Vietnam's Phu Quoc urged to welcome growing Muslim tourist market

On Wednesday, authorities in An Giang Province, in collaboration with relevant organizations, held a seminar on halal standards and Muslim-friendly services.

Speaking at the seminar, Nguyen Vu Khac Huy, acting chairman of the An Giang Tourism Association, noted that Phu Quoc holds great potential for attracting Muslim tourists.

He emphasized that this market represents a significant opportunity for Phu Quoc’s marine and island tourism sector.

“We hope that through today’s seminar, tourism businesses on Phu Quoc will gain a better understanding of halal culture and standards — from cuisine to friendly communication — to better serve Muslim visitors from markets such as India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Middle East,” Huy said.

According to the An Giang Department of Tourism, the province has welcomed nearly 20 million visitors so far this year.

Of these, Phu Quoc alone received over 6.5 million visitors, including more than 1.2 million international tourists, generating an estimated tourism revenue of over VND51 trillion (US$1.9 billion).

Since the beginning of this year, Phu Quoc has welcomed approximately 96,000 Indian tourists and 36,000 Malaysian visitors.

Nguyen Trung Thanh, deputy director of the An Giang Department of Tourism, acknowledged that the influx of Muslim international tourists to Phu Quoc is on the rise.

He described this as a new market for the province’s tourism industry, one that is expected to grow significantly this year.

The Ministry of Science and Technology recently introduced national standards for Muslim-friendly tourism services, creating favorable conditions for An Giang to tap into this tourist segment.

“We urge the An Giang Tourism Association and service providers to increase awareness and actively study halal requirements to better serve Muslim tourists,” Thanh emphasized.

Halal standards for Muslim tourists

Tran Van Tan Cuong, director of Vietnam National Halal Co. Ltd., shared that the global Muslim population is growing at an average rate of 1.5 percent per year and is expected to reach 2.8 billion by 2050.

Countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh have large Muslim populations.

Muslim standards are quite specific — food must not contain prohibited substances; halal hotel rooms must comply with Islamic rules, with gender-segregated areas and no alcohol, Cuong explained.

He suggested that businesses on Phu Quoc aiming to serve the Muslim market should collaborate to ensure compliance with halal standards and provide high-quality services to this group.