Việt Nam’s pristine coastline is showcased to stunning effect at courses such as the Sir Nick Faldo-designed Laguna Golf Lăng Cô. — Photos Balcony Media Group
LĂNG CÔ — Pre-pandemic the buzz about Việt Nam’s golf courses was almost as loud as the motorbike horns that soundtrack daily life in the major cities.
Adam Calver, director of golf at Laguna Golf Lăng Cô – a marketing organisation that links Central Việt Nam’s best signature golf courses – has tipped the nation to make even bigger noise in golf travel following its reopening to international visitors in March.
“Asia’s top golf destination is not just recovering following the pandemic: it’s getting even better,” Calver said.
In recent years, Việt Nam has forged a reputation as Asia’s ultimate bucket-list golf destination.
Big-name architects including Sir Nick Faldo (designer of Laguna Golf Lăng Cô), Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, and Robert Trent Jones Jr have made their mark with a string of incredible layouts the length and breadth of the Southeast Asian country.
The course at Laguna Golf Lăng Cô is carved through an emerald jungle near the azure East Sea.
Global accolades for the nation, meanwhile, including the coveted title of World’s Best Golf Destination at the 2021 World Golf Awards, fuelled pent-up demand for travel during a period when Việt Nam’s borders remained largely closed.
Nobody involved in Việt Nam’s tourism industry expects visitor numbers to immediately bounce back to pre-pandemic levels. But golf industry insiders like Calver predict a bright future for clubs in Việt Nam following the reopening, pointing to a growing contingent of layouts that are maintaining the country’s reputation for quality.
“A lot has been going on here (in Việt Nam) during the pandemic,” said Calver. “New courses have been popping up all over the country so golfers who have visited Việt Nam in the past have a number of new courses to experience when they return.
“For example, many golfers won’t have been in Central Việt Nam since 2019. We already had five great championship courses here at that time. Now, with the addition of Hoiana Shores and the second course at BRG Đà Nẵng Golf Resort (a Nicklaus design), we now have seven.”
Like other layouts around the country, Laguna Golf Lăng Cô has been forced to contend with stern challenges posed by the pandemic over the course of the past couple of years. But the club, which recently ranked No 88 on Golf World’s Top 100 Golf Resorts in the world list, is training its sights on a major resurgence over the coming months.
With the sleek accommodations at Banyan Tree Residences upping the luxe factor, Laguna Lăng Cô has earned its status as one of the world’s premier golf resorts.
At Laguna Golf Lăng Cô, two award-winning resorts – Angsana Lăng Cô and Banyan Tree Lăng Cô as well as the ultra-luxe Banyan Tree Residences and the Laguna Park Golf Villas along the 18th hole just a hundred metres from the clubhouse and the beach – round out one of Asia’s most attractive stay/play packages. The club is witnessing an uptick in bookings from various key international markets including Korea and Europe as well as from domestic travellers.
“Demand is surging here once again,” said Calver. “Before, I would have said that anyone serious about golf travel should be coming to Việt Nam at least once in their life. With world-class courses opening all the time, I would revise that to say that you’d need to return every few years to do the place justice.” — VNS
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