Golf in Vietnam is changing rapidly, growing and flourishing. After being virtually non existent for nearly 20 years (from 1975 to 1994) the country now boasts eight top-quality courses with facilities that are second to none. Today’s Vietnam golf scene is where Thailand‘s golf scene was about 15 years ago: ready to take-off when it comes to unique golf holidays where you experience a vastly different culture.
Golf Getaways in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Around southern Ho Chi Minh, formerly Saigon, there are four excellent courses to choose from, each with superb facilities and within easy reach of the city centre. Staying in the city here gives you the luxury of superb golf alongside plenty of exciting sight seeing, local tours, and of course shopping for bargains.
Courses Near to Ho Chi Minh’s Sights and Attractions
The Vietnam Golf and Country Club that lies just outside the city was designed by Lee Trevino and offers two superb courses. With spa and massage facilities to be enjoyed after your round and an internationally acclaimed club restaurant, the golf isn’t the only reason to visit here.
Other 18-hole championship courses near to the city centre are Bochang Dong Nai, recognised as one of the top 10 most beautiful and challenging courses in Indo-China; and Song Be, Vietnam’s first championship standard course.
Just a two hour drive north east of Ho Chi Minh City through wondrous countryside is Phan Thiet on the east coast which is home to the luxurious Ocean Dunes Novotel Coralia golf complex. The courses here were designed by Nick Faldo and its signature 9th hole was featured prominently in the ‘Best 500 Holes in the World’ list by US Golf Magazine. A championship links with a par 72 and measuring 6,749 yards, the course winds its way through Vietnamese seaside dune, shaped by the coastal breezes day by day.
The Vietnam Golf Trail: From Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh
Golfers can also choose tour packages from tour operators like Golfasian.com, Golforient.com, or VietnamGolfVacation.com. Recently Golfasian.com announced its new package: The “Vietnam Golf Trail” is a golf adventure across Vietnam, covering the top Vietnam golf destinations, as well as main cultural and historical sights and attractions.
Golfers on the “Vietnam Golf Trail” will start in the northern Vietnam capital of Hanoi and make their way south, stopping for golf and exploration in Halong Bay, Danang, Hoi An, Dalat, and Phan Thiet, before finishing in Ho Chi Minh City, the economic capital of the country and home to the widest selection of golf courses in Vietnam.
All of Vietnam’s top golf courses from north to south are included on the golf trail package. For example, The Faldo, designed Ocean Dunes Golf Club and the award winning Dalat Palace Golf Club, are two of the featured golf stops.
Those golf travelers who want to re-trace the steps of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, made famous during the American-Vietnam War, will take great pleasure during the stops at the famous battlefields and war sights at “China Beach,” Danang, Dalat, and Chu Chi. Others who want to learn first hand about Vietnamese civilization will be fascinated by village life that will be seen during stops in and around Hanoi, Ho An, and Saigon.
There are so many good reasons to sample the wonders that Vietnam has to offer: from the breathtaking scenery to the excellent value of golf on non-crowded golf courses, Vietnam really is the undiscovered jewel of world golf.
For more information, please visit: www.golfasian.com