32 INSIGHT When I first set foot in Vietnam more than 20 years ago, I had no idea that one stretch of untouched coastline would help ignite one of the most exciting golf destinations in the world. I remember that first site vividly – miles of raw, towering sand dunes about 100 kilometres southeast of Ho Chi Minh City. That landscape would eventually become The Bluffs Grand Ho Tram, now ranked among Golf Digest’s ‘World’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses’. Even then, I knew Vietnam had something special. The land, the people, the culture – everything about it felt authentic, natural and ready to be shared with the world. As a designer, you dream of sites like those dunes at Ho Tram. What makes Vietnam extraordinary for golf design is its diversity. The south offers dramatic coastal dunes and ocean winds. The central region provides pure links terrain and golden beaches. The north delivers rolling hills, limestone mountains and river valleys. Each site feels entirely different, yet unmistakably Vietnamese. At Greg Norman Golf Course Design (GNGCD), we have completed nine courses across seven sites, stretching from the southern coast to the northern hills. Projects like the Dunes course at Da Nang Golf Club and The Bluffs demonstrate that you can preserve the natural character of a site while creating world-class golf experiences. Both helped redefine what golf in Vietnam could be – authentic, challenging and beautifully integrated with the landscape. Over the past two decades, I’ve had the privilege of watching Vietnam’s golf landscape transform. When we completed The Bluffs in 2014, golf tourism was still in its infancy. Today, Vietnam stands among the top golf destinations in Asia, recognised twice by the World Golf Awards in its ‘World’s Best Golf Destination’ category. One defining milestone came in 2015, when The Bluffs hosted the Ho Tram Open, an Asian Tour event that many consider the moment Vietnam stepped confidently onto the global golf stage. That week showcased not only the dramatic dunes of Ho Tram but also Vietnam’s capacity to host world-class competition. It helped cement Vietnam’s reputation as a serious golf nation at a time when the industry was just beginning to take shape. Years later, the Asian Tour returned to Vietnam for one of its biggest The evolution of Vietnam as a rising golf destination is something to behold, with the sport now a key pillar of the country’s tourism strategy. Golf’s next great frontier GREG NORMAN
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