Golf tourism suits to a tee

Published: 10/03/2011 05:00

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Australian businessman John Lyndon Gibson and his friends bought a five-day tour
of golf courses in the south of Viet Nam to play and relax.




Puttering along
: An overview of
Ocean Dunes golf club. Travel agencies are offering domestic and foreign
tourists golf competitions and relaxation at the weekends.
(Photos: VNS)

Vietnam Golf and
Country Club in HCM City’s Thu Duc District was the first stop for the
nine-member group before heading to Bo Chang Golf Resort in Dong Nai Province
and Phan Thiet City’s Ocean Dunes course.


For Gibson, Ocean
Dunes was particularly memorable.


According to the Viet
Nam Golf Association, the country has around 15 international standard golf
courses, but has only recently begun promoting them as travel destinations.


Nguyen Cong Khanh, a
tour guide from HCM City, said he had taken only three golf tours with foreign
tourists.


“Most foreigners book
their golf tour packages near beaches where they can both play golf and relax on
sunny and pristine seaside resorts,” Khanh said. “In my experience, Ocean Dunes
is the best site for golfers because it’s very close to long white sand beaches
and is sunny all year round.”




Green day
: Tourists have chosen to
visit golf courses near beaches in Viet Nam in recent years. — Photo courtesy by
Ocean Dunes golf club

The golf club is 180km
northeast of HCM City. Its 6,746 yard course, designed by professional golfer
Nick Faldo, is a great resort for families with its streams, sand-dunes and
tropical trees.


“The course sits
beside the beach and the mountains, and is near the most beautiful Mui Ne Beach,
creating options for tourists aside from playing golf,” said Ngo Thu Huong, a
club sales representative.


“The golf course also
has a four-star Novotel hotel, where tourists can rest after a challenging 18
holes. Typically, visitors take a two-day trip to the course, where they play
golf on the first day and spend the second day touring Phan Thiet City,” she
said.


Nguyen Hung, a tour manager for
Luxury Travel, which offers two-day tours for US$320 per person, said the
company has been providing golf tours since 2006.




Into the swing
: Golfers play at
the Ocean Dunes golf club in the coastal city of Phan Thiet.

“Golf tours are very
popular in Thailand and other countries, however, it’s still a new service in
Viet Nam. Many foreign golfers really want to test their skills while exploring
the country, so most travel agencies have added the service in the past 10 years
to lure visitors,” Hung said.


Dong Thao, a member of
Ocean Dunes Golf Club, said the ninth hole, a par-3, was selected as one of the
500 best holes in the world by Golf magazine (USA) in 2009.


“The course hosts
around 80 visitors each day in the summer. Visitors can pay $20 to tour the
course in golf carts, but golfers have to pay $70 for one round of play,” Thao
said.


She also said families
can book tours that offer other activities, such as rock climbing, mountain
biking, trekking, canoeing and windsurfing in Mui Ne and rural areas. Visitors
can also fish at the Ke Ga Lighthouse, which was constructed by the French in
1899, or visit the ancient Cham Towers.


Nguyen Dang Khanh and
his family spent four days at Ocean Dunes last year and said he loved going to
the beach each afternoon after a round of golf in the morning.


“I was fascinated by
the ninth hole and the beautiful view of the course, as well as the
accommodations,” Khanh said. “The fairway is lined with big pine trees, while
the green sits near the beach. You can hear the waves all the time and the wind
blows smoothly.”


VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News

Provide by Vietnam Travel

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