Golf holidays in Danang

Danang is a coastal city in central Vietnam and has become popular thanks to its choice of lovely sandy beaches and selection of stunning golf courses.

Due to it location halfway between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Danang is a major attraction for visitors to Vietnam as they travel from one city to the next.  However, Danang deserves to be more than just a stopping point on a tour of Vietnam.

It is home to several excellent beaches, sparkling lagoons, historical architecture, shopping and a huge variety of water sports.  In addition, to the above, Danang also has a great choice of golf courses and you can easily stay in the city for a week and sample the delights, both on and off the course.

When discussing a golf holiday to Vietnam, the most common names of potential destinations you will hear include Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi.  While these serve as the main entry points to Vietnam, you are not restricted to staying there and if you want to sample golf courses in different parts of the country, Danang is a great place to begin.

You can plan to stay, even for a few days in Danang and enjoy some of the best golf courses in the whole of Vietnam.

The selection may not be as wide as other parts of the country but Danang is fast catching up with Vietnam’s other top golf destinations and is set to become a major player in the development of golf over the next decade.

In addition to the golf courses, there are many other activities to enjoy in Danang and this region of Vietnam should be a regular fixture on everyone’s Vietnam golf breaks.

Getting around on a Danang Golf Holiday

Danang is the largest city in central Vietnam and is a very important port.  The South China Sea is located on one side of the city and impressive mountains form a ring around the other side of Danang.

The city is roughly 750 kilometres south from Hanoi and 950 kilometres north of Ho Chi Minh City.  Therefore, it has served as a stopping point for many travellers going between these two destinations and as a holiday location for Vietnamese looking to escape their place of work for a few days.

The low lying coastal planes with their sandy beaches and the large Annamite mountain range provide a great contrast either side of the city.

Danang is home to an international airport, one of only three in Vietnam called Danang International Airport.  Therefore, it is possible to reach Danang from European countries with just one stop and Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Tokyo are possible choices when planning a flight to Danang.

If you are planning on arriving in Vietnam at Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, you can also get a direct flight to Danang from both these airports and other Vietnamese cities including Buon Ma Thuot, Da Lat, Hai Phong, Nha Trang and Pleiku.

You can use a metered taxi to take you and your golf clubs from Danang International Airport to your accommodation.  Be prepared to pay a local tax on top of the fare when paying at the end of the journey.

Once in Danang, the best way to travel around the local attractions is by using the new airconditioned buses as many of the tourist spots are wide apart and not in a single district, unlike a city like Hanoi. 

You are advised at ask your hotel to book you a taxi for trips to the golf course and you should arrange one to pick you up, either with the taxi company or in the clubhouse of the golf course.

Where to Stayon a Danang Golf Tour

You have a choice of hotel destinations within Danang and you can select the one which best matches your tastes.

There are many hotels along the beaches and they are a great place to stay if you plan on using your time away from the golf course to enjoy relaxing on the sand and participate in some water sports.  There are some fantastic resorts and luxurious hotel options along the beach including the Holiday Beach Resort and Cicilia Hotel.

The Han river flows through Danang and the hotels along its banks offer some lovely views of the river and bridge, especially as night falls.  The Brilliant hotel, Novotel hotel and Riverside hotel are all options here.

If you would like to stay at the heart of the action in Danang, then you should opt for a city centre hotel.  Local food, museums and churches are easy to reach from here and while it can get noisy at times, the Samdi hotel, Vanda hotel and Orange hotel are all good places to stay in the centre of Danang.

In terms of reaching the Danang golf courses, each of these locations is fine and you will have no problem getting to the golf courses wherever you decide to stay.

Danang Golf Vacations - Weather and Best Time to Travel.

Danang has a tropical monsoon climate and two distinct seasons which can help when planning Danang golf packages.

Between September and March, the typhoon and wet season brings the most rainfall and this starts to ease off into the end of December and January.  Between February and April, you will find the driest months of the year and the temperatures are also cooler than the summer months of June, July and August.

So, if you want to enjoy the cooler temperatures and driest conditions when playing golf in Danang, it is best to book your golf trip between February and April.  If you are unavailable at that time, anytime between January and August is fine for playing golf in Danang but expect some potential disruption with wet and windy weather between September and November.

Top Golf Courses in Danang

While Danang may not have the same number of golf courses to choose from as other regions of Vietnam, the golf courses available are of superb quality.

BRG Danang Golf Club

The BRG Danang Golf Club is a fine example of what you can expect when playing golf in this area of Vietnam and has rapidly risen up the ranks of top golf courses in Asia and beyond.  When opened for play in 2010 it was recognised as being as one of the 15 best new golf courses in the world by USA Golf Magazine.

Designed by Greg Norman, BRG Danang Golf Club has won several awards throughout the years and continues to provide one of the best golf playing experiences in Asia.  The golf club is full of history, mainly due to the site in which it has been built and the clubhouse is on the beach used by American’s for their first landing in the 1960’s conflict. 

The course itself is a true links golf course and has been moulded by a combination of mother nature and Norman, to provide a great test of links golf.  Huge fairways, no out of bounds, undulating greens and big natural waste areas make for a superb 18 holes of golf.

Approach shots must be accurate to score well on the greens and the wind can play a large part in any round when it picks up along the coast.  Club selection is not easy and golfers are rewarded for thinking outside the box and coming up with new ways to find the fairways and greens.

Having played one round of golf at BRG Danang Golf Club, you will want to play again and during a stay in Danang you are encouraged to do just that.

From one famous golfer in Greg Norman to another and Colin Montgomerie has designed a links course of his own in Danang.

Montgomerie Links 

The Montgomerie Links is just 15 minutes from Da Nang International Airport and only a few minutes away from the city, along Danang Beach.  This is another golf course in Danang which has won many awards, including Vietnam's Best Championship Course 2013 as voted by Vietnam Golf Magazine.

If you have ever dreamed of playing the top links golf courses in Scotland and Ireland without the cold weather, the Montgomerie Links in Danang is the perfect golf course for you.  The views of the Vietnam East Sea and the Marble Mountains are superb and the expansive fairways and large greens blend seamlessly with the surrounding landscape.

Expect thick rough, rolling fairways and tight chipping areas on approach to the massive greens.  Hitting the greens on this golf course is not a problem but firstly you need to get the ball to stick and secondly you must be accurate or face the possibility of a very a long putt.

The variety of holes at the Montgomerie Links makes this course suitable for players of all abilities and the contemporary clubhouse, practice facilities and excellent course conditioning make this golf course a must play when in Danang on a golf holiday.

Laguna Lang Co Golf Club

From one big name in the world of golf to the next and roughly 90 minutes away from Danang you will find the Nick Faldo designed Laguna Lang Co Golf Club.

This golf course is suitable for experienced and beginner golfers alike thanks to the choice of tee boxes on every hole.  Sandwiched between rolling mountains and the beach, golfers have a great selection of views throughout the 18 holes, some of which feel open when playing toward the beachfront and others which are enclosed due to the mountains.

Trees, streams, rocks and rice paddies feature throughout the course and means Laguna Lang Co Golf Club provides a nice contrast to the Montgomerie Links and BRG Danang Golf Club.

Part of a 5-start resort, its possible to stay overnight in the accommodation at Laguna Lang Co Golf Club and enjoy the restaurants, spa, swimming pool and tennis without having to worry about getting back to Danang at the end of your round.  Why not relax and enjoy a couple of days at the resort?

Ba Na Hills Golf Club

The final golf course in Danang is Ba Na Hills Golf Club.  This Danang golf course is just 25 minutes from the centre of Danang city and can be found close to the cable car at the foot of the Bana Hills.

Not to be outdone, this golf course also has a professional golfers’ name attached and was designed by Luke Donald.  However, whereas the other golfers mentioned above have other courses around the world, this is the only Luke Donald course on the planet.

The 18 holes are played through several valleys and the holes on the highest points of the course have lovely views of the valleys and countryside below.

There are several elevation changes across the 18 holes and the front 9 are played through pine forests and the back 9 along rolling hills, with blind shots and doglegs providing the main challenges.  Look out for the bunkers, which have long grass around the edge, making them hard to spot from distance so using your scorecard and a GPS device could be useful.

Following a round at Ba Na Hills Golf Club, the restaurant is a great place to have something to eat and watch other players thanks to the panoramic views of the course.

So, with four excellent golf courses, you could easily spend a week if not more in Danang, soaking up the sights and sounds of the surrounding area and enjoying the superb golf.

Things to Do Away from the Golf Course

You have plenty of things to keep you occupied away from the golf course when staying in Danang.  If you are interested in discovering the history of the city, you should visit My Son Sanctuary and learn about the rise and fall of the Champa Kingdom.  This is tour which is often completed by bus and boat or for the adventurous you can take one off the beaten track on a motorcycle.

Cham Museum is another great place to learn about the history and development of central Vietnam and there are some fascinating sculpture collections to view.

The Marble Mountains are within the city limits and easily accessibly wherever you are staying in Danang.  There are many Buddhist temples which have been built in to the caves of these mountains and at the Am Phu cave you can climb for tremendous views below.

There are many beaches to enjoy in Danang and Non Nuoc beach is regarded as one of the best, not only in Vietnam but the world.  The soft wide sand and clear blue water are stunning and you can participate in plenty of sightseeing and leisure activities on the beach and in the water. 

If you want to indulge in a spot of shopping, you have several choices in Danang including Han Market, Con Market and Non Nuoc Fine Arts Village.  Each are home to locally made crafts and produce.  There also many great restaurants to choose form including La Maison 1888, Pool House and Quan Com Hue Ngon, each offering something different.