Vietnam's Rising Golf Generation Welcomes Historic 2027 Announcement  04:19, 31/10/2026

The Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), The R&A and the Masters Tournament announced on Thursday that the 18th edition of the region's premier amateur Championship would be staged for the first time in Vietnam at the links-style course along the country's central coastline.

Vietnam is regarded as one of the world's fastest-growing golf markets, emerging as a leading destination for golf tourism and investment, with one of the largest pipelines of new golf course developments outside the United States.

“Very exciting,” said Tuan Anh Nguyen, one of two Vietnamese golfers to make the weekend rounds at Te Arai Links in New Zealand this week, alongside fellow debutant Anh Huy Ho.

“Hoiana Shores is in the centre of Vietnam, it's like one of the best places for visitors to visit and have the Vietnamese culture. The food is great and the hotel is really nice.”

Across 17 editions of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, no Vietnamese golfer has won the prestigious title, which offers the champion coveted invitations to compete in the Masters and The Open. Khanh Hung Le holds the country's best finish, having tied for fifth in Dubai last year.

Tuan Anh believes home advantage could boost Vietnam's chances of challenging for the title next year. The Championship has produced five home winners across its 16 previous editions.

“The AAC is one of the biggest tournaments that Asian people in the Asia-Pacific will get to play. At home, there's a lot of chance that Vietnamese can show how good they are to Asia-Pacific golf. A lot of chance for us to try to play well and get us to the Masters and The Open,” said the 17-year-old Nguyen.

Ho, 16, is equally excited about the prospect of competing on home soil.

"It's an honour and really excited for us to be playing on home territory next year." Anh Huy Ho

“It's exciting. The tournament has never come to Vietnam. It's come to all these beautiful places, and I think Vietnam has got so much to offer as well in terms of golf facilities. It's an honour and really excited for us to be playing on home territory next year. We're really looking forward to it,” said Ho.

“I think Hoiana Shores is very, very beautiful. It's quite similar to Te Arai. The design is pretty and I think the golf course is challenging. The wind can get very, very strong as well.”

Mark Darbon, Chief Executive of The R&A, believes selecting Hoiana Shores and Vietnam as the next destination will positively impact golf’s growth in the country.

"We're extremely excited to bring this event to Vietnam, as I hope you'll see this week and I hope we demonstrated through the previous stagings of this Championship, it can have a transformational impact.

“These Championships can inspire and excite the next generation and for an emerging golf market like Vietnam, we are motivated by the opportunity to use this Championship to further catalyze that growth.”

Philip Hassall, Chairman of APGC, added: “Vietnam has been one of our emerging countries. It entered the Nomura Cup team event for the first time in 2024 and won it. So we're really pleased to be going to Vietnam. It's becoming a golf destination. We're seeing their players coming to the fore in all sorts of championships. It's a great venue to go to.”

Designed by renowned golf architect Robert Trent Jones Jr., Hoiana Shores features sandy terrain, natural dunes, undulating fairways and fast, challenging greens – characteristics that share similarities with this week's venue, Te Arai Links in New Zealand.

Hoiana Shores Golf Club

The course hosted the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific in 2025, an experience that Darbon believes exceeded expectations.

“It’s a venue that we know well at The R&A. Fantastic golf course, first and foremost. I think whenever you stage elite championships, you need the course to be strong. We need it to be a firm but fair test for some of the world's best emerging golfers, and we know that we have that at that venue.

“But the wider facilities and setup are strong too. As you can see from the setup here, these events don't just happen, they require significant infrastructure. One of the things that we pride ourselves on is delivering an elevated experience for not just the competitors but for all the other stakeholders that are involved in these events, and we know that the footprint at Hoiana Shores will give us the ability to do just that.”

The Asia-Pacific Amateur also announced New South Wales Golf Club in Sydney, Australia as the 2028 host venue.