More than 40% of golf courses in Vietnam are not 18 holes — and that completely changes your round

Everyone knows a round of golf is 18 holes. But if you open a list of golf courses in Vietnam, you'll find many courses that don't have 18. Some courses have 27 holes, some have 36, and there are two places with up to 54.

What does that number mean? And more importantly: how does it change your game day?

First of all, the real number

Among the 72 golf courses currently available on VietSpots:

• 42 courses have 18 holes• 16 courses have 27 holes• 12 courses have 36 holes• 2 courses have 54 holes

That is, 30 courses — more than 40% — have more than 18 holes. This is not a rare occurrence, but something you will encounter right on your second or third booking.

The simplest way to understand it: golf courses are built in clusters of 9 holes

This is the key to the whole thing, and it's very easy to understand.

Golf courses are not built hole by hole individually, but in groups of 9 holes. Each group starts from near the clubhouse, runs a loop, and then returns to the original spot. A standard round of play is 18 holes, which means completing both groups.

From there, those numbers appear very clearly:

• 18-hole course = 2 sections. Play it all or nothing, there are no other options• 27-hole course = 3 sections. You're still only playing 18 — meaning 2 out of 3 clusters• A 36-hole course = 4 clusters, but is usually divided into two separate 18-hole courses, each with its own name and character• A 54-hole course = three 18-hole courses. Play for three days without repeating the same hole

In other words: the number of holes printed on the list is not the number of holes you will play. You will almost always play 18. That number tells you how many options the course has to combine into those 18 holes.

27-hole course: the most surprising place

This is the most noteworthy type, and it is also the second most abundant type in Vietnam.

Since only 2 of the 3 clusters are in play at a time, courts have to be paired up — and which pair is open depends on the day. Some days one cluster is closed for maintenance, some days they rotate to let the grass rest, and some days it's split based on how many guests there are.

The issue is: two different pairs can result in two completely different golf rounds.

The clearest example is Sông Bé Golf Resort, located about 20 km from the center of Ho Chi Minh City. The course has three clusters named Desert, Lotus, and Palm.

Combining Desert + Lotus creates a course of 7,062 yards with a Slope of 133 — that's the type for golfers who already have solid skills. Combining Lotus + Palm gives you a round that goes through lotus ponds and palm trees instead, much more relaxed.

Same golf course, same name on the booking slip, yet two completely different days.

Long Biên in Hanoi is the same way, with three clusters simply named A, B and C. Cluster A is spacious and has some beautiful par 3 holes; cluster B is more challenging because of many sand traps and water; cluster C is shorter but requires accurate shots.

Twin Doves near Thu Dau Mot has the Luna – Stella pair with a Course Rating of 77.8 and a Slope of 134 — quite a bit above average.

What you should do is very simple: ask beforehand which pairing the court will open that day. If your group has someone new to the game or someone who just wants to stroll around for fun, knowing in advance whether it's an easy pairing or a tough one will save the whole morning.

And if you play the 27-hole course for the second time, here's some good news: you'll most likely be paired with a different group this time, and half of the course will feel new again. Chí Linh or Vân Trì both belong to this group.

36-hole course: actually two golf courses located side by side

At a 36-hole course, the question is different. It's no longer "which pairing," but rather "which of the two courses are we playing today.

Vietnam Golf & Country Club in Ho Chi Minh City is the clearest example. Two 18-hole courses located on the same palm forest area but designed three years apart and following two opposing philosophies:

• West Course (opened 1994–1995) — narrow fairway, squeezed by oil palm forest and oil palms on both sides. Winning or losing depends on whether you hit the right line• East Course (opened 1997, designed by Lee Trevino) — wider fairways, easier to breathe off the tee, but the greens and bunkers are much stricter

Golfers who hit it straight will love this course, while those who hit it far but tend to slice or hook will prefer that one. Yet both courses bear the name of the same club.

Sky Lake to the west of Hanoi is also divided into two courses: Lake Course and Sky Course, with clearly different levels of difficulty. As for Vinpearl Golf Leman Củ Chi, it currently has the North Course with 18 holes in operation, while the remaining half will gradually open through 2026 — so if you're planning to visit, you should double-check before scheduling.

A 54-hole golf course: there are only two in the whole country

Phoenix Golf Resort in Phu Tho is one of two places there. With three 18-hole courses, it suits a two-day-one-night or three-day-two-night getaway: each day one course, no day repeats another.

The remaining place is Royal Golf Course in Ninh Binh, nestled amid the limestone mountains. One thing needs to be made clear: the number 54 here refers to the overall master plan, part of which is still under construction. If you're planning a long trip, you should ask again how many sections are open at the time you travel.

A strange spot on the map

When arranging 16 27-hole golf courses by region, there's quite a surprising fact: 11 courses are located in the North, 5 courses are in the South, and the Central region has no 27-hole courses.

The entire Central coastal strip only has 18-hole courses and a few 36-hole courses. This has a very practical consequence for golfers:

When you play golf in Da Nang, Hoi An, or Nha Trang, you almost always know beforehand which holes you'll be playing — the course only has one setup. But if you're heading north or going south, especially around Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, you should ask.

As for choosing which course in the Da Nang complex, I've written about it separately here. As for which months you should play in which region, here.

In summary, four questions worth asking

• 27-hole course → which pairing opens that day? Two pairings can differ a lot in difficulty• 36-hole course → which course will I be assigned to? It's almost like two different golf courses• If you're going for two days or more → a course with more holes means you don't have to replay the same holes• The course is being expanded → how many holes are actually open at the time you go?

Those four questions take less than a minute to ask, but they make the difference between a round of golf that goes just the way you wanted and a morning spent struggling against a course that turned out tougher than you expected.

The number of holes, course specifications, and available play times for each course can all be viewed in the VietSpots golf section.

Photos provided by golf courses.