The program "Connecting Golf Tourism Products between Hanoi and Northern Provinces and Cities 2023" will be held on December 1 and 2 in Son Tay Town, Hanoi, said Dang Huong Giang, Director of Hanoi Tourism Department

Golf is a key tourism product of Hanoi. Photo: Vietnam Golf Association

The program will include a conference on "Orientation and Linkage in Developing Golf Tourism Between Hanoi and Localities", a program on "Tourist Attractions Survey in Son Tay Town", and an event on "Hanoi Tourism Golf Tournament 2023", among others.

The "Orientation and Linkage in Developing Golf Tourism Between Hanoi and Localities" conference is an opportunity for relevant units in Hanoi and neighboring provinces to strengthen cooperation and promote linkage in tourism, including golf tourism offers.

Giang said the Hanoi Tourism Department intends to make golf a key tourism product, closely linked with MICE services and wellness tourism, among others, to attract foreign travelers during the off-peak season.

The markets targeted for golf tourism in the short term are Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Southeast Asian countries, while potential markets include Australia, the Middle East and North America.

In addition, Son Tay City is a destination under study to form cultural, experiential and ecological tourism routes to complement golf tourism activities.

The Dong Mo King Island Golf Course, Son Tay Town, Hanoi. Photo: Trieu Tan

​Under the program, the "Hanoi Tourism Golf Tournament 2023" will be held on December 2 with the participation of golfers, golf courses, travel agencies and related units from the north of the country. Through the tournament, the advantages of Dong Mo Lake Tourist Attraction and Son Tay Town would be spread among local and international travelers.

Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, this year won the World's Best Golf City Destination 2023 Award for the first time after receiving positive reviews from golf experts, media units, golf tour companies, golf course owners, hotels and golf associations from around the world in a special voting on the worldgolfawards.com website to choose the best golf destination.

Hanoi has all the factors to develop golf tourism, with standard golf courses such as Long Bien, Van Tri Golf Club, Kings Island Golf, Minh Tri, Legend Hill, and about 10 well-equipped training courses.

In 2023, Hanoi's tourism industry made an impressive recovery with many remarkable achievements. Through the successfully organized cultural events, namely Ao Dai Tourism Festival, Hanoi Gift Tourism Festival, and Hanoi Creative Design Festival, among others, the inbound tourism growth has increased significantly.

The number of tourists to Hanoi reached 22.6 million in the January-November period, an increase of 32.4% year-on-year. Among these arrivals, international tourists are estimated at 4.1 million, a threefold increase compared with the same period in 2022, exceeding the annual target. Meanwhile, the number of domestic tourists hit around 18.7 million, up 17.5%.

In recent years, the brand of Hanoi tourism has been continuously strengthened and improved on the international tourism map. The World Travel Awards honored Hanoi as the World's Leading City Tourism Destination 2022, Asia's Leading City Break Destination 2022 and Asia's Leading Getaway Destination 2022.