Danang
Seaside Specials
The central Vietnamese coast is booming, with hotels, resorts and, latterly, golf courses all going up at – for Vietnam, at least – unprecedented pace. Danang is the hub of this new development and it is here, just 15 minutes from the airport and within easy reach of ancient Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where you'll find the fabulous Dunes Course at Danang Golf Club (danangolfclub.com).
Designed by Australian Harley Kruse during his employment with Greg Norman's architectural business, the Dunes is an intriguing – and wonderful – cross between a pure links and sandbelt course. Rampaging through sand hills and surrounded on all sides by sparsely vegetated scrubland, this is as natural a course as you're ever likely to play in Asia; ignore the Indochina War-era pillbox next to the 17th tee on the edge of famed China Beach, and you could forgive yourself for thinking you were playing Kingston Heath or one of the other great Melbourne courses.
Make no mistake, the Dunes is a thrilling course – but one that is very playable by almost all level of golfer. Lost balls are a rarity; low scoring, on the other hand, is confined to those who can avoid the magnificent fairway and greenside bunkering while at the same time mastering the slopes on the contoured greens.
Colin Montgomerie has put his name to a number of courses in Asia but the best of the bunch is the Montgomerie Links Vietnam (montgomerielinks.com), which is located right next door to Danang Golf Club. Incorporating numerous water hazards and large, modern-style bunkering, it would be stretching the truth to suggest this was a links in the true sense of the word, but it's certainly a high quality track, one which features firm fairways and large, well-maintained putting surface. Despite occupying very similar land, the Dunes and Montgomerie Links are very different courses but they complement each other and it is this balance that makes Danang such a fine destination.
The only real caveat to the place is getting there. There has been talk of reinstating a direct flight to Danang from Hong Kong but this has yet to materialise. It's a shame because although transiting in either Ho Chi Minh City of Hanoi is straightforward enough, Danang, with its fine hotels, top-rate beaches, growing bar and restaurant scene and great golf, would only be a 90-minute flight away, as opposed to the four hours it currently takes to get there.
Getting there: There are no direct flights between Hong Kong and Danang at present, so a transit in either Ho Chi Minh City (Flying time: 2 hours) or Hanoi (1 hour, 45 minutes) is required. Vietnam Airlines (vietnamairlines.com) operates numerous daily flights to Danang from both cities (1 hour).
Where to stay: Just 10 minutes from both courses lies the stunning all-villa Nam Hai (thenamhai.com), arguably Vietnam's finest resort hotel. Another sophisticated option is the hip Fusion Maia Resort (fusionmaiadanang.com), which boasts one of the most talked about spas in the country.
Need to know: Most nationalities require a visa to enter Vietnam. Danang is one of three airports – the others being Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City – that process visas on arrival for certain nationalities. Visit vietnamconsulate-hongkong.org for more information.
Pages
Click here to see the published article.
