A superb golf resort on the eastern coast of central Vietnam

The Montgomerie Links Golf Club is located between the city of Da Nang and the ancient town of Hoi An in central Vietnam. Hoi An is a wonderfully colourful and fascinating old town with much to see and do for those wishing to enjoy a slice of local culture to go with their golf. At Da Nang, which is served by an International Airport, you have all of the benefits of city life, wrapped in the delicious embrace of Vietnam. 

As part of the Vietnam tourist policy, golf has been chosen as a sport that would be an ideal way to encourage well-off tourism throughout the country, as it emerged from the shadows of war and conflict.

Top international golfers have often been sought to be part of the design team for various courses set up around the world; this generally works very well, as a course will be able to bask in the expertise and fame of the superstar golfer, and in return a handsome fee for the golfer and his (or far less frequently) her management team. Very few superstar golfers are actually qualified golf course architects, but some take more of a serious interest in the design of the course than others.

At Montgomerie Links, the course has been very well laid out to hit the tourist market. Golfing tourists fall into many categories, but most of them like to play a course of championship status, even though their involvement will start further down the fairway from an easier set of tees than those designed to test the best players in the world. Also, golfing tourists do not wish to lose two dozen golf balls in a round and be reminded too harshly of their golfing limitations: this is the reason why almost all resort courses across the world have many sets of tees and quite wide fairways with limited rough. Obviously the bunkers and water enhance the beauty, however these come with clear penalties if you hit your ball awry. 

The golf range at Montgomerie Links is well positioned approximately 300 yards from the clubhouse but quite convenient for the first tee. Golfers can just visit the range as it has its own separate car park and entrance. 

The range has 32 bays, all of which are generous in their dimensions with plenty of space behind for spectators, caddies, coaches and others to sit and wait while practice continues for the golfer.

The climate is hot and humid, as you would expect from a tropical location.  Vietnam is a socialist country and wants to ensure there is as close to full employment as possible, so caddies are mandatory – even if you’re riding in a golf buggy. Golf buggies are also very popular due to the heat and humidity, and at Montgomerie Links there is a huge fleet of very smart Club Car buggies, complete with GPS and the latest battery technology. In addition, there is an extra wide platform at the back so that the caddies can stand behind the golf clubs. All the caddies are women at Montgomerie Links – they are all beautifully turned out in gold and black uniform, complete with traditional conical hats. 

At the Montgomerie Links, the management have taken full advantage of the Colin Montgomerie brand. The Montgomerie Links logo is everywhere and a life-size cut-out of the great man is on display on the clubhouse patio. This provides a wonderful opportunity for golfing tourists to snap themselves with the man himself!

Although the course is named a links, it is really a parkland layout with a slightly links-type feel. It is beautifully contoured with swales and hollows, strategic bunkering and superb greens. There are interesting run off areas and the greens themselves are lightening fast, so positioning your ball beneath the hole is tactically significant if you wish to score your best. 

Pine trees line most of the fairways, but the absence of rough means that hitting from under the trees is not very difficult and keeps play moving at a reasonable pace. There is plenty of water and the vast bunkers make this excellent layout, very easy on the eye. 

Vietnam is enjoying a huge boost in terms of golf courses being built. No country in the world has built as many golf facilities over the last 10 years as Vietnam. There are now over 70 courses and all of them are built to a very high standard to attract wealthy tourists, particularly Japanese and European visitors.

So far, there are not so many home grown golfing stars, but it must surely only be a matter of time before there are several Vietnamese golfers on the world’s tours. As with South Korea, there is a much larger percentage of female players on the courses than you would see in a typical European setting.  These women, particularly the young girls, swing the club beautifully and hit the ball a mile. Most of the golfers playing were very dedicated to looking stylish, as well as enjoying this upper-crust sport. Asian women, in particular, do not wish the sun to interfere with their complexion and so it is a regular sight to see umbrellas deployed to block the sun from golfers as they move from their buggy to their shot. 

Most of the players at Montgomerie Links stay in the excellent hotel next to the course. There are other hotels and apartment blocks planned in this beach resort area. Covid has prevented some of these from continuing to be developed as originally planned, but the economy is thriving, and business is encouraged by the government, despite it being a communist state. The government realise that tourism is an extremely useful part of the overall economy and are keen to encourage inward investment to the country from overseas: the Japanese in particular are keen to encourage this type of long-term investment. 

Vietnam has a great climate, is relatively inexpensive and has a fascinating recent history with a rich culture throughout the ages. Fifty years ago, this area was unsafe to visit and in the midst of a filthy war. Now the war is over, the economy is booming and working. Before the Vietnam war, the country was heavily influenced by the French. This has clearly had an impact on much of the architecture and also the cuisine. There are many patisseries still baking excellent French favourites such as baguettes and choux pastry, as well as the acquired taste of grilled frogs in some of the more interesting restaurants (yuk!). The traditional Vietnamese food is delicious, lightly spiced, and flavoursome – a complete pleasure with a wide variety of dishes to suit most palates. 

The main surprise of visiting the Montgomerie Links was that there was only one golf coach and his literature was only available in Vietnamese. There must surely be a marvellous opportunity for the PGA to encourage more professionally qualified international golf coaches to base themselves in this wonderful country, full of opportunity.

If you enjoy golf and tourism, it is hard to find a better mix than booking a trip to Vietnam.