Staff WriterIf you like your golf trips with a side of sunshine, proper food and the kind of scenery that makes you consider “accidentally” missing your return flight, the Vietnam Golf Coast is making a very pointed case for itself in 2026.
Central Vietnam is leaning into a surge built on tourism confidence, sharper infrastructure and an expanding web of routes into Danang International Airport—because nothing says “we’re ready for the big leagues” like making it easier for long-haul golfers to actually arrive.
And the timing is no accident. Vietnam’s broader economic momentum has been catching international attention, and golf tourism tends to follow that sort of tailwind. On the fairways, the story is familiar: more visitors, more visibility, and a destination that’s increasingly behaving like a finished product rather than a work-in-progress.
Central Vietnam’s golf story is getting louder in 2026
The Vietnam Golf Coast is banking on a simple truth: golfers travel where the logistics are painless and the experience feels worth the flight time. Central Vietnam has the luxury resorts, beaches and cultural pull, but the practical advantage is growing louder—more air links into Danang, more confidence in the destination, and more reason for international golfers to pencil it into the calendar rather than merely bookmarking it.
“Central Vietnam has built strong, sustained momentum over recent years,” said Simon Mees, General Manager at Ba Na Hills Golf Club. “As we head into 2026, there’s a real sense that the destination is entering a new phase of maturity and international recognition. For Ba Na Hills Golf Club, it’s especially meaningful as we mark our 10th anniversary, a decade of contributing to the region’s growth and helping establish Central Vietnam on the world golf map.”
That word—maturity—matters in golf travel. Plenty of places can throw up a glossy brochure. Fewer can deliver repeatable quality, season after season, when the novelty wears off and golfers start judging with their scorecards and their standards.
Ba Na Hills Golf Club turns 10 and keeps raising the bar
Ba Na Hills Golf Club is heading into 2026 with a neat narrative hook: ten years in, still collecting plaudits, still acting as a flagship. Since opening in 2016, it has stacked up serious recognition, including five consecutive World Golf Awards for Asia’s Best Golf Course, six Vietnam’s Best Golf Course titles, and three successive Asia’s Best Golf Course honours at the World Luxury Travel Awards.
Awards are nice. Consistency is nicer. In destination golf, the courses that endure are the ones that make players want to come back, not just tick a box and move on. Ba Na Hills’ role in lifting Central Vietnam’s international profile is tied to that repeatable standard—condition, service, and an experience that feels properly managed rather than merely marketed.
Montgomerie Links: boutique golf, big results
If Ba Na Hills is the headline act, Montgomerie Links is the clever contrast—the sort of place that sells comfort and familiarity without losing its championship edge. It enters 2026 from a position of genuine strength, having captured 17% market share in 2025 to retain its status as the most-played course by rounds in the Hue–Da Nang region. That growth was driven primarily by the European, US, Australian and New Zealand markets, which gives the destination a sturdy base to build on.
“Our appeal lies in offering a more intimate, personal experience,” said Le Vo Hoang Van, Club Manager at Montgomerie Links. “Golfers value places where they feel genuinely cared for. Montgomerie Links delivers a boutique, home-away-from-home environment, with championship golf, on-course accommodation, dining, practice facilities, and privacy all integrated in a single destination.”
That “integrated” point is what travel golfers actually feel on the ground. If you can wake up, eat well, practise properly, play championship golf, and do it all without commuting across a city like you’re chasing a connecting flight, you’re already winning.
A designer roster that reads like a hall of fame
The Vietnam Golf Coast doesn’t just have quantity; it’s got serious architectural star power. Together with Montgomerie Links, Ba Na Hills anchors a collection of championship venues designed by some of the game’s most respected figures, including Luke Donald and Colin Montgomerie, alongside courses by Sir Nick Faldo, Greg Norman and Robert Trent Jones Jr.
For travelling golfers, that matters in a very simple way: you’re not guessing what you’re going to get. Familiar design names tend to come with familiar standards—strategy off the tee, interest around the greens, and layouts that hold your attention beyond the first photo.
Festivals, fairways and the 2026 calendar
Central Vietnam is also leaning into the broader trip appeal—because not every golf holiday is a lads-only operation. The destination’s pull will be boosted by a busy 2026 calendar, including the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival, expected to run from May to July, alongside the Vietnam–Korea Festival and Vietnam–Japan Festival later in the summer months. It’s the sort of scheduling that turns a golf trip into a more complete travel plan—golf for you, culture and spectacle for the rest of the group, and everyone wins.
What comes next for the Vietnam Golf Coast
The strategy for 2026 is clear: protect the core and expand the reach. Australia and New Zealand remain priority markets, supported by targeted activity and trade engagement, while the region also plans expanded outreach into Chinese-speaking markets, India and Japan. Improved air connectivity into Danang is expected to help that inbound flow—because accessibility is the quiet king of golf tourism.
The destination will also keep showing up where the travel trade pays attention, including the Asia Golf Tourism Convention (AGTC) in Thailand in March 2026.
“With world-class courses, improving connectivity and a growing international profile, Central Vietnam is well positioned for the year ahead,” Mees added. “As Ba Na Hills looks beyond its first decade, the focus is on sustaining quality, deepening global relationships and continuing to elevate the region’s standing as one of Asia’s great golf destinations.”
In other words, the Vietnam Golf Coast is no longer trying to convince golfers it exists. It’s trying to make itself the obvious choice—one more Danang flight, one more strong season, one more “we’ll definitely come back” recommendation at a clubhouse bar thousands of miles away.
