Golf in Hanoi and the North: The Complete Guide
Northern Vietnam is the country's quietest great golf story. Hanoi sits inside a ring of serious courses, from the 55 holes of Kings Island, reached by boat across the Dong Mo reservoir, to a Nicklaus design on the hills at Soc Son and a clifftop spectacular above Ha Long Bay, and weekday rounds still start around 80 dollars with a caddie. Pair it with the old quarter, the food and the bay, and you have Asia's best value city and golf double act.
Photograph: BRG Kings Island Golf Resort, Dong Mo, via Google
Why golf here
Danang gets the magazine covers, but the North is where Vietnamese golf began and where its members actually play. Kings Island opened on the Dong Mo reservoir in 1993 as the North's pioneering course and has grown into a 55 hole resort; Van Tri brought Peter Rousseau's parkland polish and the North's first true private club culture; and the last decade added Nicklaus and Schmidt Curley designs within day trip range of the capital. The result is a destination with depth no single resort strip can match: seven or eight rounds of genuine variety, none more than 90 minutes from your hotel lobby, at fees that buy you one round in Dubai.
The trip logic is simple. Base in Hanoi for the food, the lakes and the old quarter, play the ring of courses around the city, then finish with two nights at Ha Long Bay, where the golf looks over the karst towers and a cruise fills the rest day. For the wider country picture, start with our Vietnam destination guide and the best courses in Vietnam ranking.
The courses that matter
BRG Kings Island Golf Resort, Dong Mo
The North's original and still its essential day out: 55 holes on a 350 hectare site wrapped in the Dong Mo reservoir, 45 kilometers west of Hanoi, with the short boat ride across the water doing more to clear the head than any spa. The Lakeside course, by Robert McFarland, is the 1993 original; Mountain View, by Australia's Pacific Coast Designs, added resort width in 2004; and the Kings Course, by Jack Nicklaus II, is the modern championship test of the three. Water frames everything, and the Ba Vi mountain backdrop earns its postcard.
Sky Lake Resort and Golf Club, Chuong My
36 holes by Korea's Bori Golf Design under lead architect Ahn Moon Hwan, about an hour southwest of the center. The Sky course is the sterner of the pair, climbing through rock outcrops and ravines, while the Lake course plays around the reservoir below. Korean weekend traffic tells you who rates it; come midweek and it is the best conditioned quiet golf in the region, with a Wyndham resort on site if you want to stay over.
Van Tri Golf Club, Hanoi
Peter Rousseau's parkland near the airport was North Vietnam's first private golf property and still feels like it: dead flat ground turned interesting through angles, water and some of the truest greens in the country. Access is the catch, since members come first, but weekday visitor slots can be arranged through hotels and operators, and serious golfers should take one when offered. This is where Hanoi's diplomats and low handicaps play their money matches.
BRG Legend Hill Golf Resort, Soc Son
Nicklaus Design's first Vietnamese course, opened 2015 on the hills near the airport, and the firm's twin green concept gives every hole two distinct targets, so the course changes shape day to day. It is the cleverest 18 in the North and the natural pick for a fly in, fly out round: 40 minutes from Noi Bai airport, playable the afternoon you land.
Long Bien Golf Course, Hanoi
27 holes inside the city on the Red River side, ten minutes from the old quarter, with floodlights that keep the tee sheet running after dark. Nobody calls it the North's best design; everybody ends up grateful for it, because night golf after a day of meetings or sightseeing is exactly what a city course is for.
FLC Golf Club Ha Long, Ha Long Bay
Schmidt Curley's 2017 layout climbs the hillside above the bay, 20 minutes from the cruise harbor, and the back nine views over the limestone karst are the single best photo opportunity in Vietnamese golf. The course is short of championship length but long on drama, and as the closing round of a northern week, with a bay cruise the next morning, it is unbeatable.
Beyond the headline six, the wider region hides value: Tam Dao in the hill country, Trang An among the Ninh Binh karst and a growing cluster of newer estates east of the city all reward an extra day. Course facts verified June 2026.
When to go
| Months | Weather | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| October to November | Dry, clear, mid 20s Celsius | The prime window: the best light, the best turf, book courses and hotels ahead |
| December to February | Cool, 10 to 20 degrees, gray spells and drizzle | Playable with a sweater and the quietest tee sheets of the year; Ha Long can be misty |
| March to April | Warming, low to mid 20s, humidity building | The solid second choice; blossom in the old quarter, courses in good order |
| May to September | Hot, 30 plus, humid, afternoon downpours | Dawn and twilight golf only; rates soften and floodlit Long Bien earns its keep |
Costs, logistics and where to stay
What it costs
Weekday visitor rounds at the headline courses generally run about 80 to 150 dollars including a caddie, with weekends roughly 120 to 200; caddies are standard and tip around 10 to 15 dollars. A week with five rounds, four star hotels and private transfers books comfortably from about 1,800 to 2,500 dollars a head through operators, indicative for 2026, always confirm directly before booking. That is roughly half the equivalent week in Phuket or Dubai. Check tee time availability.
Getting there and around
Noi Bai international airport has direct flights from across Asia and the Gulf, with one stop connections from Europe and North America. None of the headline courses sits more than 90 minutes from the center, but Hanoi traffic is real: book cars through your hotel or operator rather than chancing taxis with clubs, and treat Kings Island's boat departure as a hard tee time. Ha Long is about two hours east on the expressway, which is why the bay works as the closing leg rather than a day trip.
Where to stay
Base in the French quarter or beside Hoan Kiem lake for the classic Hanoi stay, then move to a bay view hotel or an overnight cruise junk for the Ha Long finish; golfers who prefer resort quiet can split the week with nights at Sky Lake's on site Wyndham. See our recommended Hanoi and Ha Long stays. If your trip leans south instead, the Danang and Central Vietnam guide covers the coastal alternative, and courses like Laguna Lang Co pair naturally with a northern week on a two stop itinerary. For the full money picture, our Vietnam golf holidays page builds the costed trip.
Plan your Hanoi golf trip
Tell us your dates and group, and one concierge books the courses in the right order, arranges the cars and the boat at Kings Island, and costs the whole trip to the head, Ha Long cruise included. No obligation.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Tee time windows, course access changes and the trips worth taking. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts and indicative costs verified June 2026 from club and operator published information. Last reviewed June 2026.