Let me start with this: I didn’t expect to find one of the most memorable rounds of golf I’ve played in the last five years in Vietnam. But here we are.
Hoiana Shores Golf Club is tucked away on the coast just outside of Hoi An—a ridiculously charming town that looks like it was pulled straight out of a travel magazine spread. Think lantern-lit streets, banh mi that puts every sandwich you’ve ever had to shame, and the kind of beachy, laid-back energy that makes you want to forget you ever had inboxes to clear.
But we’re here to talk about golf.
And let me tell you—Hoiana Shores is the real deal.
I just got back from an 8-day trip with Asia Golf Trips, where the Founder, Scott Resch, put together one of the best travel itineraries I’ve ever had.
And the best part? I got to do it all with my dad.
Of the four courses we played, Hoiana Shores was the clear stand out, and all you have to do is look at a few photos to see why.
The First True Links Course in Vietnam
Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., Hoiana Shores is Vietnam’s first authentic links course. If you’re anything like me, when you hear “links-style” outside of Scotland or Ireland, you raise an eyebrow. But this place walks the walk.
You’ve got firm, sandy turf that invites the ground game, wide rumpled fairways, and wind. Lots of wind. The kind that has you second-guessing your club selection and questioning your life choices halfway through your backswing.
We got lucky playing first thing in the morning, and the wind was fairly benign throughout the round. This is also the most “un-RTJ Jr.” courses I’ve ever seen. It looks like it was ripped straight out of Bandon Dunes, and if I didn’t know differently, I would have sworn it was a Coore & Crenshaw or Tom Doak design.
Everyone plays with a local caddie (which is mandatory), and honestly? That’s part of the charm. My caddie read greens better than I ever could, and it didn’t take her long to figure out which club was right for me on any given hole, despite not always being my personal first choice.
From the tips, it stretches to just over 7,000 yards, but don’t let that scare you. The layout is smart and playable, especially if you pick the right tees. There’s creativity baked into every hole, and options galore off the tee and around the greens.
The Front 9 at Hoiana Shores
There’s no “gentle handshake” here, the opening hole is the #3 index hole and is a beast of a par 4 at 472 from the tips.
The fairway is wide, but the undulating green and fore bunkers make the approach particularly tricky.
The second hole invites you to bomb it over the fairway bunker for a short wedge into the elevated green. Bail out right if necessary, but most hitters shouldn’t have any trouble clearing the bunkers with their drive. Just be ready to use some touch on your approach.
All of the par 3s on the course are exciting and fun to play, and this begins at the 5th. Despite being only 148 yards from the whites, this actually played as the longest par 3 on the course from those tees, which I love.
Give me some chances to hit it close and do something memorable. But don’t be fooled by the length, bunkers and severe greens are waiting on all the par 3s to punish errant shots.
6 and 7 bring you wide fairways that still require smart shots. A fairway bunker jutting out on 6 will swallow your ball if you hit it too long on the right half of the fairway. I learned this from experience.
The massive bunker on the par-3, 8th is intimidating. Make sure you have enough club to clear it.
And the approach on 9 features a strategically placed bunker short of the green that will mess with your depth perception.
Despite being the more inland of the two 9s, every hole on the front 9 was memorable in one way or another.
The Back 9 at Hoiana Shores
The back 9 starts off strong with the par 5, 10th.
Have you ever had an experience where you’re standing on a fairway and looking at one green from a different hole, and thinking “oooh, this looks cool! Too bad this isn’t the way the hole was designed.”
Maybe that’s a weird thought, but it’s one I’ve had numerous times.
I thought that was the case on 10. I looked at a really cool green complex off in the distance, thinking it was for a different hole. But nope, as we rounded the corner, it became clear it was the 10th green – and it’s one of my favorites on the course.
11 might be one of the coolest tee views on the course. It’s a short par 4 littered with bunkers. Despite being totally different golf courses, it kind of reminded me of the 11th hole at Winged Foot West.
The 11th:
The 11th at Winged Foot:
And 12 is the third par 3 on the course, playing directly into the clubhouse.
13 is the first hole I saw when I showed up to the club, and that’s all it took. I immediately knew I was going to like this place. Another great par 4 with bunkering that requires a well-thought-out tee shot.
14 is the shortest par 3, but perhaps the most fun. Bunkers everywhere. A wild green. It just screams fun. And there were more screams after my dad made is second legit birdie ever when he drained his 20 foot putt for a 2.
15 is when we get to the signature stretch of holes. A larger bunker makes visibility a challenge, but you can see the green and the ocean peeking out to the left of it. Pick a smart line. Bailout right to avoid the bunkers, but have a longer approach. Go straight over the fairway bunker, but not too long, as another one is waiting directly behind it. Stay left if you want to bomb it and give yourself the best angle into the green.
16 is a shorter par 4 that plays along the ocean. Even a drive rolling all the way up towards the fairway bunker will leave you with a delicate approach.
17 is the final par 3, and perhaps the most scenic with the ocean and resort in the background. Congrats to Katy who was playing in the group ahead of us and dunked one for her first ever hole in one!
18 is a wonderful par 5 with water off the tee right, and exacting shots are required all the way up to the green.
Is the trip to Play Hoiana Shores worth it?
Quite simply, if you’re talking about underrated golf destinations in the world? Vietnam should be on the short list.
It may not have the breadth of golf as many other destinations, but there are a handful of world class golf experiences that are all very different from one another.
We started our trip in Hanoi, and played the parkland Kings Course at Kings Island – which required a speedboat right to get to the course.
Then a quick flight to Danang led us to spend a couple days in Hoi An, where we played Hoiana Shores and the polar opposite Normal Course at Legends Danang.
We finished the trip about an hour away at Laguna Lang Co, which basically felt like playing golf in Jurassic Park.
It’s both the variety and the quality of experiences that made this trip so special.
I’ll have a full Vietnam golf guide that I’ll post soon, and I’ll link to it here when I do.
But the short version? This was one of the best golf trips I’ve ever taken, and it exceeded every high expectation I had for it.
Definitely check out Asia Golf Trips if you’re looking to visit, as part of what made the trip so special was the insider knowledge and unique experiences that its Founder, Scott Resch was able ot provide.
