Hanoi, Vietnam, 05 December 2024: 54 is joining forces with Vietnam’s National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the Department of Physical Training and Sports to unlock Vietnam’s undeniable promise as a world-class golf destination.
The joint strategy includes building the first golf course star-rating system to elevate standards, hosting the World Golf Summit in Vietnam in 2025 and crafting strategies to attract global sporting events and investments that will drive innovation and growth.
The two parties held a signing ceremony for a Memorandum of Understanding on the development of golf tourism in Vietnam, marking a new milestone for this key segment in the Vietnamese government’s strategic tourism plans.
This comes hot on the heels of confirmation of an agreement between 54 and the Phu Long Company to develop premium golf course projects in Vietnam.
Speaking at the event, Nguyen Trung Khanh, Director General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), noted that Vietnam’s tourism sector has experienced a rapid recovery in recent times. By 2024, the sector is expected to fully rebound to pre-pandemic levels, with projections of welcoming approximately 17–18 million international visitors and serving around 110 million domestic travellers, meeting the set targets. This achievement highlights tourism as a bright spot in the country’s socio-economic landscape.
With its geographic advantages, diverse terrain along a stunning coastline, and unique cultural heritage, Vietnam holds tremendous potential for developing golf tourism. These attributes also provide an ideal foundation for establishing integrated entertainment and leisure complexes.
Building on these inherent strengths, Vietnam’s tourism sector is striving to diversify its offerings by introducing new tourism products. Among these, golf tourism stands out as a highly promising segment and has been incorporated into the long-term strategies and development plans of the industry.
Vietnam’s potential is underscored by prestigious accolades from the World Golf Awards, where Vietnam has been honoured as “Asia’s Best Golf Destination” for eight consecutive years and “World’s Best Golf Destination” twice.
To achieve sustainable and effective growth in golf tourism, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (MOCST) has tasked its functional units with researching and implementing proposals, strategies, and plans related to golf, aiming to position Vietnam as a leading destination for golf tourism and sports.
Jed Moore, 54, Group CEO, said: “Vietnam is perfectly poised to take some major steps in elevating its commitment to major sports partnerships and has already seen early successes with positive trends in its golf tourism sector.
“With global interests showing no sign of slowing and a growing commitment to establishing a national golf strategy, service standards will increase, advancements in the product diversity and experiences will accelerate and the sector will become a shining light for how other sports might look to structure their approach to building diverse new economies.”
At the ceremony, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), the Sports Administration of Vietnam (SAV), and 54 Vietnam Co., Ltd. also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to cooperate in the development of golf tourism in Vietnam.
According to the MOU, VNAT will take the lead, in collaboration with SAV, 54 Vietnam Co., Ltd., and Thua Thien Hue Province, to organize the World Golf Summit in Vietnam in Thua Thien Hue as part of the National Tourism Year 2025. Additionally, the parties will work on designing and implementing a detailed star-rating system for golf courses in Vietnam, while proposing strategies, ideas, and plans to attract resources and host international sports events in the country.
Credit; 54