Vietnam Golf in a New Growth Cycle: Infrastructure, Tournaments and the Next Generation

Vietnam Golf in a New Growth Cycle: Infrastructure, Tournaments and the Next Generation Over the past decade or so, golf in Vietnam has shifted from a sport perceived as the preserve of a small elite into part of the sports–tourism–entertainment ecosystem of many localities. That shift did not come from a single event; it is the combined result of three pillars: course infrastructure, the tournament system, and the pipeline of upcoming golfers. Looking at all three, Vietnam golf appears to be entering a new growth cycle in which opportunity and challenge are interwoven. Course infrastructure expands along the coastal axis From a handful of isolated courses in the north and south, Vietnam's golf network now stretches from Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Hanoi and Ninh Binh to Da Nang, Quang Nam, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Long An and Kien Giang. Most new projects are tied to coastal resort-tourism planning, where the course acts as an anchor point that lengthens stays and raises spending by international visitors. This distribution creates two clear advantages. First, coastal course clusters can be linked into packaged golf-tourism products serving travellers from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and, more recently, Southeast Asia. Second, a denser concentration of courses lowers travel costs and tournament operating costs, making it easier for national and regional events to rotate between venues. However, rapid infrastructure growth also raises sustainability questions. Irrigation demand, the management of turf-care chemicals and the impact on coastal landscapes are forcing developers to consider stricter operating standards rather than focusing only on green fees and course rentals. The tournament system – the backbone of the sport If infrastructure is the hardware, the tournament system is the software that determines the quality of the sport. For many years, the National Championship and amateur events organised by the Vietnam Golf Association were the main stage. The turning point came with the formation of the VGA Tour system, which created a regular series of events through the year with leaderboards, rankings and a points-accumulation mechanism for both professionals and amateurs. This multi-tier structure has three effects. First, it provides a stable schedule, allowing golfers to plan training and competition over the long term rather than waiting for a few big events each year. Second, it builds a domestic ranking that serves as the basis for selecting national teams for regional events such as the SEA Games, the Asian Games and Asia-Pacific amateur championships. Third, it opens sponsorship space for businesses, as each tournament becomes a measurable brand touchpoint. Alongside the professional system, junior and amateur events such as Faldo Series qualifiers, school and university tournaments, and expanded events for female golfers are gradually filling gaps that were previously left largely empty. This is a crucial foundation layer, because a golf ecosystem is only sustainable when a steady stream of new golfers keeps coming through. The next generation of golfers and the coaching story The brightest spot for Vietnam golf in recent years is its young player pool. Figures such as Nguyen Anh Minh, Dang Quang Anh, Le Khanh Hung and Nguyen Thao My have brought Vietnam golf closer to continental arenas. What they share is that they started early, received more structured coaching and compete internationally more often than the previous generation. The change in coaching quality shows in three areas. First, domestic academies and training centres have introduced dedicated fitness programmes and video- and data-based swing analysis instead of relying solely on word-of-mouth experience. Second, many young golfers are sent to train and compete in Thailand, South Korea, Japan or the United States, where the competitive density is far higher. Third, families and sponsors are starting to see golf as a viable career path rather than just a hobby. Even so, the gap between Vietnam golf and Asia's leading golf nations remains significant. The number of low-handicap golfers is still small, the number of events eligible for international ranking points is limited, and the number of golfers who turn fully professional remains modest. These are indicators that depth of field – not the number of courses – is the decisive factor in Vietnam golf's regional standing. Golf tourism and economic value Economically, golf is regarded as one of tourism's high-spending segments. A golf traveller typically stays longer, travels in groups and uses many accompanying services such as hotels, dining, spas and transport. That is why many coastal localities view courses as a tool for drawing visitors during the low season. Yet golf's economic value is not confined to tourism. The supporting supply chain – course maintenance, equipment, apparel, retail and coaching services – also generates jobs and revenue. As the number of courses and rounds grows, demand for professionally trained staff, from course technicians and caddies to coaches, rises accordingly, opening a new labour market in provinces that host courses. Digitalisation and media A less-noticed but long-term change is digitalisation in operations. Online tee-time booking, electronic scoring, handicap-tracking apps and round-data platforms are becoming standard at many courses. These tools not only make things more convenient for players but also generate valuable data for tournament organisers and course managers forecasting demand. Media coverage of golf is changing in parallel. Domestic tournaments are streamed, leaderboards are updated in real time and short-form content is produced for social media. This approach helps golf reach younger audiences who previously had almost no touchpoint with the sport. Women's golf and a more diverse playing field Another bright spot is the increasingly visible participation of female golfers. Women's events and women-only training groups are taking shape, helping to change the perception that golf is a men's domain. Broadening participation is not only socially meaningful but also technically meaningful: when the player base is more diverse, the talent pool for national teams becomes wider. Challenges that need addressing Alongside the positive outlook, Vietnam golf faces four main challenge groups. The first is cost. Coaching fees, equipment, green fees and travel costs remain high relative to average income, making golf hard to popularise beyond higher-income groups. The second is land and planning, as many course projects struggle to balance economic goals with environmental and landscape protection requirements. The third is professionalism in tournament management and course operations, from course setup and scoring to refereeing. The fourth is human resources, especially internationally qualified coaches and data analysts. These four challenges are tightly linked. High costs limit the number of players, a small player base makes it hard to scale events, and small events limit the revenue available to invest in people and operating quality. Breaking this loop requires a coordinated approach rather than isolated fixes. Outlook Taken as a whole, Vietnam golf is moving from expansion in quantity towards improvement in quality. The infrastructure is now dense enough to host regional-scale events; the tournament system has a skeleton; and the young player pool has produced figures capable of competing at continental level. What is missing is alignment: a standardised coaching system, a schedule dense enough to accumulate experience, and a sustainable funding mechanism for both golfers and organisers. If those three elements are addressed in the coming years, Vietnam golf may produce not only more fine courses but also golfers genuinely competitive on the biggest stages. At that point, the story of Vietnam golf will no longer be a story about infrastructure – it will be a story about people.