VietNamNet Bridge – As golf has become an increasingly attractive sport here, as well as a lucrative component within the country’s tourism industry, many foreign and domestic investors are rushing to build costly golf courses throughout Vietnam.

Attraction of golf courses
The Bluffs Ho Tram Strip in Ba Ria – Vung Tau province currently hosts around 1,500 rounds of golf a month, general manager Ben Styles told VIR.

“This is a higher-than-expected result for The Bluffs Ho Tram Strip,” Styles said, adding that part of the course’s phenomenal popularity was due to the fact that it was designed by golfing legend Greg Norman.

The country is seeing a golf course development boom 
The Bluffs, which opened its greens six months ago, has announced that it will host the Ho Tram open golf tournament with a total prize fund of $1.5 million. This will be a major boost to developing Vietnam as an attractive destination for golf players.

Meanwhile, after its initial launch in Thua Thien-Hue province two years ago, Laguna Lang Co has built up a reputation as a “must-see” course in the central region.

Darren Robson, club manager and golf pro at Laguna Lang Co, said that the club welcomed 13,000 players last year, up 30 per cent from a year earlier. “The number is expected to increase further in the coming years as golf tourism further develops within the region,” Robson said.

“In 2014, nearly 2,000 players were also visitors at our resorts,” said Robson, adding that together with the Angsana and Banyan Tree Lang Co hotels, the Laguna Lang Co Golf Club was a vital part of the 280-hectare development.

Vingroup, the investor behind the Vinpearl Phu Quoc Golf Course, is also planning to build a number of golf courses in resorts being developed by the group.

Bui Tat Thang, director of the Development Strategy Institute under the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), said that he has received a series of proposals from developers, asking to be added to the national golf course development plan by 2020.

via Vietnam prepares to tee off national golf course plan – News VietNamNet.