Golf in Vietnam
Da Nang vs Ho Chi Minh City Golf
Vietnam's two great golf gateways offer opposite trips: the beach-belt resort circuit against the big-city championship circuit. Here is how to choose: or how to do both in one trip.
Da Nang: the resort belt
Da Nang's case is density and ease. Five international-standard courses: Ba Na Hills, Montgomerie Links, Legend's two layouts, Hoiana Shores: sit within 40 minutes of the airport, with Laguna's Faldo championship another half-hour up the coast. You base on the beach, play a different course every morning, and spend afternoons in Hoi An's old town or the resort pool. The climate delivers a long dry season from February to August; the caddie culture is at its most polished; and the whole trip runs at resort pace: unhurried, comfortable, easy with mixed groups. The honest weaknesses: less urban energy, and weekend tee sheets that book out far ahead in peak season.
Ho Chi Minh City: the championship belt
Saigon's case is character and challenge. Long Thanh, the south's benchmark members' course, asks questions no central resort course asks; The Bluffs at Ho Tram delivers the country's most dramatic links land an hour up the coast; and Tan Son Nhat offers the novelty of runway golf ten minutes from the terminal. Between rounds, the city itself is the attraction: the food, the markets, the rooftop bars, the history. The dry season (December to April) is superb; the evenings are the best in Vietnam. The honest weaknesses: traffic lengthens every transfer, summer humidity tests midday rounds, and the golf is more scattered than Da Nang's tight cluster.
Head to head
| Da Nang | Ho Chi Minh City | |
|---|---|---|
| Course density | 5+ within 40 minutes | scattered; drives of 45–120 minutes |
| Signature tests | Ba Na Hills, Hoiana Shores, Laguna | Long Thanh, The Bluffs |
| Best season | February–August | December–April |
| Off-course life | beaches, Hoi An, relaxed evenings | superb food, nightlife, history |
| Suits | first-trips, mixed groups, resort lovers | serious golfers, food-first groups, city people |
Doing both in one trip
The domestic flight between Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City runs about an hour and a half and prices modestly when booked ahead, so a two-centre trip is easy: a week on the central coast followed by two or three Saigon nights with Long Thanh and The Bluffs. The seasons even cooperate for winter travel: the south's dry window overlaps the central shoulder. Our Discovery and Signature holidays are built around exactly this logic; ask and we will sequence it to your dates.
Common questions
Which is better for a first Vietnam golf trip?
Da Nang, for most groups: the density, the dry season and the resort ease make it the gentlest introduction. Golfers who rank challenge and food above convenience should start in the south.
Which is better in July?
Ho Chi Minh City and the south, in the middle of their dry season, while the central coast runs hot and hazy: though the mountain air at Ba Na Hills softens July considerably.
Costs Compared: Green Fees, Stays and Extras
Budget is where the two regions diverge most clearly. Central coast golf around Da Nang generally offers stronger value: green fees at championship courses are typically lower than at comparable Saigon-area clubs, and resort accommodation along My Khe beach and the Hoi An corridor is competitively priced across a wide range. Ho Chi Minh City golf tends to cost more at the top end, particularly at private-feeling clubs in the southern and western suburbs, though weekday twilight rates can be reasonable.
Add-ons behave similarly in both regions: caddie and cart fees are usually separate from green fees, and caddie tips are expected everywhere. Overall, a week of golf on the central coast usually comes in noticeably cheaper than the same number of rounds around Saigon: our Vietnam golf holiday cost guide gives ballpark figures, but confirm current rates with each club directly before booking.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Da Nang and Hoi An if golf is the centrepiece of the trip and you want courses, beach and old-town dining woven together without long transfers. The region works beautifully for first-time visitors to Vietnam, for couples and for groups who want a relaxed rhythm between rounds. Allow at least five to seven days to do the region justice: our Da Nang golf guide and Hoi An golf guide cover the courses in detail.
Choose Ho Chi Minh City if you are combining golf with business travel, city exploration or a longer southern itinerary that might include the Mekong Delta or a beach extension toward Vung Tau. The golf is good and the courses are memorable, but the city is the main event and the fairways sit around it. Many returning visitors do both on separate trips rather than trying to cram both regions into one short visit.
Getting Between the Two (and When to Combine)
The flight between Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City takes roughly an hour and a half, with frequent daily services, so combining both in one trip is entirely practical. A sensible split for a ten-day visit is a week on the central coast followed by three days in Saigon, or the reverse if your international flight lands in the south. Internal flights are affordable when booked ahead, though prices climb sharply around Vietnamese public holidays, so check the calendar before committing to a combined itinerary.