By Charles Ray
Mention taking a vacation in Southeast Asia and it's a good bet that Vietnam golf clubs will not be the first thing that come to mind. The traveling golfer, though, will be elated to know that Vietnam is much more than just visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels or the Hanoi Hilton (the infamous POW camp where Senator John McCain was held during the war). Vietnam has, in fact, gone bonkers over golf, and now boasts some of the finest courses in Asia.
I lived in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) from 1998 to 2001, and at that time there were only eight Vietnam golf clubs, and all but one of them were in the southern part. The last time I visited Vietnam, in late 2008, there were 18 world class Vietnam golf clubs, and more were on the drawing boards. The surprising change since 2001 is that most of the new courses are being built in the north where many of the Communist authorities once railed against this capitalist pastime. How times have changed!
When I left Vietnam in the summer of 2001, I could brag that I'd played every Vietnam golf club. Since then I've visited the country for about a week every year, but I haven't been able to keep up with construction, so my brag has been wiped from the record books.
For the vacationing golfer looking for a challenge, and a darn good time, a Southeast Asia golf tour, beginning in Vietnam is just the ticket. If you're into arranged tours, there are agencies that can set you up fine, but it's more fun to just wander from city to city and book tee times through your hotel concierge. Most of the Vietnam golf clubs can also be contacted by email before you even arrive in Vietnam.
You can fly into Hanoi and play your way toward the south, or, as is my preference, you can take the United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Ho Chi Minh City, and play northward.
Ho Chi Minh City still has the greatest number of courses, and all are within a reasonable drive of downtown hotels. My favorite is the Vietnam Golf and Country Club located in Thu Duc district. Two 18-hole courses offer challenges for golfers of every skill level. The West Course, with tight fairways and greens that were designed by a sadist, is not for the faint of heart. The more open East Course is probably preferable for the less experienced golfer. Oh, and I must also point out that several of the West Course holes are near a Vietnamese military firing range and it is not at all unusual to find spent AK-47 rounds on the greens, or to hear the popping sound of soldiers trying to learn marksmanship.
To the southeast of Ho Chi Minh City, in the coastal city of Vung Tau, is a beautiful seaside course that has a picture postcard view from every tee box. Rounding out my favorite southern Vietnam Golf clubs are Ocean Dunes in Phan Thiet (three hours drive up the coastal highway from Ho Chi Minh City), and Dalat Palace Golf Course, in the mountains to the northwest about four hours drive. The Par 3 number 9 hole at Ocean Dunes, with the South China Sea as a backdrop is listed as one of the 100 most picturesque golf holes in the world. A flat course, with lots of water hazards, this course is a challenge in the afternoons because of the strong winds that blow in from the ocean. Dalat, on the other hand, is a course for people who are part mountain goat. Its biggest advantage for me is that at the altitude, my tee shots go 20 to 40 yards farther, and it is always cool, even when the lowlands are sweltering.
I've only played two of the northern courses, King's Island (the first golf course built in the north) with its Lakeside and Mountain View courses, and Dragon Phoenix, a 54-hole course built by a Korean investor. If you play Dragon Phoenix, be sure to take a good supply of balls. The lush jungle that lines the fairways took 11 balls from my bag when I played there last year.
This is just a small sampling of the golf that's available when you go to Vietnam, but it should be enough to have you looking for your passport and dusting off your golf travel bag. For a golfing vacation you'll never forget, next time, visit Vietnam.
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