Da Nang’s scenic riverfront
By Jonathan Ponniah
Once a strategic port in the centre of present-day Vietnam, Da Nang still attracts visitors from near and afar – but these days mainly as a holiday destination.
Straddling the Han River as it pours into the South China Sea, the vibrant city is an eclectic mix of old and new, and exudes a relaxed, wholesome feel. It’s safe and convenient to wander around on your own, with wide pedestrian walkways along most of the roads.
Da Nang is now also one of the best golf getaways in the region, surpassing other more established destinations in recent years with the diversity and quality of its growing golf inventory. The 80-kilometre stretch from Lang Co in the north to Hoi An in the south boasts seven top-notch courses, with more on the cards, putting the marketing collective known as the Vietnam Golf Coast right up there with the best.
We played Laguna Golf Lang Co, Montgomerie Links Golf Club and Ba Na Hills Golf Club, and all three were in excellent condition. The service was simply superb, from the pleasant reception staff to the well-trained caddies, laced with trademark Vietnamese hospitality and warmth.
Hole 8, Laguna Golf Lang Co
Laguna Golf Lang Co (lagunalangco.com/golf) boasts a Sir Nick Faldo Signature Course, set in pristine surrounds between Lang Co Bay and the inland hills. It takes about an hour’s drive to get there from Da Nang International Airport, using the Hai Van Tunnel which at 6.28km is the longest in Southeast Asia.
The par-71, 6,961-yard Laguna Golf Lang Co course opened for play in 2012 and is characterised by fast, rolling greens, huge waste areas, massive boulders and paddy fields alongside a few holes. The routing heads out to the sea and back inland, like a traditional links, with the spectacular par-four 9th playing parallel to and offering stunning views of Lang Co Bay.
If you’re lucky, you might come across the resort’s famed ‘bovine greenkeepers’ – a family of water buffaloes – grazing in the fields. Aiming to be the most sustainable course in Vietnam, Laguna Golf Lang Co is one of a handful of golf clubs worldwide to have earned Earth Check Gold certification.
The golf course forms part of Laguna Lang Co resort, which includes bespoke accommodation at the Banyan Tree Lang Co Hill Villas, Angsana Lang Co Hotel and Laguna Parkside Lang Co townhouses.
Hole 10, Montgomerie Links
Montgomerie Links (montgomerielinks.com) is just 15 to 20 minutes’ drive south from Da Nang city, on the inland side of the road that runs along the upscale Non Nuoc beach.
As its name indicates, the course is designed by eight-time European Tour Order of Merit winner Colin Montgomerie, and the Scot has injected trademark links elements from his homeland into the layout.
Montgomerie Links opened for play in 2009, making it the oldest course not only in Da Nang but in central Vietnam. The 7,066-yard track has matured nicely and looks more like a parkland course now, with tall casuarinas and other flora lining the fairways. However, it still plays like a links due to the firm, undulating fairways, punctured by huge, high-lipped bunkers.
The greens are large and heavily contoured, and there is a fair amount of water to be dealt with. Due to the sea’s proximity, the winds can get strong – so make the necessary direction or distance adjustments.
Bird’s eye view of Ba Na Hills
A pleasant half an hour drive inland from Da Nang is Ba Na Hills Golf Club (banahillsgolf.com), Luke Donald’s first-ever design built in 2016 in the scenic foothills of Ba Na Hill Station.
Weighing in at 7,857 yards off the tips, this is one of the longest courses not only in Vietnam but in Southeast Asia. Five teebox options provide suitable lengths for all levels of gofers, with the whites playing at a very manageable 6,022 yards.
Unlike the other courses in Da Nang which are close to the sea, Ba Na Hills is a true highland course – especially the back nine which climbs into the hills and features several doglegs and blind shots. Elevation changes are common and great views abundant, so heed your caddy’s clubbing advice and have your phone camera handy.
Ba Na Hills’ greens are subtly undulated and the surrounds close-cropped, opening up the pins to bump-and-runs and long-distance putts.
Golfers and caddies at Ba Na Hills
That leaves four courses for the next Da Nang ‘golfcation’. Just beside Montgomerie Links is the 36-hole Legend Da Nang Golf Resort (dananggolfclub.com), which offers a parkland Jack Nicklaus layout and a linksy Greg Norman 18. Two relatively new courses are located to the south of the famed Hoi An Ancient City – Robert Trent Jones Jr II’s Hoiana Shores (hoiana.com/golf) and Vinpearl Golf Nam Hoi An (vinpearl.com/en/vinpearl-golf-nam-hoi-an).
Golf aside, there are many leisure excursions that can easily be made from Da Nang. Popular destinations include the scenic Son Tra Peninsula, Ba Na Hill Station and – the jewel in the crown – Hoi An. Beautifully conceived and crafted, Hoi An has a colourful history reflected in its rustic mix of old Chinese shophouses, stately French colonial building and colourfully-lit canals.
Getting There
From Kuala Lumpur, Air Asia flies twice daily to Da Nang and Batik Air once, with Malaysia Airlines set to join the fray come September 24 with a daily flight. The flight time is two hours and 40 minutes or so, which is only slightly longer than it takes to jet to Kota Kinabalu.
The award-winning Da Nang International Airport is modern but compact, with a well-planned routing and clear, concise signage.
