Vietnam has gone from golf unknown to one of Asia's most exciting destinations in barely a decade, with Greg Norman, Robert Trent Jones Jr, Nick Faldo and Luke Donald all building along its coast. Great value, warm hospitality and a dense cluster of courses near Danang make it ideal for a buddies trip. Here are the eight we would build a group itinerary around, ranked, with our verdict on each.
Photograph: Hoiana Shores Golf Club, via Google
A buddies trip to Vietnam works because the best golf is concentrated and the off course value is exceptional. Central Vietnam around Danang and Hoi An is the heart of it, with a true links by Robert Trent Jones Jr at Hoiana Shores, mountain golf by Luke Donald at Ba Na Hills, a Nick Faldo design at Laguna Lang Co and two more strong courses all within an hour, plus a coastline of resorts to base in. Add Greg Norman's number one ranked Bluffs Ho Tram near Ho Chi Minh City and his KN Cam Ranh links near Nha Trang and you have a country that punches well above its weight.
We weighed design pedigree, conditioning, variety and how the courses group into an easy itinerary, which for most groups means a Danang base with a possible second leg south. The courses here are resort and daily fee layouts that welcome visitors and are simple to book through a tour operator, with caddies the norm and green fees a fraction of Europe or Australia. Every designer and detail was checked at the time of writing. The order and the verdicts are our editors' view, so reasonable people will reorder the field. If you want these built into a costed trip, that is exactly what our concierge does.
Vietnam's highest ranked course and its only regular entry on the world top 100 lists, a Greg Norman design carved through towering natural dunes on the coast a couple of hours from Ho Chi Minh City. Big, bold and exposed to the wind off the South China Sea, it is the most dramatic golf in the country and a genuine bucket list round. A little out on its own to the south, but worth building a leg around for a group chasing the best Vietnam has.
A world class Robert Trent Jones Jr links built on pure sand along the coast just south of Hoi An, opened in 2019 and quickly rated among the best in Asia. Treeless, firm and running, with the sea framing the closing holes, it is the most authentic links experience in the country and the jewel of the Danang cluster. Pair it with a few days exploring the ancient town of Hoi An and it anchors a superb central Vietnam buddies trip.
Another Greg Norman links, this one near Nha Trang on Cam Ranh Bay, stretching over 7,150 yards from the tips through sand dunes between the mountains and the sea. Long, scenic and a serious test from the back tees, it gives lower handicappers something to get their teeth into and the resort coast of Nha Trang for the evenings. The natural centrepiece of a southern central leg and one of the country's best modern builds.
A Luke Donald design in the cooler hills above Danang, repeatedly named Asia's best golf course at the World Golf Awards. The elevation gives respite from the coastal heat and a string of dramatic, tumbling holes through forested valleys, a complete contrast to the seaside links nearby. It adds real variety to a Danang itinerary and the kind of memorable, photogenic golf a group will talk about long after the trip. A must on the central circuit.
Sir Nick Faldo's jungle meets ocean design near Lang Co Bay, a par 71 that runs between a pristine beach, rice paddies and a river beneath forested mountains. Wild, scenic and varied, it sits within the comfortable Laguna resort and makes an easy, enjoyable round for a mixed group. Roughly an hour north of Danang, it pairs naturally with Ba Na Hills and Hoiana for a three course central Vietnam week with a relaxed beach base.
Danang's most established golf, the former Danang Golf Club, where Greg Norman's Dunes Course plays a links style layout along the coast right by the city's resort strip. Mature, well conditioned and convenient, it is the easiest round to slot into a Danang trip and a reliably good test in the breeze. With a second course on site it gives a group plenty of golf in one place, minutes from the hotels and the beach.
A Colin Montgomerie design between Danang and Hoi An, a five star links style course rated among Asia's most elite when it opened. Rolling, sandy and well bunkered, with generous fairways that suit a fun group round, it is central to the Danang cluster and an easy addition to any itinerary. Less wild than Hoiana but polished and welcoming, it rounds out the trio of coastal courses a group can play from a single base.
A coastal resort course south of Hoi An, part of the large Vinpearl leisure complex, an enjoyable and accessible layout that makes a relaxed fourth or fifth round on a longer central Vietnam trip. It will not test a group the way the marquee courses do, but the conditioning is good, the price keen and the resort facilities strong, which makes it a comfortable option for a mixed ability group looking to keep playing without raising the stakes.
Designers and details verified June 2026 from the clubs and leading databases; these are resort and daily fee courses that welcome visitors and book easily through operators. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
Tell us whether you want the Danang cluster of Hoiana, Ba Na Hills and Laguna Lang Co, a southern leg adding KN Cam Ranh or The Bluffs, or the full coast, and roughly when. One concierge secures the tee times, sorts the resorts and the transfers, and costs the trip to the head, with no obligation.
The Bluffs Ho Tram, a Greg Norman design in the dunes near Vung Tau, is the highest ranked course in Vietnam and a worthy centrepiece, though most buddies trips are built around the dense cluster near Danang, where Hoiana Shores, Ba Na Hills and Laguna Lang Co sit within an hour of each other. Both make a great trip.
Danang and Hoi An in central Vietnam are the heart of the country's golf, with Hoiana Shores, Ba Na Hills, Laguna Lang Co, BRG Danang and Montgomerie Links all close by and a wide choice of resorts. A second leg can add KN Cam Ranh near Nha Trang or The Bluffs Ho Tram near Ho Chi Minh City. Danang suits most first trips.
February to August is best for central Vietnam around Danang, when the weather is driest and the courses in good order, while the wet season runs roughly October to December. The south near Ho Chi Minh City plays year round. Plan around the regional monsoon, as conditions vary along the long coastline.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course designers and details verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.