Robert Trent Jones Jr designed Hoiana Shores on one of the most naturally gifted pieces of golf land in Southeast Asia: a stretch of white sand dunes running along an unspoiled section of Vietnam's central coast, approximately 30 kilometres south of Da Nang and within close reach of Hoi An's Ancient Town. The result is a course that plays as pure links golf in a tropical setting — and makes a compelling argument that it is the finest links-style layout in the region.
Where the other marquee Vietnam courses adapt their settings to golf — sculpting parkland at Laguna, terracing the mountainside at Ba Na Hills — Hoiana Shores works with what the land already offers. The dunes are real. The coastal grasses are natural. The ball runs across firm ground in a way that rewards low-flight shots and punishes the player who approaches links golf with the same aerial game they use on resort parkland courses.
The Links Character: What to Expect
Links golf demands a different mindset from parkland play, and Hoiana Shores is serious about this. The fairways are firm and the ball releases on landing rather than stopping. Greens are exposed to the coastal breeze, and pin placements near the edges of undulating surfaces reward precise distance control and disciplined target selection. The rough — coastal grasses that grow in thick, unpredictable clusters — penalises anything more than a minor miss from the fairway.
The ground game is not just an option at Hoiana Shores — it is often the optimal play. A bump-and-run approach that lands short of the green and rolls onto the putting surface is frequently more effective than a high-flying approach that has to hold a wind-buffeted green. Players from Australia, New Zealand, and the UK who have grown up playing in coastal conditions will recognise the logic immediately. Those accustomed exclusively to parkland golf will find the first half of the round a recalibration exercise — and the second half a revelation.
Best Holes and the White Sand Setting
The par-3s at Hoiana Shores are among the best in Vietnam. Several feature tee shots over natural dune valleys to elevated greens, where the carry must negotiate both yardage and wind — and where the white sand bunkers surrounding the greens are both visually spectacular and practically punishing. These bunkers are deep, with sand that plays differently from the manicured bunkers at resort-style courses. A practised bunker technique helps enormously.
The par-5s give longer hitters the opportunity to exploit the firm ground. A well-struck drive on Hoiana's par-5s can generate unusual run and leave approach shots at distances that would surprise players used to measuring purely by carry distance. The par-4s are the course's most strategically nuanced holes — many require thoughtful tee shot placement to open up the approach angle, and the temptation to overhit from the tee consistently leads to trouble.
The setting throughout — white sand dunes, coastal grasses, the South China Sea visible from the elevated tee boxes — is exceptional. Photographs struggle to capture it. The sound of the ocean between shots and the feel of the sea breeze against the golf shot are things you have to be present for.
The Hoiana Resort and Proximity to Hoi An
Hoiana Shores sits within the broader Hoiana resort complex, which includes hotel accommodation, restaurants, a casino, and entertainment facilities. The resort is modern and well-operated, and dining options on-site are good. For golfers staying in Hoi An, the drive to the course is approximately 20-25 minutes through the back roads of the coastal plain — a scenic, traffic-free route that is one of the more pleasant transfers on the Vietnam circuit.
Hoi An's Ancient Town is the obvious after-round destination. The lantern-lit streets, tailors producing custom garments overnight, riverside restaurants serving Hoi An specialties — white rose dumplings, cao lau noodles, banh mi from the famous local bakeries — make the evenings here some of the most enjoyable on the entire ASEAN Links itinerary.
Hoiana Shores features on the Hoi An Links and Lanterns tour and the Grand ASEAN Tour 2027. Contact the team on WhatsApp (+84 70 327 1844) or at aseanlinksgolf@gmail.com.