Golf Trip Planner logo
Golf Trip PlannerPrivate Concierge
Golf guide • Vietnam • Central Vietnam

Golf in Da Nang: four signature courses between sea and mountains

Da Nang, on Vietnam's central coast, has four signature courses within half an hour's drive: Ba Na Hills (Luke Donald), the Norman and Nicklaus layouts at Legend Da Nang Golf Resort, and Montgomerie Links. Golfers come for dune and mountain golf, for the grand beachfront hotels and for nearby Hoi An. The best time to go is February to May, when it is dry and still temperate.

Plan this tripUpdated

Vietnam's fourth city, Da Nang stretches along a bay closed to the north by the Son Tra Peninsula and, to the south, by a pale sand beach that runs some thirty kilometres towards Hoi An. The Han River cuts the city in two, spanned by bridges that light up at night. Behind it, the Annamite Range closes the horizon and gives the landscape the contrast that is the region's great charm: the sea on one side, the forest on the other.

It was on this strip of dunes that Vietnamese golf took a new turn in the late 2000s. Colin Montgomerie and then Greg Norman designed two links-inspired courses here, Jack Nicklaus added a layout of water and rice paddies, and Luke Donald drew his first course in the foothills of Ba Na. Four different styles, all about half an hour from the centre and the airport.

A stay here moves back and forth between these greens and life on the coast: bowls of mì Quảng first thing in the morning, the fish market on the beach as the round basket boats come in, dinner facing the sea. Hoi An, with its UNESCO-listed old town and its tailors, is less than an hour away, and the Hai Van Pass road to the north offers one of the finest coastal panoramas in the country.

The courses

Green and a large white-sand bunker at the foot of mountains covered in tropical forest, in golden light

Ba Na Hills Golf Club

  • Architect: Luke Donald
  • Opened 2016
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Opened in 2016, Ba Na Hills is the first course designed by Luke Donald, the former world number one. It lies at the foot of the Ba Na mountains, about twenty-five minutes from the centre, away from the coast and the wind, in slightly cooler air. Fairways wind through native forest to heavily contoured greens; from the back tees it measures more than 7,800 yards, making it one of the longest in the country. All eighteen holes are floodlit, ideal for playing in the cool of the evening in summer. Long hitters will relish it; the forward tees keep it accessible.

Official website

Legend Da Nang Golf Resort, Norman Course

  • Architect: Greg Norman
  • Opened 2010
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Opened in 2010, Greg Norman's course was one of the first true links in Southeast Asia. Laid out on the coast's natural sand, it blends the spirit of Scottish links with the dramatic bunkering of Australia's Sandbelt: large open bunkers, waste areas cut into the dunes, firm fairways that let the ball run and paspalum greens. The sea breeze gives it a different mood from one day to the next. Buggies and caddies are the norm. This is the purist's choice.

Signature hole. The 16th, a par 3 of about 150 yards, plays up to a raised green guarded by two bunkers, with the sea and the Cham Islands as a backdrop.

Official website

Legend Da Nang Golf Resort, Nicklaus Course

  • Architect: Jack Nicklaus
  • Opened 2020
  • 18 holes
  • Par 73

The second eighteen at Legend Da Nang Golf Resort, Jack Nicklaus's course is the exact counterpoint to the Norman. Completed in 2020, this par 73 of more than 7,300 yards winds between marshland, rice paddies and lakes along the Cổ Cò River, with the Marble Mountains in the background. It was the first course in Southeast Asia to edge its water hazards with timber bulkheads, in the manner of Florida courses. Wide fairways, paspalum greens and plenty of strategy around the water: it hosted the BRG Open Golf Championship Danang from 2022 to 2024 and suits players who like to plot their way round.

Signature hole. The 14th, a par 4 of about 430 yards, is presented by the club as the course's great test of strategy.

Official website

Montgomerie Links Vietnam

  • Architect: Colin Montgomerie
  • Opened 2009
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Montgomerie Links, opened in 2009, was designed by Colin Montgomerie. Contrary to what you sometimes read, it does not run along My Khe Beach: it lies further south, on the coast road linking Da Nang to Hoi An, facing the Marble Mountains, which are visible from many holes. Sandy soil, wind-shaped dunes and native vegetation give it a links character that is accessible to all levels. The club offers rooms and pool villas beside the course, as well as late-afternoon tee times.

Official website

Where to stay

InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort

Designed by Bill Bensley and opened in 2012, the InterContinental occupies a wooded slope of the Son Tra peninsula above a private bay. Its four levels, named Sky, Earth, Sea and Heaven, are linked by a funicular, and the reserve's langurs sometimes wander through. The flip side of the hillside: everything runs by funicular or buggy, and the southern courses are half an hour away.

TIA Wellness Resort

Opened in 2008 as Fusion Maia, the first resort in Vietnam to include spa treatments in the stay, TIA has 87 beachfront villas, each with its own private pool. Book the treatments included each night for late afternoon, after your round. Legend Da Nang is about a quarter of an hour away, Montgomerie Links around twenty minutes.

Little Riverside Hoi An

A few minutes' walk from Hoi An's old town, this small hotel on the Thu Bon River borrows the yellow walls, carved wood and lanterns of Faifo, the old trading port. Ask for a river-side suite with a balcony to watch the boats in the morning; on the street side, the night market makes itself heard. Montgomerie Links is about twenty minutes away.

Dark wooden pavilions with tiled roofs clinging to a wooded hillside above a sandy bay at dusk

Where to dine

Nén Danang

The first restaurant in Vietnam to receive a Michelin Green Star, Nén is chef Summer Le's address, in a quiet lane in the Ngu Hanh Son district. A single menu, changing with the seasons, tells the story of Vietnamese cooking through almost exclusively local produce, including herbs from the garden next door. Each dish arrives with a drawing explaining its origins.

Mì Quảng 1A

At 1A Hai Phong Street in the city centre, this no-frills dining room has long been one of the places locals go for mì Quảng: broad rice noodles in a shallow turmeric and fish-sauce broth, with peanuts, lettuce, coriander and banana flower. Order the special, which combines pork, prawns and chicken. Open from 6am and cash only: an ideal breakfast before a tee time at Ba Na Hills.

Bé Mặn

On the road along My Khe Beach, Bé Mặn is one of the city's big seafood restaurants, listed by the Michelin Guide. Pick live crab, lobster, shellfish or squid from the tanks, then choose the cooking, steamed, stir-fried or deep-fried. Have the steamed squid with ginger and spring onion. Noisy, family-friendly and open late: book directly for the evening after a round on the Norman.

Beyond golf

The Marble Mountains and Cham sculpture

A few minutes from the courses, the five limestone hills of the Marble Mountains hide caves, altars and pagodas reached by steps cut into the rock; go up early in the morning. In town, the Museum of Cham Sculpture, founded in the colonial era, holds the world's largest collection of Cham art: carved sandstone, Hindu deities and altars from the region's sanctuaries, including My Son.

Son Tra Peninsula

North of the bay, the Son Tra Peninsula is a forest reserve home to red-shanked douc langurs, among the most beautiful primates in Asia. The coast road leads to Linh Ung Pagoda and its 67-metre statue of Quan Âm, watching over the bay. Late in the day, the light over the city and the mountains alone is worth the climb.

Hoi An and the Hai Van Pass

Less than an hour to the south, Hoi An, a former trading port listed by UNESCO, keeps its merchants' houses, its Japanese covered bridge and its silk lanterns. A tailor there can make you a suit in two days. To the north, the Hai Van Pass road towers over the sea before dropping down towards the Lang Co lagoon and the imperial city of Hue.

Round woven-bamboo basket boats pulled up on a beach at dawn, in front of a wooded headland and mountains

When to go

The dry season runs from January to August. February to May is ideal: clear skies, temperatures around 25 to 30 °C and courses in excellent condition. From June to August the heat often exceeds 35 °C; play early or under floodlights. From September to December the monsoon brings heavy rain, especially in October and November, with a risk of typhoons and waterlogged courses. January remains pleasant, if sometimes drizzly.

Getting there

Da Nang International Airport (DAD) is right in the city: allow ten to twenty minutes to the beach hotels and half an hour to Ba Na Hills. From Europe, you reach Da Nang with a connection in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City or a major Asian hub. The North–South railway also links Da Nang with Hue over the Hai Van Pass, a highly scenic journey.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course in Da Nang?

Two courses vie for the title: the Norman at Legend Da Nang Golf Resort, a links opened in 2010 on the dunes and featured in rankings of Asia's best courses, and Luke Donald's Ba Na Hills, voted Vietnam's best golf course several times at the World Golf Awards.

How many golf courses are there near Da Nang?

Four championship courses lie about half an hour from the centre: Ba Na Hills, the Norman and Nicklaus courses at Legend Da Nang, and Montgomerie Links. Hoiana Shores, further south near Hoi An, can round off a trip.

When is the best time to play golf in Da Nang?

From February to May, during the dry season and before the intense summer heat. If possible, avoid October and November, the height of the rainy and typhoon season.

Can you play night golf in Da Nang?

Yes. All eighteen holes at Ba Na Hills are floodlit, and Montgomerie Links offers late-afternoon tee times. It is the best way to play in summer.

Where is Montgomerie Links in relation to Da Nang?

South of the city, on the coast road to Hoi An, facing the Marble Mountains, not near My Khe Beach. Allow about half an hour from the centre and around twenty minutes from Hoi An.

Tailor-made

Your golf trip: Da Nang

Tee times, suites, transfers and tables: your concierge replies within 24 hours with a proposal shaped around you.

Misty lake at dawn, a small old tower at the water's edge, a weeping willow and trees in red blossom
Red River Delta

Hanoi

4 courses
Old street of ochre houses with dark wooden shutters, lanterns lit at dusk and bougainvillea on a balcony
Central Vietnam

Hoi An

3 courses
Explore: Vietnam →