Night Golf in Ho Chi Minh City: Tan Son Nhat Golf Course Guide 2026

Tan Son Nhat Golf Course after dark: floodlit play with the city skyline around it

Why night golf makes sense in Saigon

Ho Chi Minh City is hot. Daytime highs sit around 32–35°C for most of the year, and between May and November the afternoon usually brings a heavy shower somewhere between 15:00 and 18:00 (my estimate from years of booking here; the national forecaster NCHMF publishes the detail). An evening round solves both problems at once. By the time you reach the back nine the temperature has dropped to the high twenties, the rain has normally passed, and the course is quieter than at any daytime slot.

The second reason is simply time. A large share of the golfers I meet in Saigon are here for work, with a flight out the next morning or meetings until 16:00. Tan Son Nhat is the one course where that schedule still produces a full round. From a hotel in District 1 or District 3 you can be on the first tee in 30 minutes; from the airport, if you land early afternoon, in 15.

What night golf is not: it is not a cheaper way to play. The club’s own after-15:00 rate band is only modestly below the midday band, and on weekends it is still above the weekday price. Treat it as a time solution, not a budget one.

Tan Son Nhat Golf Course: what you are actually playing

Tan Son Nhat Golf Course opened in 2015 on 156 hectares of former military land along the northern edge of the airport. Nelson & Haworth built four nines, labelled A to D, each around 3,620–3,750 yards, with heavy mounding, lakes on most holes and large, undulating greens. Everything is Paspalum turf, which copes with the Saigon climate well and gives firm, consistent lies year-round. Courses B, C and D start from the clubhouse; Course A runs out towards Quang Trung Street past the apartment and hotel zone.

It is a public course operated under the Ministry of Defence, which produces two quirks worth knowing. Caddies are young army recruits: polite, hard-working, strong on the greens, but with limited English, so keep instructions simple. Carts are mandatory and stay on the paths; you can still walk the fairway while the caddie drives. The clubhouse (Him Lam Palace) is enormous, with a restaurant whose Korean menu is well regarded, a sauna, lockers for 600 and a two-level, 68-bay driving range that is also lit.

Is it the best course in southern Vietnam? No. The Bluffs Ho Tram and Vietnam Golf & Country Club are stronger designs. But as a convenient, well-conditioned, fully lit 36-hole course inside a city of nine million people, it has no real equivalent in Vietnam, and that is the right way to judge it.

The Him Lam Palace clubhouse with the city behind it; courses B, C and D start here

Tee times, lights and how late you can really play

The club’s website lists 05:30 as the earliest tee time and 17:15 as the latest tee time for a full 18 holes under the lights. Sunset in Ho Chi Minh City moves only between roughly 17:30 (November to January) and 18:15 (June and July), so a 17:15 start means you play the first three or four holes in daylight, the next few at dusk and the back nine entirely under floodlights. Rounds at Tan Son Nhat take four to four and a half hours with carts, so expect to finish between 21:30 and 22:00 (my estimate; the pace on a lit course is often a little quicker because fields are smaller).

Later tee times for 9 holes are usually available on request. If you want 18 holes and your meeting ends at 17:00 in District 1, you will not make a 17:15 slot; in that case I book 9 holes on one nine, or we move the round to the following morning’s 05:30–06:00 window, which is the other great Saigon time to play.

Practical points for the evening slot: bring a light long-sleeve layer for the last hour, as the air gets humid rather than cold; insect repellent is sensible on the water holes; and ask for a yardage book or use a GPS watch, because depth perception under lights is harder than it looks and the greens here have real movement.

Green fees for evening play

Tan Son Nhat prices by day of week and by tee-off band rather than by a separate “night” rate. The club’s published rack rates (effective 1 January 2025, stated per player for 18 holes including green fee, caddie and shared cart) are below, alongside our own reference rate from the TGROUP listing. We buy at operator rates and confirm the exact figure for your date in writing; the numbers here are to help you plan, not a quotation.

Club rack rates as published on the course’s own website (price list dated 01.01.2025, still displayed as of November 2026); TGROUP reference rate as of November 2026. All figures vary by season and exchange rate. Not included anywhere: caddie tip, typically around US$15 per 18 holes, and single-cart supplement if you want a buggy to yourself.

Two things the table tells you. First, the evening band on a weekday is the same price as the dawn band, and about VND 200,000 below midday, so there is a small saving but not a dramatic one. Second, a Friday evening is markedly cheaper than a Saturday evening, which matters if your trip straddles the weekend. For how Tan Son Nhat compares with the rest of the country, see my 2026 green fee guide by city.

Paspalum turf throughout keeps the fairways firm even at the end of the rainy season

Who should book a night round, and who should not

Other floodlit courses around Ho Chi Minh City

Tan Son Nhat is the obvious choice because of its location, but it is not the only course near Saigon with lights. Our own course pages list night golf as a facility at three others. Lighting schedules change with season and maintenance, so I confirm the available evening tee times with each club before I promise them to a guest.

Reference rates from en.tgroup.vn listings as of November 2026, rounded down; vary by season and exchange rate. Drive times are my estimates for early evening traffic, which in Saigon is heavy between 17:00 and 19:00.

For a full comparison of daytime options, including Twin Doves, Song Be and Harmonie in Binh Duong, read my colleague’s Ho Chi Minh City golf courses guide, or go straight to the Ho Chi Minh City golf tour hub.

Vietnam Golf & Country Club in Thu Duc, the other 36-hole option with lights

How I build a night round into a Saigon itinerary

Arrival-day round. This is the most common request. Guests land at SGN between 12:00 and 15:00, my driver meets them at arrivals, we drop luggage at a hotel near the airport or go straight to the course (lockers and showers make this easy), and they play 17:15. Dinner afterwards in the clubhouse or back in town. It turns a lost travel day into a golf day, and because the course is beside the airport the transfer is trivial. If the flight is delayed, we move to 9 holes or to the next morning; the club is flexible if told in advance.

Business-trip round. Car waits at the office from 16:15, clubs already in the boot (we collect them from the hotel in the afternoon), tee at 17:15, back at the hotel by 22:30. The one thing that breaks this plan is a meeting that runs past 16:30; Saigon traffic at that hour is unforgiving, so I always tell guests the honest cut-off.

Golf holiday add-on. For a four-night southern itinerary (Tan Son Nhat, Vietnam Golf & Country Club, then The Bluffs at Ho Tram), the Tan Son Nhat evening round goes on day one, which leaves day two free for the city or a Mekong excursion before the serious golf starts. Our Ho Chi Minh City 4-day golf package (from US$830 per golfer, two rounds, five-star hotel, reference rate) is the starting point most groups adjust from.

Stay and play. If you want one hotel and one course only, the Muong Thanh Saigon Centre + Tan Son Nhat package (from US$135 per person per night, reference rate) puts you in District 1 with the course 25 minutes away.

District 1 at dusk: by the time the lights come on downtown, you are on the back nine

What is included, and what to budget on top

Cancellation follows the standard TGROUP schedule shown on every course page: full refund 30 or more working days before play, then 10%, 30%, 50% and 100% as the date approaches. If the club closes the course for weather or an event, you get an alternative time or a full refund. A rain delay on an evening round is the one scenario I warn about in the wet season; play resumes as soon as the lightning clears, but a long delay can push a full 18 past closing, in which case we rearrange with the club for 9 holes or another date rather than leaving you to argue at the desk.

The clubhouse is one of the largest in Asia; the restaurant is a sensible place for dinner after a late finish

Long Thanh Golf Club in Dong Nai, the lit alternative for groups staying east of the city

Frequently asked questions

What is the latest tee time for night golf at Tan Son Nhat?
The club’s website gives 17:15 as the last tee time for a full 18 holes under lights. Later starts are possible for 9 holes; ask us for the available slots on your date.

Is night golf cheaper than daytime golf in Ho Chi Minh City?
Slightly, on weekdays. The club’s published after-15:00 band is about VND 200,000 below the midday band and equal to the dawn band. On weekends the evening band is the cheapest of the day but still above weekday prices. Monday daytime remains the lowest published rate.

Which holes are lit for night golf?
The club operates floodlit play on the course and the driving range is lit as well. Which nines are open under lights on a given evening depends on the club’s schedule and maintenance, which is why we confirm the specific course (B, C or D is most common) when we confirm your tee time.

Can I play the evening I land at Tan Son Nhat Airport?
Yes, if you clear immigration by about 16:15. The course is beside the airport, so the transfer takes about 15 minutes. We hold the tee time, arrange clubs if yours are checked through, and move you to 9 holes or the next morning if the flight is late.

Do I need my own clubs and shoes?
No. Tan Son Nhat rents full sets and shoes. Quality is adequate for a one-off round; serious players travelling for several rounds should bring their own.

Is it safe to drive back to District 1 at 22:00?
Yes. It is a 20–25 minute drive at that hour with little traffic. We use our own drivers, so the car is waiting when you come out of the clubhouse.

What about the rainy season?
From May to November, afternoon storms are common but usually finish before 18:00. Evening rounds are, in my experience, interrupted less often than 14:00 rounds. If a storm does delay play, the course reopens once the lightning clears; if a full round can no longer finish before closing, we rearrange 9 holes or another date with the club on your behalf.

Which other courses near Saigon offer night golf?
Our course pages list lighting at Vietnam Golf & Country Club in Thu Duc, Long Thanh Golf Club in Dong Nai and Vinpearl Golf Léman in Cu Chi. All are 40 minutes to an hour from the centre, so they suit guests staying nearby rather than a quick city round.

Written by Minh Tan, Founder & CEO, TGROUP Trade & Travel JSC, international tour operator licence No. 68-025/2019/TCDL-GP LHQT. Reference rates as of November 2026 from en.tgroup.vn and the course’s published price list; they vary by season and exchange rate and are not a quotation. Course facts from the operator’s own website and our course page. Related reading: night golf courses across Vietnam · Tan Son Nhat Golf Club overview · best golf courses in Vietnam 2026.