Da Nang to Hua Hin: fourteen days, two countries, one itinerary that just works

The first time I pitched this itinerary to a client, they looked at me like I'd suggested we golf across the moon. Vietnam and Thailand, back to back, in the same trip? Two visa applications, three flights, a time zone you barely notice? Their concern was logistics. My answer was: that's exactly why you book someone who's already done it.

We've run the Da Nang to Hua Hin circuit four times now, with groups ranging from four to twelve. Every time, someone says it's the best golf holiday they've ever taken. I don't say that lightly — I hear that phrase a lot in this job, usually after two glasses of something cold.

**Why January**

Both Da Nang and Hua Hin sit in a January sweet spot that very few destinations can match. Da Nang's dry season runs October through March — clear skies, temperatures in the low-to-mid twenties, no humidity worth complaining about. Hua Hin, on Thailand's Gulf coast, runs October to May dry. Put them together and you have fourteen days of virtually guaranteed sun at a time when half of Europe is grey and most of the UK is flooded.

February works almost as well. March starts to push it in Hua Hin — the heat climbs. November is fine if you want to avoid the new-year premium on flights. But January is the sweet spot.

**Da Nang: four rounds, four very different courses**

We fly direct from London to Da Nang via Doha or Dubai — roughly seventeen to eighteen hours door to airport, which sounds brutal but genuinely isn't once you're in a flat bed. Land in the evening, transfer to the resort (we use Fusion Maia or Hyatt Regency Danang depending on group size), sleep, and tee off the following morning. No wasted day.

The four Da Nang courses we rotate across: Ba Na Hills, Montgomerie Links, Laguna Golf Lang Co, and Danang Golf Club. Each is completely different in character.

Ba Na Hills is the spectacle. You're up at 1,400 metres on the Truong Son mountain range, playing in cloud that rolls through mid-round like something from a film set. Green fee is around £90 per person including cart — extraordinary value for a course that would charge £200 in Portugal. The signature hole is the par-3 eighth, playing 185 yards off a cliff edge to a green ringed by jungle. I've seen grown men go quiet on that tee.

Montgomerie Links is where serious golfers come to hit shots. Designed by Colin Montgomerie, it plays links-style along the coast — wind-affected, wide fairways, subtle undulations that reward local knowledge. Our clients who play off single figures consistently rate it their favourite round in Asia.

Laguna Lang Co is a Robert Trent Jones Jr design an hour north of the city. The resort transfer is organised, the course is in immaculate condition, and the back nine opens up views across the lagoon that make it almost impossible to concentrate on scoring. Green fee £75. Worth every penny.

Danang Golf Club is the city club — less dramatic than the others, but faster to reach and excellent for a morning round before afternoon travel. Good condition, good price (around £60), reliable.

**The flight between countries**

Da Nang to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi takes roughly ninety minutes with VietJet or Vietnam Airlines. From Bangkok, it's a two-hour transfer south to Hua Hin — or you can fly into Don Mueang and cut the drive to ninety minutes. We always arrange a private minivan for groups rather than VIP bus: it costs slightly more but means you stop when you want to, and nobody is waiting at a coach terminal at midnight.

I prefer to do the transition on a rest day — no golf, travel morning to afternoon, check in, explore the night market, reset. Some groups want to play the day of travel; it can be done but it's tight.

**Hua Hin: where the weeks slows down**

Hua Hin has been Thailand's royal resort town since the 1920s and it shows. It's quieter than Phuket, less overtly touristy than Pattaya, and the golf scene is genuinely world-class without anyone having made too much noise about it yet.

We work with three courses here: Black Mountain, Banyan, and Majestic Creek. Black Mountain is the headliner — consistently ranked among the top five courses in Asia, designed by Phil Ryan, set among granite outcrops that make every photograph look like it was art-directed. Playing off 7,200 yards it demands respect; at around £120 per round including cart and caddie, it's a bargain by any international standard.

Banyan Golf Club is newer and more dramatic in places — the par-3 sixteenth plays 200 yards over a ravine that tends to produce either a career highlight or a very strong drink. Caddies here are some of the best in Thailand. Green fee around £100.

Majestic Creek Country Club is the sleeper — a Thai-owned, well-kept secret that local members treat as their home club. Green fee under £70. If you want to play like a local, this is where you go.

**What the trip actually costs**

For a group of eight, flying business, staying in four-star resorts, playing eight rounds across both countries, and handling all transfers privately: we typically price this at £4,800 to £5,400 per person for fourteen nights. Economy class drops it to around £3,200 to £3,600. That's a range that covers almost every client profile — those who want the expedition, and those who want the expedition in a flat bed.

**The thing nobody mentions**

The food. I know this is a golf travel company and I'm supposed to talk about fairways. But Vietnam and Thailand back to back is also one of the great culinary journeys on earth. Da Nang's Mi Quang — a local noodle dish you won't find anywhere else — and Hua Hin's fresh seafood on the pier: by the end of fourteen days, half of our groups have said they want to come back and do it again without the golf.

They always bring the golf the second time around.