🇻🇳
EST. 2026 • FOUR MATES • ONE MISSION

VIETNAM
TRIPPER

The Gold Corp Vietnam Tour — Glenn, David, David & Tom • 5 rounds of golf, 3 cities, 12 days and a lifetime of reviews.

The Gold Corp crew - back in the day
The originals
The Gold Corp crew - present day
Still going
EXPLORE
THE CREW
FOUR KIWI BLOKES. ZERO TRAVEL CREDENTIALS.

We've been mates for decades. We play golf badly, argue about everything, and decided the world needed our completely unqualified opinions on Vietnam. You're welcome.

GLENN
Tour Director & Chief Complainer
🍺
DAVID
Beer Research Coordinator
📷
DAVID
The Other David
🍽
TOM
Street Food Demolition Expert
THE WRITE-UP
THE VERDICT — AS WE GO

Every restaurant, hotel, bar, tour and experience gets the Gold Corp treatment — honest reviews from four mates who know what they like. Kicking off with getting there, first impressions of Da Nang, our Ba Na Hills round, and the lowdown on playing golf with a Vietnamese caddie.

01 Getting There 02 Da Nang 03 Ba Na Hills 04 The Caddies
01

GETTING THERE

Flying from Christchurch to Da Nang was a bit of a mission. Our route was Christchurch to Auckland, Auckland to Singapore, then Singapore to Da Nang. If I were doing it again, I'd skip the Auckland leg and just fly straight Christchurch to Singapore, then on to Da Nang.

One highlight of the journey was the stopover at Changi Airport — it's a great place to break up the trip. It's basically a massive shopping mall, so there's plenty to look around and plenty of spots to grab a rest before the final leg.

02

DA NANG: FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Arriving in Da Nang, we were absolutely blown away — what a great place. Think Asian Surfers Paradise, but a lot cheaper and a lot friendlier. First tip: download the Grab app before you land. It's like Uber, and it'll get you around the city for next to nothing — short trips run about $3 USD, and we never paid more than $10 USD for any Grab ride, no matter how far.

We checked into our hotel, the Sala, and it was magnificent. We headed straight up to the rooftop infinity pool, which also has a great Japanese restaurant attached — the view over the beach from up there is something else. After settling in we went for a walk outside, and the beach itself is fantastic, lined with restaurants and bars, locals out exercising, and vendors selling the usual sunglasses and hats. One tip: always make sure the free breakfast is included in your package before you book — it's massive, with a spread covering pretty much every breakfast food you could want.

The local beer of choice is Huda, and it's a good drop — a pint will set you back about $1.50 USD at the hotel, or roughly half that from the convenience store across the road. There are also pickleball courts nearby you can hire if you're keen for a game.

$3–10USD per Grab ride
$1.50USD pint of Huda (hotel)
$3–5USD Grab ride to the markets

For shopping, there are three good markets close by — Con Market, Han Market, and the night market — all about a $3–5 Grab ride away. This is where you'll find all the "replica" goods: North Face, Patagonia, and plenty more, plus sunglasses of every brand going. We were told locals shop at Con Market, but once you find the right price everywhere else, there's not much in it — you'll end up haggling over a dollar either way. Rough pricing guide: a North Face puffer vest for $20, Prada or Ray-Ban glasses for $6, good branded t-shirts for $7.50 (cheap tourist ones for $3), and genuinely good Adidas Samba shoes for $20. There's a huge range of shoes to choose from, and even more selection once you get to Hanoi, so it's worth holding off if you're after something specific.

On packing: you won't need any cold weather gear. Just bring lightweight trousers (vendors sell them right at the gates of some temples if you turn up without) so you can visit the temples, which are well worth it, and a rain jacket for the odd quick downpour. We did all the usual tourist stops, which are cheap and easy to get to — the Military Museum in Da Nang was eye-opening and well worth visiting early in the trip, as it gives you a real understanding of what the people of this country have been through.

Crossing the roads is a bit scary to begin with, but you get used to it fast — you just walk out into the traffic and people stop and flow around you. People genuinely look after each other in Vietnam; we never saw a single bit of road rage the whole trip. This is a country we'd happily come back to.

03

BA NA HILLS GOLF COURSE REVIEW

This was an amazing experience from start to finish. We drove out from Da Nang, and it's a great drive in itself — well worth keeping your eyes out the window and taking in the scenery along the way.

The Gold Corp crew with their caddies on the tee at Ba Na Hills, mountains in the background
On the tee at Ba Na Hills, with the crew that made it happen

We arrived to some genuinely great hospitality that made you feel like kings. The locker room staff were amazing — they even did up your shoes for you. One of the guys was so taken aback he took a photo to send to his wife.

Since this was the first time any of us had experienced that level of service, we asked about tipping. The answer was that they don't expect it — it's built into their wages — but if you feel the service has been good, you're welcome to tip anyway. So we did. Vietnam isn't like the USA, where tipping is essentially an extra tax you pay to subsidise low wages. It always helps to tip in Vietnam, though staff can sometimes seem a little embarrassed by it — wages are quite low, but it's balanced out by a low cost of living.

Get to the course about 45 minutes early so you've got time to hit a bucket of balls (around $7.50) before heading to the putting green. This was our routine at every course we played — your caddie will let you know when it's time to tee off.

Ba Na is a Luke Donald design, and it's a top-notch golf course — fantastic from start to finish. Everything was pristine, and it was a genuinely tough track. We played off the white tees, which suited our abilities — the group had a real mix of skill levels, and everyone enjoyed the challenge, even though it tested us. As mentioned earlier, our caddies were fantastic throughout. The greens were fast, the rough was tough but fair, and the fairways were magnificent.

After the round we headed into the changing rooms for a shower — bring a change of clothes, because what you played in will be drenched in sweat. Then it was off to the restaurant for a beer and a meal, around $10 USD for the lot. The place wasn't crowded at all, and it's an absolute must-play if you're in the area.

04

THE CADDIES

You can't play golf in Vietnam without a caddie — and every single one of ours was female. Their English varied from caddie to caddie, but my first caddie had the best of the lot, and we had a lot of laughs out on the course together. Ours even shared their lunch with us while riding on the back of the cart, whether that was watermelon or some interesting local Vietnamese food.

They had some great sayings. Whenever you hit one into the rough, or near out of bounds, the standard line was "how good is that?" — usually followed by something like "fifty-fifty" on your chances of finding it. They genuinely knew the course and gave good advice on where to hit it, and just as importantly, where not to.

Not everyone in the group warmed to having a caddie. A couple of the boys had never played with one before and weren't quite sure how to get the most out of the experience — it takes a bit of getting used to.

These women work hard for not much money — only around US$15 a day — so tipping properly matters. We were advised to give around US$20 per round. They'd have a club ready for you before you even asked, and if it wasn't the right one, you'd see them sprinting back to the cart — or yelling at a fellow caddie — to get the correct club.

We took our own towels for the caddies to prepare for us in the cart's ice buckets — it genuinely pays to do this, as it gets extremely hot out there. Make sure you fill your bag with water beforehand too. It's much cheaper to buy before you get to the course rather than on it — on course, coke runs about $2.50 a can and water around $1.50.

It's worth remembering the caddies are there to help you enjoy your day, not just to keep score. It's about looking up, smelling the roses, and having fun out there, even if the golf is tough.

★★★★★
Gold Standard
★★★★☆
Top Notch
★★★☆☆
Solid
★★☆☆☆
Average
★☆☆☆☆
Avoid
THE ROUTE
GOLD CORP VIETNAM TOUR — MAY 2026

12 days • 5 championship courses • 3 cities • Christchurch to Christchurch via Singapore.

Countdown to departure
days to go
View full flight times & day-by-day itinerary
OUTBOUND — SAT 2 MAY – SUN 3 MAY
SAT
2
MAY
Christchurch Auckland
8:05pm – 9:30pm
NZ574
2h 25m layover • Change to Terminal Intl
SAT
2
MAY
Auckland Singapore
11:55pm – 6:45am+1
NZ282
2h 30m layover • Change to Terminal 2
SUN
3
MAY
Singapore Da Nang
9:15am – 11:05am
SQ172
RETURN — FRI 15 MAY – SAT 16 MAY
FRI
15
MAY
Hanoi Singapore
12:40pm – 5:10pm
SQ191
2h 40m layover • Change to Terminal 3
FRI
15
MAY
Singapore Christchurch
7:50pm – 9:30am+1
SQ297
12 DAYS • 6 GOLF COURSES • 3 CITIES

Booking ref LGTA-0149 • Da Nang → Hoi An → Hanoi • Golf trip of a lifetime.

SUN03 MAY
Arrival
TOUCH DOWN IN DA NANG
NZ3468 arrives Da Nang 11:05am. Private transfer waiting at arrivals with a name sign — straight to the hotel, then the rest of the day is ours.
CHECK IN: Sala Danang Beach Hotel • Deluxe Room • Twin
MON04 MAY
⛳ Round 1
BA NA HILLS GOLF CLUB
Luke Donald designed championship course at the foot of the Ba Na Hills mountain range. Voted World's Best New Course 2016 and Vietnam's Best Golf Course multiple years running. 7,858 yards from the tips — the longest layout in Vietnam.
PICKUP 7:30am TEE OFF 9:00am
TUE05 MAY
Your day your way
FREE DAY IN DA NANG
Sandy beaches, Marble Mountains, Hai Van Pass views, French colonial history. Plenty to explore — or just recover from Ba Na Hills.
WED06 MAY
⛳ Round 2
LAGUNA GOLF LANG CO
Sir Nick Faldo's second design in Vietnam. Par 71, 7,100 yards from the tips. Links-style course with a traditional out-and-back routing in the Lang Co integrated resort.
PICKUP 7:00am TEE OFF 9:30am
THU07 MAY
Your day your way
FREE DAY IN DA NANG
Last day on the Da Nang beach before we move down to Hoi An.
FRI08 MAY
Transfer
DA NANG → HOI AN
Check out of Sala Danang and private transfer down to Hoi An (approx 45 min). Afternoon free to explore the ancient town, lanterns, tailors and the old quarter.
CHECK IN: Bel Marina Hoi An Resort • Deluxe Pool • Twin
SAT09 MAY
⛳ Round 3
HOIANA SHORES GOLF CLUB
Spectacular seaside links course with views of the Eastern Sea and Cham Islands. 36 challenging holes in a luxurious setting — a must-play for any golf enthusiast visiting the region.
PICKUP 6:50am TEE OFF 8:00am
SUN10 MAY
Fly to Hanoi
HOI AN → HANOI
Check out, airport transfer at 8:30am. Flight VN166 Da Nang to Hanoi departs 11:35am, arrives 1:00pm.
CHECK IN: Hanoi Pearl Hotel • Deluxe City View • Twin • Hoan Kiem district
MON11 MAY
Your day your way
FREE DAY IN HANOI
Hoan Kiem Lake, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Temple of Literature, Old Quarter cyclo rides, water puppet show at Thang Long Theatre, egg coffee, Dong Xuan Market, West Lake walks.
TUE12 MAY
⛳ Round 4
BRG LEGEND HILL GOLF RESORT
Jack Nicklaus designed course in Phu Linh, 20 minutes from Hanoi Airport. Vietnam's first course to feature two greens per hole — a unique 36-green layout on an 18-hole course.
TEE TIMES Opening soon
WED13 MAY
Your day your way
FREE DAY IN HANOI
Another day to explore Hanoi. Cooking class, street food tour, hidden alleys and street art, or just relax before the final round.
THU14 MAY
⛳ Round 5 • Final
SKY LAKE RESORT & GOLF CLUB
36 holes of championship golf managed by IMG — voted "The Most Challenging Golf Course in Vietnam". The Lake Course plays 7,265 yards through mountains and lakes. The Sky Course is surrounded by Vietnamese jungle with elevated Pinehurst-style turtle-back greens.
PICKUP 8:40am TEE OFF 11:00am
FRI15 MAY
Departure
HOME TIME
Check out, airport pickup at 8:40am. NZ3459 departs Hanoi at 12:40pm. End of service — see you on the other side.