Laguna Landing

A little over two years ago, I wrote glowingly about Danang as a golf destination. And with good reason. Vietnam's third city, situated roughly halfway up the country's lengthy seaboard, found itself well and truly on the Asian golfing map with the completion of the wonderfully manicured Montgomerie Links and the splendid Danang Golf Club. Combine this with a growing list of truly first-rate hotels and resorts, its proximity to the charming old town of Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a stunning coastline and a laid-back, easy-to-navigate city, the place was really very agreeable – and, unlike, say Phuket, excitingly free from mass tourism and therefore exotic to boot.

But just as importantly, the two courses themselves represented a significant step in the right direction from an architectural point of view. Abutting the famed and historic sands of China Beach and laid over rolling, dune-filled terrain framed by scrubby wastes and native shrubs and grasses, the golf here is about as far removed from the cookie-cutter layouts (replete with ghastly cheek-by-jowl "mini-mansions" lining the fairways) that have become standard fare at many new developments in this part of the world. While Montgomerie Links was, and remains, unashamedly modern in scope, Danang, the work of Greg Norman and lead designer Harley Kruse, is a real throwback, with natural, blown-out bunkering and firm and fast playing surfaces. It very quickly became my favourite course in Southeast Asia.

How long Danang retains this highly coveted position remains to be seen, however, because now the region has a third course – the Nick Faldo-designed Laguna Lang Co – and, while it won't officially open until March, it already has all the makings of something very special indeed.