VIETNAM’S BEST by Dakota Diaz
Calver tips Vietnam to regain status as golf travel’s biggest noise Laguna Golf Lang Co’s Director of Golf is witnessing a swift uptick in demand
L
ANG CO, VIETNAM – Pre-pandemic the buzz about Vietnam’s golf courses was almost as loud as the motorbike horns that soundtrack daily life in major cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
Big-name architects including Sir Nick Faldo (designer of Laguna Golf Lang Co), Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, and Robert Trent Jones Jr have made their mark with a string of incredible layouts the length and breadth of the Southeast Asian country.
And Adam Calver, director of golf at Laguna Golf Lang Co and a driving force in Vietnam Golf Coast — a destination marketing organization that links Central Vietnam’s best signature golf courses — has tipped the nation to become an even bigger noise in golf travel following its reopening to international visitors in March 2022.
Global accolades for the nation, meanwhile, including the coveted title of World’s Best Golf Destination at the 2021 World Golf Awards, fueled pent-up demand for travel during a period when Vietnam’s borders remained largely closed.
“Asia’s top golf destination is not just recovering following the pandemic: it’s getting even better,” he said. In recent years, Vietnam has forged a reputation as Asia’s ultimate bucket-list golf destination.
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Nobody involved in Vietnam’s tourism industry expects visitor numbers to immediately bounce back to pre-pandemic levels. But golf industry insiders like Calver predict a bright future for clubs in Vietnam following the reopening, pointing to a growing contingent of layouts that are maintaining the country’s reputation for quality. “A lot has been going on here (in Vietnam) during the pandemic,” said Calver. “New courses have been popping up all over the
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