 20 provinces and cities: Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Quang Ninh, Khanh Hoa, Dak Lak, Binh Duong, An Giang, Kien Giang, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Nam Dinh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Thua Thien Hue, Dong Nai, Long An, Tay Ninh and Tien Giang1. Tran Hao Hung, head of the bidding management department at the Ministry of Planning and Investment, said that under the government's 2024 decree 23 guiding the Law on Bidding, an international football betting business project must go to tender to select an investor1.
The report also notes that from 1 August 2022, gambling forms such as mahjong or poker played at home among family and friends were legalized under changes to Singapore's gambling control law, with players under 21 treated as offenders except at Singapore Pools outlets, where the minimum legal gambling age is 181.
What it means for players
Dog racing at Lam Son in Vung Tau is no longer available, and the report does not say whether it will reopen or be replaced1. No horse racing, dog racing or international football betting project in Vietnam has been licensed to operate, so there is no licensed domestic venue or operator for those products at present1. The ministry's proposal to pilot international football betting across 20 provinces and cities remains a proposal, and no company has been licensed under it1. The report does not state what happens to bets or accounts connected to the closed track, and it does not describe any consumer protections for players at unlicensed operators. For background on the legal position in the country, see Can I Gamble in Vietnam?, and for the regional picture on racing, see Horse Racing and Betting in Asia.
What happens next
Under decree 23 of 2024, an international football betting project must be put out to tender to select an investor, and Tran Hao Hung said the legal framework for that tender is now complete1. For horse and dog racing, the Ministry of Finance said that when granting investment approval it will submit the investment policy to the Prime Minister for decision, and that it will consider a betting license once the facilities meet the required conditions1. The report does not give dates for either step1.
