Boasting modern golf courses meeting international standards and world-class accommodations, Hanoi promises to be an exciting destination for golfers at home and abroad, said Nguyen Hong Minh, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Tourism Department.

Minh was speaking at the conference on "Orientation and Linkage in Developing Golf Tourism between Hanoi and Localities", co-chaired by the Hanoi Municipal Department of Tourism and the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT), held on December 1-2 in Son Tay town, where is a leading destination for golf tourism service of the capital city.

Strengthening the promotion of golf tourism

Local authorities seek to develop golf tourism in Hanoi. Photo: Hanoi Department of Tourism

Minh said Hanoi has great potential for golf tourism thanks to its unique natural and cultural resources, an integrated transportation system, and high-quality accommodation facilities such as Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi, InterContinental Hanoi Westlake, Grand Vista Hanoi, or Hotel du Parc Hanoi.

In particular, Hanoi has professional golf infrastructure and services, including six golf course clusters offering ten standard courses such as BRG Kings Island Golf Resort, Sky Lake Resort & Golf Club, or Long Bien Golf Course, as well as about ten training camps, including Dao Sen Golf or The Hanoi Club.

In the coming period, golf in Hanoi will be linked with other tourism products, such as MICE tourism or wellness tourism in other northern localities, to attract domestic and foreign tourists. The sector's target source markets include South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia, and North America, Australia, and the Middle East in the long run.

At the conference, Nguyen Trung Khanh, Chairman of VNAT, said that Vietnam is considered an ideal golfing paradise in Asia, with diverse terrain, three-quarters of the country's area being mountainous, a coastline of over 3,260 km with world-famous beaches, majestic landscapes, and a tropical climate with sunshine almost all year round. These are favorable conditions for investment and development of golf courses and golf tourism.

King's Island Golf Course in Dong Mo, Son Tay Town, Hanoi

Vietnam has some excellent and high-class golf courses, mostly designed by world-renowned golfers. These courses draw adventurous players because of their unique topography and natural and cultural resources.

Many unique golf courses that promise unique challenges and experiences are being built in stunning surroundings close to luxury resorts across the country. The development of golf tourism helps diversify products and attracts visitors with higher spending power and longer stays, stimulating the high-end market.

Need for more local links

Vietnam's tourism development strategy to 2030, approved by the Prime Minister, considers infrastructure development and golf tourism as one of the key directions in Vietnam's tourism development.

As Khanh said, Hanoi is currently seen as a potential destination for golf tourism, but other localities in the north and the Red River Delta are also appealing and able to meet the ever-increasing needs of tourists to explore destinations. Strengthening links between localities in creating new complementary products along with the development of golf tourism will bring additional benefits to each.

The golf movement in Hanoi is constantly on the rise. Photo: Duong Thu Huong

 At the conference, it was agreed that it is necessary to promote golf tourism in hotels and develop package tours, among other things.

According to Dang Huong Giang, Director of the Hanoi Tourism Department, the Hanoi Tourism Golf Tournament 2023 is underway at BRG Kings Island Golf Resort, Dong Mo, Son Tay. The golf tournament has attracted golfers from tourism units and enterprises, golf courses, and airlines in the northern region. Through the competition, Dong Mo tourist areas, destinations, and resorts in Son Tay would be promoted.

Hanoi is home to many local and international golf tournaments. Photo: An Tran

Based on this golf tourism linkage program, Hanoi can utilize the advantages of golf tourism in Son Tay Town and other places in the city and other northern localities to offer high-quality golf tourism products.

According to Tran Anh Tuan, Secretary of the Son Tay Party Committee, the local Dong Mo golf course - the oldest in the capital with 55 holes - receives between 12,000 and 15,000 foreign tourists every year, five times as many domestic tourists. However, there remain limitations in the local golf tourism business; for example, the number of overnight visitors is still low, only 5% of the total number of visitors.

Truong Quoc Hung, Chairman of the Hanoi UNESCO Travel Club, attributed thin demand to high cost and poor booking system for groups as golf courses here still prioritize individual customers. Therefore, localities must work together to provide quality products at good prices.