Since his very first visit to Vietnam in the mid-1990s, six-time Major Champion Sir Nick Faldo has witnessed the incredible rise of golf in the country. From his debut design at the legendary Ocean Dunes, to the spectacular Laguna Lang Co, and more recent projects like Thanh Lanh Valley, Dong Trieu, and Royal Long An, Faldo’s design footprint now stretches across North, Central, and South Vietnam. Beyond golf course architecture, his Faldo Series Asia Grand Final has also nurtured Vietnam’s most promising junior talents. In this exclusive conversation with Vietnam Golf & Leisure, Sir Nick Faldo shares his reflections on three decades in Vietnam, his pride in seeing Vietnamese golfers shine, and his vision for future world-class golf experiences in the country.
What is your history of visiting and designing your first golf course in Vietnam?
My first visit to Vietnam was in the mid 1990s so for over 30 years I have been lucky to witness first-hand the development of golf in your wonderful county. My first golf course design at Ocean Dunes in Phan Thiet opened in 1996 and making itone of the very first golf courses in Vietnam. Ocean Dunes was consistently ranked as one of the best golf courses in Southeast Asia, but unfortunately no longer exists as the land was redeveloped for other purposes. However, my work on Ocean Dunes was the start of an amazing journey and
relationship with Vietnam that has led to many other exciting golf course designs. It also introduced me to the Vietnamese culture and people with many trips over the years to so many different parts of your beautiful country.
Your next project in Vietnam was at Laguna Lang Co Resort in Hue – why is that golf course special?
Laguna Lang Co is so special to me because it is one of the best natural sites I have ever worked on anywhere in the world. We have mountain backdrops with waterfalls, rivers, rice paddies, beachfront, large rock formations and sand dunes all within one 18-hole golf course. Laguna Lang Co is also my first Sir Nick Faldo Signature course in Vietnam, and I value the relationship I continue to have with the Banyan Tree and the Laguna Lang Co ownership group who have been so supportive of myself and my Faldo Series
Please tell us about the Faldo Series and its connection to Laguna Lang Co and Vietnam.
Laguna Lang Co is the host venue for the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final which brings together the best amateur junior golfers, both boys and girls, from across the entire Asia Pacific region from India to Australia. The golf course has proven to be a great championship test and I am very proud of the fact that the past 3 champions have all come from Vietnam – Nguyen Anh Minh in 2023, Nguyen Duc Son in 2024 and Nguyen Tuan Anh in 2025. It was so gratifying to see Anh Minh reach the US Junior Amateur final match earlier this year! I am sure we will see Vietnamese players having success as professionals in the years to come and hopefully even winning Majors. I would like to think that the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final being staged at Laguna Lang Co has played at least a small part in inspiring and contributing to the success of these very talented Vietnamese golfers.
What other golf courses have you designed in Vietnam?
In recent years Faldo Design has completed 3 new golf courses in Vietnam starting with Thanh Lanh Valley GC in 2022. Thanh Lanh was a wonderful site with the golf course set along a beautiful lake with stunning mountain backdrops. Even with the challenge of construction happening mostly during the Covid 19 pandemic the result is a fun, scenic golf course which I hear is one of the most popular for golfers in the Hanoi area.
Silk Path Dong Trieu Golf opened in early 2025 and is my first Sir Nick Faldo Signature course in the North. This was another site which gave me the opportunity to design so many great holes all with different character and strategy. The green complexes at Dong Trieu will certainly be some of the most challenging in all of Vietnam!
My first ever design in the South is Royal Long An Golf which officially opened all 27 holes in 2025. The three 9s at Royal Long An Golf are all very different including 3 different themes of lake, forest and desert.
What do you like most about visiting Vietnam?
The easy answer is the food!
The Vietnamese breakfast is the best in the world and a great way to start the day! Whether it’s a bowl of Pho, a Banh Mi sandwich, a cup of local coffee or fresh tropical fruit juice, I always enjoy the eating and drinking experiences in Vietnam! I am also always taken by the different natural environments I have experienced including the beautiful mountain ranges in the North or the wonderful beaches along the coast near Hue and Danang. The Vietnamese people are also so kind and the hospitality at your very fine hotels and resorts is world class!
Can we expect to see more Faldo Design golf courses in Vietnam?
Yes, you can! My Faldo Design team and I are currently in active discussions with a few golf course developers across the country. With the success of my previous 5 golf course designs in Vietnam, I am now looking for sites and developers that share my vision for designing and building unique, world-class golf courses. For me it is not about having the most golf course designs in Vietnam, my goal is quality over quantity and working with good people. I plan to do a lot more visiting and designing of golf courses in Vietnam in the coming years!
Sources: Vietnam Golf Magazine
