Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: Sir Nick Faldo has officially unveiled his latest golf course design in Vietnam, Royal Long An Golf & Villas.

Sir Nick attended the Grand Opening of the first 18 holes of what will be a 27-hole venue in southern Vietnam, just 50 kilometres from Ho Chi Minh City.

The par-72 course measures 7,233 yards from the back tees and 5,424 yards from the forward tees, ensuring the latest addition to Long An Province’s golfing offerings can attract new players.

With a full driving range and short-game facility, and the clubhouse now fully operational, Royal Long An is destined to become a golf haven for residents of Ho Chi Minh looking to escape the city.

A vast integrated lake system was designed to capture storm and rainwater for irrigation while also ensuring the course would be elevated to enable playable surfaces year-round. With lakes and bunkering being the course’s main defences, additional trees are being added to bolster the landscape as the site was a true blank slate.

Six-time Major champion Sir Nick said: “Finally seeing the course maturing is always a rewarding milestone. It takes tremendous vison to deliver a golf course on a site like this. Seeing the forest through the trees is a unique ability when you have design challenges.

“Some sites simply have golf holes, and you just need to find them; other sites have nothing, and you have to create playable golf. I like both styles of design. They test your creativity in different ways.”

The third nine holes are currently in the final stages of detailed design, with construction expected to start in 2024. It is shaping up to be a tougher test than the first 18 holes. Incorporating more water, the final course will be a true test of accuracy and course strategy.  

The Royal Long An Golf & Villas began construction just prior to the closure of international travel in 2020 and presented a unique challenge to Faldo and his team at Faldo Design – how to continue design and construction of the course from a remote, isolated location. 

Faldo said: “I’ve been coming to Vietnam since the mid-1990s, building golf courses and hosting Faldo Series events in different provinces, all aimed at expanding the game I love.

“Taking golf to new regions has been a passion of mine for decades. Royal Long An in Long An Province is just a continuation of that dream.”

Not only has Vietnam been a hotspot for golf development in recent years, but also the country is home to the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final, Sir Nick’s global junior golf development league that aims to provide girls and boys equal opportunity through golf.

He said: “I hope to see a Faldo Series qualifier at Royal Long An one day. This is a perfect venue for a Faldo Futures or Faldo Juniors event with boys and girls competing for an opportunity to reach a national, regional and global level of golf.”

*Faldo Design is an Associate Business Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.