Central Vietnam has quietly become one of Asia’s great golf coasts, a short strip around Danang and Hoi An where a cluster of championship courses by Robert Trent Jones Junior, Luke Donald, Greg Norman and Nick Faldo sit beside three star beaches and a UNESCO old town. Here are the six we rate most highly, ranked, with our verdict on each and how to play it.
Photograph: Legend Danang Golf Resort, thuonghieu ketnoithuonghieu, via Google
The Danang region is compact, with most of its courses inside an hour of the airport, so a top six captures essentially the whole championship field rather than a thin slice of it. We weighed design quality, conditioning, the variety of the settings, from oceanfront links to mountain forest, and how a visiting golfer combines them into a trip, which here is easy given the short distances. The number one, Hoiana Shores, is a genuine coastal links by Robert Trent Jones Junior that was named the world’s best new course soon after it opened.
Behind it sits an unusually strong group for so young a destination, from the mountain spectacle of Ba Na Hills, the longest course in the country, to the seaside Norman and Faldo layouts and Colin Montgomerie’s links. Every fact here, from designer to opening year and yardage, was checked at the time of writing, and where a detail could not be confirmed we have described a course by its character rather than guess. The verdicts are ours and the order reflects our editors’ view. If you want these built into a costed trip with Hoi An as a base, that is exactly what our concierge does.
The best course in central Vietnam and one of the finest in Asia, a true coastal links by Robert Trent Jones Junior that opened in 2019 and was named the world’s best new course in 2020. Laid out along a wild stretch of the South China Sea, it has the firm turf, sea breezes and rumpled ground of a genuine links, a rarity in the tropics. The unmissable round of any central Vietnam trip.
The most dramatic inland course in the country, designed by Luke Donald with IMG in the native forest at the foot of the Ba Na Hills, about twenty five minutes from the city. At more than seven thousand eight hundred yards from the tips it is the longest course in Vietnam, with mountain air, jungle framing and a serious championship test. A complete contrast to the coast and a multiple award winner.
A links style course built in the true spirit of the game by Greg Norman along the sandy coast just north of the Marble Mountains, running to around seven thousand one hundred and sixty yards. Open, windswept and dotted with deep bunkering, it was the course that announced Danang as a golf destination, and a second course by Jack Nicklaus Design has since joined it. A strong, accessible seaside round.
An eighteen hole, par 71 championship course designed by Sir Nick Faldo, set on a spectacular sliver of land between mountains, paddy fields and the sea on the road north toward Hue. Holes thread lagoons and natural streams below forested peaks, giving one of the prettiest rounds in the region. Part of an integrated resort, which makes it an easy and scenic stay and play.
Colin Montgomerie’s links style championship course sits on sandy ground midway between Danang and Hoi An, a convenient base for a golfing stay. Rolling fairways, large undulating greens and clusters of pot bunkers give it a Scottish accent under the Vietnamese sun. Mature, well run and central to the whole cluster, it is a dependable part of any itinerary here.
A resort course on the Thu Bon river delta near Hoi An, laid out across flat, water laced ground with the relaxed, holiday feel of a tropical island layout. It is the gentlest of the local championship courses and an easy, enjoyable round to pair with the old town and the beaches. A pleasant addition for groups wanting a lighter day between the bigger tests.
Designers, opening years and yardages verified June 2026 against course and resort records, with any course described by character where a detail could not be confirmed. Most courses around Danang welcome visitors and sit within an hour of the airport. Always confirm tee times and fees directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
Tell us whether it is the Hoiana and BRG coast, the Faldo course at Lang Co or a full circuit based in Hoi An, and roughly when. One concierge arranges the tee times and the base and costs the trip to the head, with no obligation.
Hoiana Shores, a Robert Trent Jones Junior coastal links that opened in 2019, is the clear number one and was named the world’s best new course in 2020. Ba Na Hills, the longest course in Vietnam, and the Greg Norman course at BRG Danang are next.
The Danang and Hoi An area has a cluster of around five to six championship courses within an hour of the airport, which is why central Vietnam is increasingly described as the golf coast of the country. Their variety, from links to mountain forest, lets you play a different style each day.
The driest and most reliable window runs from roughly February to August, with the heaviest rain arriving between October and December. Golf is playable year round, but a spring or early summer trip gives the best mix of warm, dry weather and firm turf.
Yes, and most golfers do. The UNESCO listed old town of Hoi An and its beaches sit around thirty to forty five minutes from the main courses, which makes it an ideal and atmospheric base for a golf trip that mixes championship rounds with culture and food.
Asian course news, new openings around Danang and the stay and play windows worth moving on first. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designers, opening years and settings verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.