Văn Lang Empire T&T Golf Club, located in northern Vietnam’s Phú Thọ province, will officially open in early 2026.
The new club has been developed by multi-industry conglomerate T&T Group and features an 18-hole layout designed by Greg Norman Golf Course Design (GNGCD) that has been built by Flagstick Golf Course Construction Management. Sports Turf Solutions is providing Zeon Zoysia turf and TifEagle for greens.
The course has been built on undulating terrain and features dramatic elevation changes. It will be the centrepiece of a multi-phase masterplanned development that includes 36 holes of golf, a clubhouse with an integrated hotel, an event venue, housing and more.
“The course layout was the result of an intensive on-site routing study to maximise compatibility of each hole with the existing terrain and landscape,” said Norman. “The location and sizing of lakes played a particularly important role in balancing the cut-fill, water management, strategy and aesthetics.”
Greg Norman’s design team routed the Văn Lang course over an undulating, forested site with eight lakes (Image: Greg Norman Golf Course Design)
The landing area on the opening par-five is flanked by two bunkers. A lake guards the front of the green, which has a generous bailout approach.
The second hole, a par four that requires two shots over water, is followed by the par-three third that has central pot bunker short of the green. Holes four and five are both par fours with sprawling bunker complexes near the landing areas for tee shots.
“Players have several options to approach each hole and placement off the tee is critical,” said Chris Campbell, president at GNGCD. “Hole five is a good example: a downhill par four with a well-guarded green tucked behind a lake that runs the length of the fairway. Players can choose how much of the hazard they want to bite off for a risk-reward trade off on the approach shot.”
The back nine of the new course, with the front nine in the background (Photo: Greg Norman Golf Course Design)
Holes six and seven both dogleg and have several fairway bunkers. A par-three eighth has a diamond-shaped green defended by two large bunkers, then the short par-four ninth has sprawling bunkers up much of the right side of its fairway.
The back nine continues through the forested landscape, with lakes coming into play on holes fourteen, sixteen, seventeen and eighteen. Highlights include the fourteenth, with a green sandwiched between a lake and bunker, the heavily bunkered par-five fifteenth that has multiple routes to the green, and the par-three seventeenth, at one of the highest points on the property.
The clubhouse and practice facilities are located in the centre of the property (Photo: Greg Norman Golf Course Design)
“The club's target audience includes both domestic and international guests,” said Campbell. “There is convenient access from Hanoi International Airport – the global gateway to Vietnam – and the course design prioritises enjoyability for golfers of all skill levels and re-playability value for members and repeat guests. The extensive practice facilities will provide a training ground for new golfers with a particular focus on growing the game among Vietnamese youth.”