Chi Linh Star (B & C)

Chi Linh Star Golf & Country Club is currently a 27-hole golf facility with a further nine holes under construction and the fairways are laid out in a fertile valley where a number of water hazards come into play during a round.

Situated mid-way between Hanoi and the seaport of Hai Phong, Chi Linh Star hosted the first professional golf tournament in the north of Vietnam when the Carlsberg Masters was held here in 2004.

The course’s TifEagle greens ensure smooth putting surfaces on every hole, with tee boxes and fairways clad in a Bermuda variant developed specifically for Hanoi’s climate.

A large lake in the middle of the layout ensures that water plays a large part in proceedings and several holes feature tee shots that require intimidating water carries, with other holes playing to tricky island greens.

The par four 2nd hole is an early tester, demanding a long approach to an elevated, well-protected green. The par five 5th is another fine hole, where side hill lies predominate all the way down the right side of a fairway that slopes into a large lake on the left.

On the back nine, the toughest hole is kept until last, at the 680-yard uphill par five 18th, and golfers who can walk off the course with a net par at this closing hole will feel like they’ve ended their round with a birdie.