Destinations
Hoi An Golf Guide
Hoi An is where the golf trip becomes a holiday: a UNESCO-listed old town of lanterns and tailoring at one end of the road, three strong courses at the other, and some of Vietnam's best food in between.
The courses near Hoi An
The headline is Hoiana Shores, the Robert Trent Jones Jr-designed resort course that has quickly become one of the country's most sought-after rounds: true dunes land on the South China Sea, with the kind of bold, open green complexes that suit the running game. Beside it, Montgomerie Links offers a tighter, bunkering-rich test ten minutes closer to town. South towards Tam Ky, Vinpearl Golf Nam Hoi An spreads across a huge coastal property with water in play and room to swing: a strong third round that rounds out a Hoi An stay. And the entire Da Nang belt, from Ba Na Hills to Legend, sits within 40 minutes for days when you want to range further.
Where to stay: old town or beach?
Hoi An splits neatly in two. The old town and its riverside fringe put the lanterns, markets and tailoring houses at your feet, with boutique hotels in restored shophouses: perfect for the food-and-culture half of the group. The beach strip at An Bang and Cua Dai, five kilometres east, holds the resort pools and the sea. Golf groups usually split the difference over a week: a few nights each side. Our where-to-stay guide breaks down the options by style and budget.
The old town between rounds
However your scorecard reads, Hoi An's old town restores perspective. Yellow-walled merchant houses, the covered Japanese Bridge, tailor shops turning around a fitted suit in 24 hours, and the nightly lantern-lighting on the river. Food is the serious business: cao lầu noodles found only here, white-rose dumplings, banh mi that once held the world's attention, and riverside seafood. We schedule the old town for the afternoons after morning rounds, and our food walks make sure you eat what matters rather than what merely looks good.
Getting around
Everything is close: old town to beach is ten minutes by taxi, beach to Hoiana Shores five more, and the Da Nang airport 45 minutes north. Bicycles remain the old town's pleasant default. The only real transfer decision in a Hoi An-based week is whether to range north to Ba Na Hills or Laguna for a day: worth it once, not daily.
A sample four-night plan
- Day 1: arrive, sunset at An Bang beach, old-town dinner.
- Day 2: Hoiana Shores in the morning, tailoring fittings and lanterns in the afternoon.
- Day 3: Montgomerie Links, then a cooking class or river cruise.
- Day 4: Vinpearl Nam Hoi An or a Da Nang excursion, farewell dinner riverside.
Who a Hoi An base suits
Couples and mixed groups above all: the non-golfing hours here are the best in central Vietnam. Food-focused travellers, too, and anyone who likes their golf trip with a strong sense of place. Pure golf-mad fourballs may prefer the Da Nang strip for its density of courses, and we will tell you honestly which base fits your group.
The courses at a glance
| Course | Character | Transfer from the old town |
|---|---|---|
| Hoiana Shores | Robert Trent Jones Jr dunes beside the sea | roughly 20–30 minutes |
| Montgomerie Links | Bunkering-rich Scottish-influenced test | roughly 15–25 minutes |
| Vinpearl Nam Hoi An | Big coastal resort layout, water in play | roughly 40–50 minutes |
| Da Nang belt | Ba Na Hills, Legend and more | roughly 35–50 minutes |
Common questions
Should we base in Hoi An or Da Nang?
Food and atmosphere favour Hoi An; course density and airport proximity favour Da Nang. Splitting a week between them costs little in transfers and gives you both: a pattern many of our holidays use.
Is Hoiana Shores hard to book?
Its reputation has made the prime morning blocks competitive in peak season. Book it first and build the rest of the itinerary around whatever we secure.
The seasons around Hoi An
Hoi An shares the central coast's rhythm: dry and settled from roughly February to August, wetter from September through January. The old town floods briefly in the heaviest October and November rains: atmospheric rather than alarming, but worth knowing when you choose dates. For golf, the dry window is the easy recommendation; for value and thinner crowds, the shoulders of late February and September give a great deal of the experience.
Tailoring, made easy
No Hoi An visit is complete without the tailors, and golfers use them better than anyone: waterproofs copied from your favourite jacket, extra polos in breathable fabric, a linen shirt for the farewell dinner: measured on day one, fitted on day two, delivered to your hotel before departure. Bring a garment you love as the template.