Northern Vietnam has become one of Asia's most rewarding golf surprises, and Hanoi is the hub, ringed by a dozen courses set in the hills, lakes and limestone country beyond the city. Two Jack Nicklaus designs, a Korean built hillside championship layout and a private estate sit within ninety minutes of the old quarter, and the value, the welcome and the food make it a brilliant group trip. Here are the seven courses we rate most highly, ranked, with our verdict on each and how to play it.
Photograph: Sky Lake Resort and Golf Club, via Google
Hanoi golf is resort and country golf rather than city golf. With one exception the courses sit outside the capital in the surrounding provinces, in the hills around Ba Vi, the lakes of Vinh Phuc and the forests of Hoa Binh, which is part of the appeal, since the drives lead into genuinely beautiful country and several courses come with their own lodging for an early start. The headline is Sky Lake, a dramatic hillside layout that ranks among the best in the country, supported by two Jack Nicklaus designs and a clutch of well built resort courses that have raised the standard sharply over the last decade.
We weighed the quality and originality of the golf, the setting and conditioning and the strength of the wider trip each course anchors, because a Hanoi golf trip pairs the rounds with one of the great cities of Southeast Asia. We have noted where access is restricted, as at the private Van Tri. The order is our editors' view, so reasonable people will reorder the resort courses. If you want any of these built into a costed trip with the tee times and a city base secured, that is exactly what our concierge does.
The best course in the Hanoi area and one of the top rated in Vietnam, a hilly 36 hole resort southwest of the city designed by Korean architect Ahn Moon Hwan, with the Sky and Lake courses tumbling through wooded hills around water. Dramatic elevation changes, bold green complexes and big views make it a genuine championship test and the standout round of any northern trip. Around an hour from the centre, with on site lodging for an early tee time.
Vietnam's most characterful golf destination, on an island in Dong Mo Lake reached by a short speedboat ride, where the only thing ashore is golf. Three courses, the older Lakeside and Mountainview layouts and a newer Kings Course by Jack Nicklaus, run across rolling, wooded terrain with water and mountain views throughout. The boat ride and the setting make it a group favourite and one of the most memorable rounds in the north.
The first Jack Nicklaus design to open in Vietnam, in 2015, and the first course in the country with two greens on every hole, a clever way to keep surfaces fresh and vary the round. Laid out across rolling hills around twenty minutes from Noi Bai airport, it is the most convenient quality course for a group flying in, with generous Nicklaus shaping and strong conditioning. An easy first or last round of a northern trip.
North Vietnam's first exclusively private golf estate, a Peter Rousseau design that opened in 2007 about thirty minutes from the city and remains the most exclusive club in the region. A mature, immaculately kept par 72 with water and clever strategy, it is the course the country's establishment plays, and access is by member introduction or a specialist arrangement. Worth the effort for a group that wants to play where few visitors do.
A long standing favourite in the hills of Vinh Phuc north of the city, an IMG design that opened in 2007 with large mountains and forested ridges providing dramatic backdrops on many holes. The cooler upland air is a welcome change in the warmer months, and the scenery is among the best in the north. A scenic, enjoyable round that pairs well with a night at the nearby hill station of Tam Dao.
A sprawling 54 hole resort in the forests of Hoa Binh, about an hour southwest of Hanoi, designed by an international team and built to a high standard with mountain, lake and valley nines that can be mixed into varied loops. The scale, the scenery and the on site lodging make it a popular weekend base for groups, with enough golf to fill several days without repeating a hole. Quieter and greener than the courses nearer the city.
The most central course in Hanoi, laid out on reclaimed ground across the Red River from the old quarter, just fifteen minutes from the centre. Flat, parkland in character and floodlit for evening play, it is not the most dramatic round in the region, but its location makes it the easy choice for a quick game without a long drive, ideal at the start or end of a trip or for a group short on time.
Designers, opening years and rankings verified June 2026 from the clubs and recognized course databases; access, conditioning and green fees vary by season and year. Van Tri is a private club, so always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
Tell us the group, the rough dates and whether you want the marquee courses around Ba Vi and the lakes, a longer northern tour or a combination with central Vietnam, and we will build it. One concierge secures the tee times, including the private clubs where access allows, sorts the city base and the transfers, and costs the whole trip to the head, with no obligation.
Sky Lake Resort and Golf Club, the hilly 36 hole layout southwest of the city designed by Korean architect Ahn Moon Hwan, is widely rated the best course near Hanoi and one of the top courses in Vietnam. The two Jack Nicklaus courses, the Kings Course at the island resort of BRG Kings Island and BRG Legend Hill, are the other standout rounds, with Van Tri the most exclusive.
There are around a dozen quality golf courses within roughly an hour to ninety minutes of central Hanoi, spread across the surrounding provinces of Vinh Phuc, Hoa Binh and the area around Ba Vi. Most sit outside the city in the hills and lakes, so a Hanoi golf trip involves short drives, and several resorts offer on site lodging for an early start.
The best window is the cool, dry season from October to April, with comfortable temperatures and lower humidity. The summer months from May to September are hot and humid with afternoon storms, so early tee times are essential. The far north can be cool and misty in deep winter. Always confirm conditions and tee times before booking.
Vietnamese golf, the Hanoi tee time windows and the trips worth taking. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designers, opening years and rankings verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.