Golf guide • Vietnam • Central Vietnam

Golf in Hoi An: links on white sand in the town of lanterns

Hoi An, a UNESCO-listed former trading port on Vietnam's central coast, offers three seaside courses no more than half an hour from the old town: Hoiana Shores, Robert Trent Jones Jr.'s links facing the Cham Islands, Vinpearl Golf Nam Hoi An and Montgomerie Links. Golfers come to pair dune-and-wind golf with a remarkably well-preserved historic town. The best period is February to May, during the dry season.

Plan this tripUpdated 11 October 2026

Hoi An grew up on the Thu Bon River, close to its mouth, about thirty kilometres south of Da Nang. From the 15th to the 19th century, Chinese and Japanese merchants made it one of the busiest ports in South-East Asia, until the rise of Da Nang froze it in time. More than a thousand old houses remain, along with five Chinese assembly halls and ochre façades that light up with lanterns at nightfall.

Golf has settled further south, on the long strip of white sand that runs towards the mouth of the Thu Bon and beyond. Robert Trent Jones Jr. built his first course in Vietnam here in 2019, Hoiana Shores, a links open to the sea breeze; Vinpearl Golf Nam Hoi An occupies the neighbouring dunes, and Montgomerie Links lies to the north, on the road to Da Nang. Three courses, three styles, all no more than half an hour from the old town.

The rhythm of the trip sets itself: early tee times, while the air is still cool and the South China Sea is smooth, then afternoons in the shade, on the beach or in the lanes. In the evening, the old town comes alive along the quay, among bowls of cao lau, "white rose" dumplings and boats gliding on the river. Da Nang, its other courses and its airport are less than an hour away.

The courses

Green surrounded by white sand dunes and casuarinas, above a beach and a turquoise sea dotted with islands

Hoiana Shores Golf Club

Architect: Robert Trent Jones Jr.
Opened 2019
18 holes

Opened in 2019, Hoiana Shores is Robert Trent Jones Jr.'s first course in Vietnam, laid out on pure sand south of Hoi An. The architect says he drew inspiration from the great Irish links, Royal County Down, Lahinch and Portmarnock: pronounced dunes, wide corridors, firm fairways that keep the ball rolling and the occasional capricious bounce. On every green, a lantern takes the place of the flag. The back nine builds to a climax by the sea, where the greens of the 15th, 16th and 17th brush the beach. Golf Digest named it the best course in Vietnam in 2020.

Signature hole. The 17th, named Cham, is a beachside par 3 with two tees at opposite angles, one on the sand, the other in the dune, facing the Cham Islands; the 16th, a 390-yard par 4, can be played at 285 yards from a forward tee.

Official website

Vinpearl Golf Nam Hoi An

Architect: IMG
Opened 2018
18 holes
Par 72

Half an hour south of Hoi An, right next to Hoiana, the Vinpearl course was designed by IMG and opened in 2018. This 7,011-yard par 72 rolls across dunes whose relief ranges from four to eleven metres, among casuarinas and coastal vegetation, with the sea in view on many holes. Wide fairways, white sand bunkers and a driveable par 4 on each nine: it is a links-style layout more forgiving than its neighbour, ideal for a second round or for players of every level.

Montgomerie Links Vietnam

Architect: Colin Montgomerie
Opened 2009
18 holes
Par 72

Opened in 2009, Montgomerie Links was designed by Colin Montgomerie. It lies about twenty minutes north of Hoi An, on the coast road to Da Nang, facing the Marble Mountains. Sandy soil, wind-shaped dunes and native vegetation give it a links character accessible to every level. The club rents out rooms and three-bedroom villas with pools beside the fairways: a possible base for a group that wants to play before going into town for dinner.

Official website

Where to stay

Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai

On Ha My beach, north of Hoi An, Four Seasons The Nam Hai lines up a hundred villas, forty of them with pools, along a kilometre of sand. The architects Reda Amalou and Jaya Ibrahim drew on the royal tombs of Hue and on feng shui. Montgomerie Links is less than a quarter of an hour away; after the round, choose the adults-only pool, the quietest of the three, facing the beach. The hotel has kept two Michelin Keys.

La Siesta Hoi An Resort & Spa

To stay in town, La Siesta Hoi An Resort & Spa is a few minutes from the old town, in the Thanh Ha district, far enough away to stay quiet. Take the bicycles the hotel lends free of charge: you ride back from the lantern-lit lanes without hunting for a taxi. Dine on site at Red Bean, and set off in the morning for the courses to the south or Montgomerie Links to the north.

Little Riverside Hoi An

Sixteen rooms on the bank of the Thu Bon, at the edge of the old town: Little Riverside, run by a Hoi An hotel group, hides carved wooden panels and local craftwork behind a traditional façade. Ask for a room with a river balcony; on the street side, the night market can be heard. At sunset, go up to the rooftop pool above the tiled roofs. Montgomerie Links is about twenty minutes away.

Dark wooden pavilions with tiled roofs among coconut palms, either side of a sea-facing pool at sunset

Where to dine

Banh Mi Phuong

Truong Thi Phuong started with a small stall before moving to 2B Phan Chu Trinh; Anthony Bourdain made her name on his show No Reservations. Behind the counter, a production line of staff fills the crisp baguette with house pâté, grilled pork and fresh herbs. Order the mixed one, with everything. Come at opening, at 6.30am: the queue is short, and the sandwich travels well to the southern courses.

Red Bean Hoi An

On the ground floor of La Siesta, Red Bean reworks the recipes of the former Quang Nam province and Hoi An's specialities in the spirit of a refined bistro. On Tuesdays, a Vietnamese street-food buffet lets you taste in one evening what would take a week to track down at the stalls.

1552 Bistro

The Hoiana Shores clubhouse restaurant overlooks the 19th hole, the little par 3 where end-of-round bets are settled. Have lunch here after the round, facing the dunes, going back over the scorecard; more practical than returning to town when you are playing two rounds in a day.

Beyond golf

The old town and the Japanese Bridge

Listed as a World Heritage Site in 1999, the old town preserves the street plan of the 17th and 18th centuries across some thirty hectares. Its emblem, the covered Japanese Bridge, was built by Japanese merchants in the late 16th century; a small temple watches over it, guarded by statues of a dog and a monkey, and its restoration was completed in 2024. Visit early in the morning, before the groups, then come back after dark for the lanterns.

Bay Mau Coconut Forest

East of the town, in the commune of Cam Thanh, nearly a hundred hectares of nipa palms line a maze of tidal canals. You explore them in a thúng, a round boat of woven bamboo. The site is part of the Cù Lao Chàm-Hội An Biosphere Reserve, designated by UNESCO in 2009, which also takes in the Cham Islands.

My Son and the villages of the Thu Bon

About forty kilometres away, the UNESCO-listed sanctuary of My Son gathers the brick temples raised by the kingdom of Champa between the 7th and 13th centuries. Closer in, the potters' village of Thanh Ha and the vegetable village of Tra Que are an easy bike ride from the old town.

Round woven-bamboo boat on a canal lined with nipa palms, a fisherman in a conical hat seen from behind in the mist

When to go

The dry season runs from February to May: it is the best time to play, with clear skies, heat that is still bearable and firm, fast courses. From June to August, temperatures can approach 38 °C; tee off at sunrise. From September to January, the rainy season brings heavy downpours and, especially in October and November, floods that can submerge the old town and waterlog the courses; December and January are also cooler.

Getting there

Da Nang International Airport (DAD) is the gateway: allow about fifty minutes by road to Hoi An and about 45 minutes to Hoiana. From Europe, you reach Da Nang with a connection in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City or a major Asian hub. The Hoiana complex runs a free shuttle from the airport, Da Nang and Hoi An; once there, a private driver remains the simplest option.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course near Hoi An?

Hoiana Shores, Robert Trent Jones Jr.'s links opened in 2019 south of the town, named the best course in Vietnam by Golf Digest in 2020 and ranked among the best in Asia. Its holes 15 to 17 run along the beach, facing the Cham Islands.

How many golf courses are there around Hoi An?

Three courses lie no more than half an hour from the old town: Hoiana Shores and Vinpearl Golf Nam Hoi An to the south, Montgomerie Links to the north. The Norman and Nicklaus courses at Legend Da Nang Golf Resort and Ba Na Hills round out a trip from Da Nang.

When is the best time to play golf in Hoi An?

From February to May, during the dry season. If possible, avoid October and November, the wettest months, when the old town can flood.

Should you stay in Hoi An or near the golf courses?

It depends on your plans. Four Seasons The Nam Hai, on Ha My beach, puts Montgomerie Links less than a quarter of an hour away; La Siesta and Little Riverside let you walk or cycle back from the old town.

How long does it take from Da Nang airport to Hoi An?

Allow about fifty minutes by car to the old town and about 45 minutes to the Hoiana complex, which runs a free shuttle.

Tailor-made

Your golf trip: Hoi An

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

Links green ringed by white sand dunes and casuarina trees, above a long beach and wooded mountains

Central Vietnam

Da Nang

4 courses

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