Danang, Vietnam: Asian Tour Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer Cho Minn Thant believes Vietnam is destined to become a golf tourism hotspot and a popular venue for top-level tournaments.

In an exclusive interview aired at this week’s Asian Golf Industry Federation Conference in Danang, Cho predicted that Vietnam’s reputation as a prime golf tourism getaway will rapidly surge.

“In terms of scenery, in terms of course conditioning, in terms of the eagerness of the country to embrace golf, Vietnam is second to none in Asia,” said Cho, who was unable to attend the conference in person due to commitments in the United Kingdom, where the Asian Tour staged two events on its International Series last month.

Cho said 2023’s International Series schedule was also notable for staging an event in Vietnam for the first time.

Held at the Greg Norman-designed KN Golf Links in April, the inaugural International Series Vietnam was won by Zimbabwe’s Kieran Vincent.

Cho said: “We had a really successful International Series event in Vietnam this year at KN Golf Links. Golf is clearly booming in Vietnam. In fact, we have more than just the one Asian Tour event in Vietnam. We have several Asian Development Tour events, including the one this week (BRG Open Golf Championship Danang).

“It’s been wonderful for us to reacquaint ourselves with Vietnam and take advantage of the growth of the game there.”

Cho said Vietnam will soon follow in the footsteps of Thailand and Indonesia in becoming a world-renowned holiday destination for golfers.

He said: “I know there’s a lot of new courses being developed in Vietnam. The coastline is beautiful, the climate is great. So, it’s just a matter of time before Vietnam becomes a destination that’s very recognisable in the world of golf tourism.

“Golf in Vietnam is clearly emerging as a popular sport. You see the amateurs doing very well at the Southeast Asian Games, you see a lot of golf courses being developed, you’re seeing a lot of golf course owners wanting to get their golf courses to international and world-class standard.

“There’s no shortage of clubs in Vietnam with world-class facilities already. There are existing courses that are world-class in terms of turf grass, in terms of clubhouse facilities, F&B, accessibility to a major airport. Vietnam has it all.

“There are some remote locations which are spectacular but maybe just need a little bit more time for the infrastructure to develop. But in terms of ability to host tournaments there are multiple locations and multiple golf courses in Vietnam that can host a professional golf tournament right now.

“We’re hoping that in the future, professional golfers from Vietnam will feature on the Asian Tour, win on the Asian Tour and go on to become world stars. The future’s very bright for golf in Vietnam.”