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Golf is no stranger to
Vietnam. Strange as it might
seem, the first golf course was
laid out in the country long
before Thailand, Indonesia and
other regional golfing
destinations had sown the the
seeds for the first greens in
their respective countries.
The beginning was 1922 when the
then Emperor of Vietnam, Bao Dai,
had a nine-hole course built in
the picturesque, central-highland
town of Dalat. This was very much
an Imperial indulgence - as was
the royal retreat, now
painstakingly restored as the
spectacular Sofitel Dalat Palace
- and the course fell into
disarray during the 1950s.
The Dalat course was briefly
revived during the late 1960s by
an enterprising Dalat resident,
Mr. Dao Huy Hach who, in place of
grass, had to make do with a
mixture of sand and engine oil.
At the end of the
American-Vietnam war, the course
was closed . . . but not
forgotten.
Thirty years later, Larry
Hillblom arrived in Vietnam and
he had a vision. He saw the old
course and Imperial dwellings and
embarked upon a mission to
restore both to their former
glory. This he achieved, and the
Dalat Palace Golf Club was opened
to official acclaim in 1994.
It wasn't the first golf club
to open for play however. One
year earlier on August 7th 1993,
then Vice Prime Minister Nguyen
Khanh took one swing at Hanoi's
King's Island Golf Club and
ushered in a new chapter in
Vietnam's history.
That club has since developed into a world-class venue, as have several other courses within Vietnam. While choices are perhaps a little limited with around nine completed courses throughout the country, quality is universally recognised as excellent, in terms of management, maintenance and service.
The majority of Vietnam's golf
clubs are located in the south of
the country, mainly around Ho Chi
Minh City. Three are within a
short drive from the city, a
couple a day trip or so away.
These latter have encouraged the
development of a thriving tourist
industry complementing the sport
and its extracurricular
requirements.
Phan Thiet, until recently a
sleepy fishing village located
about 200 kilometres north from
Ho Chi Minh City, is now
recognised around the world as a
leading golf resort
destination.
As is Dalat, with its
beautifully restored
colonial-style hotels and unique
Dalat Palace Golf Club - the only
course in Asia to feature bent
grass tees, fairways and
greens.
The majestic King's Island
Golf Club, now just around 30
minutes' drive from Hanoi is
another Vietnamese golf success
story. The project was initially
teed off in 1992. One year later,
the course opened its initial
nine holes with that famous
ceremonial drive by Nguyen Khanh.
Now the course has matured into
possibly one of the most dramatic
settings in Asia (if not the
world) for a round of golf.
Therein lies the key: Vietnam is
lucky insofar as it possesses a
relatively predictable (though
varied) climate, tropical
abundance, an expansive coastal
shore and a temperate climate in
parts. Thus, the country's golf
courses offer almost every
environment the serious golfer
could require for a challenging
round.
In addition, the sheer
pleasure of teeing off into the
void into the ocean (Vung Tau
Paradise Club), playing a
professionally-designed,
challenging links-style course on
a tropical coastal shore (Ocean
Dunes, Phan Thiet), choosing
between a the tightly forested
fairways or open tropical greens
(Vietnam Golf & Country Club,
Saigon), or the majestic scenery,
mountains dissolving into placid
waters (King's Island Golf Club,
Hanoi), is without equal in the
Asia-Pacific region.
Add to this formula relatively low prices and high levels of service, and it's easy to see why Vietnam is being considered the next "hot" destination for golf travel.
In fact, now is the perfect
time to experience Vietnam,
Golf's Final Frontier.
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