One month after the inauguration of the Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail, the already impressive array of golf facilities has boosted its appeal with the addition of nine new holes at the Trail’s northernmost link, Chi Linh Star Golf & Country Club.
“The new holes are tighter with significant changes in elevation,” said Lars Holden, general manager at Chi Linh Star. “The greens are fast and undulating. The holes will test every aspect of a player’s game and afford superb views of the surrounding countryside, particularly from Nos. 6 and 8.”
The region’s first comprehensive golfing itinerary, and one of the planet’s most exotic, the Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail launched 1st July with an all-star line-up of first-class clubs and resorts and some of the most luxurious accommodations in the region. Routed north to south through Vietnam, the trail pairs pastime at the links with pastime at singular travel attractions throughout the country.
In addition to Chi Linh Star, golfing stops along the Trail include:
• Tam Dao Golf Resort, a stunning new 18 in the cool highlands northeast of Hanoi, convenient to the airport but a world away.
• Dalat Palace Golf Club, a mile-high gem, the only wall-to-wall bent grass course in Southeast Asia, laid out in the 1920s for Bao Dai, the last emperor of Vietnam.
• Ocean Dunes Golf Club, a windswept Nick Faldo design, a “tropical links” lapped by the warm waters of the South China Sea.
• Dong Nai Golf Resort, a breathtaking, 27-hole track laid out by American Ward Northrup, whose design skirts the inlets and shores of a natural lake.
• Vietnam Golf & Country Club, home to 36 pristine, otherwise private holes just 20 minutes from downtown Ho Chi Minh City.
• King’s Island Country Club, Hanoi’s oldest club and home to two 18s that play over some of the finest, most diverse golfing ground in Southeast Asia.
For several years, Vietnam has ranked among the three fastest growing economies in the world. Where there’s business, of course, there’s golf. And where there are beaches, sand dunes and sunshine – all of which Vietnam has in spades, more of than any other destination in Southeast Asia – there’s great golf.
Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail www.hochiminhgolftrail.com