A new 18-hole golf course by Faldo Design has opened at PGA Silk Path Dong Trieu Golf & Country Club, located in the Quang Ninh province of Vietnam.

During a construction update in 2022, Bui To Minh, chairman of Silk Path Group, said: “It is our vision to deliver a golfing paradise in Vietnam. The golf course will strive to showcase the very best of Vietnam and will aim to attract golfers from all over the world who wish to discover a truly unique and memorable golfing experience.”

The golf course is part of a US$60 million project by resort developer Silk Path Group on a 320-acre site, 50 miles east of Hanoi.

“The original landscape for the golf course was very severe and difficult to navigate,” said Kenny Nguyen, CEO of Silk Path Group. “A lot of pines trees and other type of fruits tree had grown there by farmers. It was very difficult at first because we started construction during Covid and the Faldo Design team were not able to be there for site inspection, so everything was basically done on paper, photos or by videos. We also wanted to keep as many pine trees as possible because they were very big, beautiful and not able to be replanted.”

Andy Haggar, lead architect at Faldo Design, said: “The existing site had such a variety of interest with natural features such as the rolling hills, steep sided valleys, rock outcrops, mature pines and a large lake. Add to that the spectacular mountain backdrop and the potential for an exciting and wonderfully challenging golf course was there to be realised.”

“We moved five million cubic metres of dirt during construction, and there are parts of the course with 30 to 40 metres of fill and some with 40 to 50 metres of cut,” said Nguyen. “The most challenging part was balancing the cut and fill because we were not allowed to move dirt off site.”

When developing a routing, Faldo Design and resort developer Silk Path Group had a lot of discussions on who would play the course. These conversations saw Haggar create tee boxes to cater for juniors and shorter hitters as well as some back tees that would test the longer hitters and professionals.

“Our main clientele is currently local golfers and golf enthusiasts – we have received a lot of positive feedback since opening the course in January,” said Nguyen. “We are planning to expand our reach to tourists and organise junior and professional tournaments. If played from the wrong tees, the golf course can be extremely difficult, given the elevation changes… but those same elevation changes definitely make the layout a lot of fun.”

Holes that are early favourites among golfers include the seventh and eighth.

The par-four seventh plays uphill to a dogleg right with a huge bunker at the top of the hill in the middle of the fairway. “It is not a driver hole because if golfers can get past the big bunker, there is a huge downslope that can cause the ball to run around 50 to 60 yards and golfers could end up in the rough and out of position,” said Nguyen. “The most difficult part of this hole is to land the ball in the correct area of the fairway – there are huge pine trees on both side of the fairway, so any miss to the left or right will likely result in lost balls or a very difficult second shot.”

The following hole, the par-five eighth, doglegs left with a dry creek running across the fairway, with players also needing to navigate several bunkers on their way to the green. “This hole is very special because of the beautiful mountain background,” Nguyen. “To have a shot into the green in two, golfers will have to aim left of the fairway, although they’ll have to negotiate the water hazards and a very big and high bunker. A good shot will land just in front of the bunker, leaving players with a 100-yard shot to carry the dry creek and the big hitters with a chance at going for the green, 230 yards away. If golfers land their ball in the middle of the fairway or to the right, a lay-up is required.”

Nguyen also highlights the fifteenth and sixteenth.

“The short par-four fifteenth plays over water and uphill with a huge bunker situated across the middle of the fairway,” he said. “Huge pine trees flank both sides of the fairway. If golfers can hit drives with 230 yards of carry, the bunker will not be in play. If not, it is absolutely crucial to find the middle of the fairway. This is a risk and reward kind of hole. It is beautiful, too.

“And the sixteenth is a very long par four with a double fairway separated by four big bunkers and the approach shot is over water in front of the green. The idea is to avoid those bunkers in the middle – there is no chance to make the green in two if you land in one of them. Low handicap and highly skilled golfers will want to aim to the right and then leave themselves with an approach shot that will be under 200 yards. For high handicap golfers, it is very important to hit the left side of the fairway and keep left for a lay-up shot. And by keeping it left; golfers can avoid the water completely.”

Haggar said: “The challenge was to lay out eighteen playable holes using the site’s features to our advantage and at the same time balance the cut and fill in order to make everything work. We also wanted to give both front and back nine a flavour of everything the site had to offer and so the routing meanders nicely around the property to achieve that, whilst ensuring both nines return to the clubhouse. This opportunity to work with the ever-changing nature of the terrain helped us design a wonderful variety of golf holes, and by overcoming the topographical challenges presented to us, we’ve ended up with a truly spectacular golf course.”

Silk Path Dong Trieu Golf & Country Club has recently signed an exclusive partnership agreement with the PGA of America, which includes having a PGA of America Golf Academy. The academy is designed to promote player engagement programmes aimed at beginners and juniors. The newly constructed building and adjoining practice areas is also available to local golf professionals.

Silk Path is also underway with the construction of 75 villas and a 120-bedroom hotel, aimed at attracting golfers from around the world.

“Since the beginning, our goal is to make Silk Path Dong Trieu the number one course in Vietnam and Faldo Design has done an exceptional job on the project,” said Nguyen. “We believe we are not far away… in about a year or two, when our course is more mature and the landscapes start to settle in, we will have a masterpiece in Vietnam.”