Vietnam vs Thailand golf holiday: I get asked this question almost every week, usually by a group of four to eight friends who have already done Phuket or Hua Hin and want to know whether Vietnam is worth the switch. The honest answer is that both countries can give you a superb week of golf, but they are priced very differently once you add up what a round actually costs you on the day. This 2026 cost comparison puts real numbers side by side: green fees, caddie and cart charges, tips, hotels, transfers and a full sample budget.
I run TGROUP Trade & Travel, a licensed international tour operator in Vietnam that has specialised in private golf travel since 2019. The Vietnam prices below are our own published reference rates on en.tgroup.vn/golf-course as of November 2026, and every one of them already includes the caddie fee and a shared cart. The Thailand figures come from public sources only: the clubs' own rate pages where they publish them (Black Mountain Hua Hin, Nikanti Bangkok) and the March 2026 Phuket price guide published by Phuket Expat Guide, converted at roughly 33.8 THB to the US dollar (late October 2026). I do not sell Thailand golf, so treat those numbers as a well-researched estimate, not a quote.
Hoiana Shores, Hoi An: Vietnam's premium tier is priced like Thailand's premium tier, but the caddie and cart are already inside the number.
Vietnam, premium round
from US$135–165, caddie + shared cart included
Thailand, premium round
US$150–170 after caddie and compulsory cart
Caddie tip, per 18 holes
Vietnam ~US$15 · Thailand ~THB 400 (US$12)
Best months
Vietnam: Feb–Apr Central, Nov–Apr South · Thailand: Nov–Apr
The short answer
If you compare the headline green fee on a Thai club's website with the price you see on our site, Thailand often looks a little cheaper. That impression disappears the moment you check in at the pro shop. In Thailand the caddie fee (typically THB 350–450) and the cart (THB 500–800, compulsory at most championship courses) are added on top, and a caddie tip of around THB 400 is expected. In Vietnam the rate we publish is the rate you pay for the round: green fee, caddie and shared cart are one number, and the only extra is the tip. On a like-for-like premium course, that difference is roughly US$30–45 per round, which over a five-round week is US$150–225 per golfer before you even look at hotels.
Where Thailand still wins is depth and convenience: Bangkok alone has more quality courses within an hour than any single Vietnamese city, Phuket and Hua Hin have decades of golf-tourism infrastructure, and long-haul flight options into Bangkok are broader. Where Vietnam wins is value at the top end, quieter tee sheets, new-generation layouts by Faldo, Norman, Nicklaus and Montgomerie, and the fact that a private group can combine two coastal destinations in one trip without a domestic flight. I will go through each line of the budget below.
Green fees compared: 10 Vietnam courses vs 6 Thai courses
Vietnam prices are our published reference rates (18 holes, weekday, caddie and shared cart included), rounded down to the nearest US$5. Thai prices are the publicly listed weekday rate plus the caddie and cart charges the clubs or guides list; where only a range is published I show the range. Reference rates as of November 2026, vary by season and exchange rate.
Thailand sources: blackmountainhuahin.com rates page; Nikanti official rate table via 1golf.eu; Phuket course ranges from the Phuket Expat Guide golf guide (updated March 2026) and Aster of Asia (June 2026). THB converted at ~33.8 per US$ (27 Oct 2026). These are estimates for comparison, not TGROUP prices.
Read the two tables together and a pattern appears. Vietnam's mid-tier, which is where most of my guests play most of their rounds, sits at US$95–145 all-in: Laguna, KN Golf Links, Montgomerie, Ba Na, Legend. The equivalent Thai tier, Red Mountain, Blue Canyon, Black Mountain, lands at US$140–170 once caddie and cart are added. Thailand's genuine budget tier (Loch Palm, Phuket Country Club) is cheaper than anything comparable in Da Nang, but Vietnam answers with Dalat Palace at US$80 and Tan Son Nhat at US$100, both of which I would happily put on any itinerary. Only Hoiana Shores at US$270 is priced above every Thai course on this list, and it is also the one course in Vietnam I would still pay that for.
Legend Danang (BRG): two 18-hole courses by Norman and Nicklaus, 15 minutes from Da Nang airport, from US$145 all-in.
The hidden line items: caddie, cart and tips
This is the part most comparison articles skip, and it is where the real gap sits. I have written it as a two-column check so you can see exactly what is in and what is out.
Vietnam (TGROUP reference rate)
✓ Green fee, 18 holes
✓ Caddie fee, one caddie per player
✓ Shared cart, two players per cart
✓ Confirmed tee time in writing, private transfer when booked as a package
● Extra: caddie tip around US$15 per 18 holes (VND 300,000–400,000), single-cart surcharge at some clubs, weekend uplift of roughly 20–40%
Thailand (typical championship club)
✓ Green fee, 18 holes
● Extra: caddie fee THB 350–450 (~US$10–13), mandatory at most courses
● Extra: cart THB 500–800 (~US$15–24), compulsory at Black Mountain, Red Mountain and most resort courses
● Extra: caddie tip from THB 400 (~US$12), often THB 400–500
● Weekend and high-season (Nov–Feb) uplifts, plus a sports-day rate at some clubs
Put simply: in Vietnam you add about US$15 to the published number; in Thailand you add US$40–50 to the published green fee before you tip. Nikanti in Bangkok is the honourable exception with a true all-inclusive rate. The caddie culture is similar in both countries: one caddie per player, overwhelmingly female, very good at reading greens you have never seen. Thai caddies tend to have more years on the job; Vietnamese caddies at the newer coastal courses are younger but well trained and, in my experience, just as attentive.
KN Golf Links, Cam Ranh: a Greg Norman links where caddie and shared cart are inside the US$110 reference rate.
Beyond the course: hotels, transfers, food and flights
A golf holiday is maybe 40% green fees and 60% everything else, so here is how the two countries compare on the rest. These are my own estimates from costing hundreds of private itineraries, not published tariffs.
Hotels
In Da Nang and Nha Trang a good four-star on the beach runs roughly US$60–120 per night in 2026, and a five-star golf resort such as Laguna Lang Co or the Wyndham at KN Paradise US$150–250. Phuket and Hua Hin are similar in the shoulder months but noticeably higher in the December–February peak. Our Stay & Play rates, which bundle a night and a round, start around US$120 (Angsana + Laguna) to US$225 (Montgomerie Links Hotel), and are a very fair benchmark.
Transfers
Vietnam's coastal cities are compact: Legend Danang is 15 minutes from the airport, Montgomerie 25, Ba Na 45, KN Golf Links 10 minutes from Cam Ranh. A private 7-seat vehicle for a day is about US$70–110. Phuket courses are 30–60 minutes from the main beaches through heavier traffic, and Hua Hin is a 2.5–3 hour drive from Bangkok, so the Thai transfer bill is usually higher unless you stay on site.
Food and drink
Both countries are inexpensive by Western standards. A clubhouse lunch is US$8–15 in Vietnam, slightly more in Phuket. A seafood dinner for a group of four with beer is US$60–100 in Da Nang or Nha Trang; Phuket's beach restaurants run higher. Cold beer on the course is about US$2–3 in Vietnam.
Flights and entry
Bangkok has the broadest long-haul network in the region. Vietnam counters with direct flights into Da Nang and Cam Ranh from Seoul, Busan, Tokyo, Osaka, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and most Chinese hubs, plus long-haul into Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam issues a 90-day e-visa to all nationalities and waives visas for several markets including Korea, Japan and much of Western Europe; Thailand offers visa-free entry to most of the same markets. Check current rules before you fly, as both governments adjust them.
Laguna Lang Co: Faldo course plus Angsana or Banyan Tree on site, the closest Vietnamese equivalent to a Phuket resort golf stay.
Sample budget: 4 days, 3 rounds, Vietnam vs Thailand
Here is the comparison that matters most. The Vietnam column is our published Da Nang Golf Tour 4 days 3 nights at from US$695 per golfer (three rounds, three nights, private transfers, caddie and cart included), rounded down. The Thailand column is my estimate for an equivalent Phuket or Hua Hin trip built from the public rates above; Thai operators publish 3-day/2-night Hua Hin packages from around THB 12,000 (~US$355) but I cannot verify their inclusions, so I have costed the trip line by line instead.
Vietnam total = package US$695 + tips + meals. Thailand total is an estimate built from public club rates and typical 2026 hotel and transfer costs; a Thai operator package may come in lower in low season. Excludes international flights and travel insurance for both.
The honest reading of that table is that a comparable Thailand trip in high season costs 10–40% more than Vietnam, and in low season the two are close. The Vietnamese advantage is largest for groups that want the best courses: three rounds at Ba Na, Legend and Montgomerie for US$695 with private transfers is simply not a number I can build in Phuket from the published rates. If your group prefers budget courses and self-drive, Thailand narrows the gap. For other Vietnamese cities, see our Vietnam golf green fees 2026 by city.
Dalat Palace, 1,500 m above sea level: US$80 all-in for a 1920s heritage course in a climate Thailand cannot offer.
Where Thailand wins, and where Vietnam wins
Thailand is the better choice if you want
► Course density: 20+ quality courses around Bangkok, a dozen around Hua Hin and Pattaya, so a 10-round trip never repeats
► The widest long-haul flight network in Southeast Asia
► Mature golf-tourism services: English-speaking starters, on-site golf hotels, decades of operator experience
► A true budget tier (US$50–75 green fees) that Da Nang does not have
► Late-night entertainment and a familiar routine for golfers who have been going for years
Vietnam is the better choice if you want
► Premium golf for mid-tier money: Norman, Faldo, Nicklaus and Montgomerie courses at US$95–145 with caddie and cart included
► Quieter tee sheets, especially midweek, so a private group plays at its own pace
► Two coasts in one week without a domestic flight: Da Nang + Hoi An + Lang Co, or Nha Trang + Cam Ranh
► A cool-climate escape in Da Lat and genuine cultural days (Hoi An, Hue) between rounds for non-golfers
► Lower total trip cost for a 4- to 7-day premium itinerary, as the budget above shows
My personal take: if you have done Thailand five times and want the same quality of golf with fewer people on the course and a lower bill, Vietnam is the obvious next trip. If this is your first Asian golf holiday and you want maximum choice with minimum planning, Thailand remains the safer default. Many of my regular guests now alternate between the two, and that is probably the smartest answer of all.
Tan Son Nhat, Ho Chi Minh City: 36 floodlit holes beside the airport, from US$100 all-in, ideal for an evening round on arrival day.
Season: when each country is at its best
Thailand's golf season is simple: November to April is dry and hot, May to October is the monsoon. Vietnam is three climates in one country, which is a real advantage for planning. The south (Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Tram, Phu Quoc) is dry from November to April like Thailand. The centre (Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue) is at its best from February to August and wettest in October and November. The north (Hanoi, Ha Long) has crisp, dry golf weather from October to December and again in March and April. Da Lat is playable year-round at 18–24°C. So when Phuket is at its most crowded and expensive in January, Nha Trang and Ho Tram are dry and quieter, and when the Thai monsoon arrives in June, Da Nang is in its prime. I covered every month and region in Vietnam golf season 2026, region by region.
Vinpearl Golf Phu Quoc: the Vietnamese island alternative to Phuket, from US$125 all-in, dry season November to April.
The Bluffs Ho Tram: a world top-100 Greg Norman links two hours from Saigon, from US$165 all-in, dry from November to April.
Private group or joined tour: the difference is in the details
TGROUP does not run joined or shared-bus golf tours, in Vietnam or anywhere else. Every booking is a private group of family, friends or colleagues with its own vehicle and driver, tee times confirmed in writing before you fly, a bilingual coordinator on call for the whole trip, and hotels chosen for your group rather than for a coach load. This normally costs 10–20% more than a joined tour with the same courses, not more, and for a group of four or more the per-person difference is often smaller than the caddie-and-cart gap between Vietnam and Thailand described above.
If you prefer to self-organise, our course pages publish the reference rates openly and you can book individual tee times directly. If you want a private itinerary across Da Nang, Nha Trang or the whole country, send me your dates, group size and handicap range on WhatsApp and I will quote within one working day.
BRG Kings Island, Hanoi: a northern add-on for groups who want three regions in one Vietnam golf holiday.
TGROUP is a licensed, bonded international tour operator in Vietnam
Before you pay a deposit to any golf operator abroad, check that it is licensed and bonded in the country where it operates. Here are ours.
International tour operator licence
No. 68-025/2019/TCDL-GP LHQT, issued by the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism on 22 April 2019
Travel guarantee deposit
VND 500,000,000 held at Vietcombank, as required for international inbound and outbound operators
Legal entity
TGROUP Trade & Travel JSC, enterprise code 5801400376, head office in Da Lat, branch in Ho Chi Minh City
International identification
Listed on the D-U-N-S® register (Dun & Bradstreet)
Full details on en.tgroup.vn/about-us.
FAQ: Vietnam vs Thailand golf holiday
Is golf cheaper in Vietnam or Thailand in 2026?
For premium courses, Vietnam is usually cheaper once caddie and cart are included: US$95–145 all-in for the main Da Nang and Nha Trang courses against roughly US$140–170 for Red Mountain, Blue Canyon or Black Mountain after their caddie and cart fees. Thailand has a lower budget tier (US$50–75 green fees) that Vietnam's coastal cities do not match. Hoiana Shores at US$270 is the one Vietnamese course priced above the Thai premium tier.
Are caddies compulsory in Vietnam and Thailand?
Yes at virtually every championship course in both countries. The difference is billing: in Vietnam the caddie fee is inside the rate we publish; in Thailand it is added at check-in, typically THB 350–450.
How much should I tip a caddie?
In Vietnam around US$15 (VND 300,000–400,000) per 18 holes is standard and appreciated. In Thailand THB 400 is the usual starting point, with THB 400–500 common at the top clubs. In both countries tip in local cash, directly to the caddie.
Do I need a cart in Vietnam?
Most Vietnamese courses include a shared cart in the rate and expect you to use it; Dalat Palace and a few older courses allow walking. Single-cart use is usually available for a surcharge. In Thailand carts are compulsory at the majority of resort and championship courses and billed separately.
Which has better golf courses, Vietnam or Thailand?
Thailand has more courses and a deeper history. Vietnam has a younger, higher-quality top tier: The Bluffs Ho Tram and Ba Na Hills appear in world and Asian rankings, and KN Golf Links, Hoiana Shores, Legend Danang and Laguna Lang Co are all post-2010 signature designs. For course quality per dollar, I would put Vietnam ahead; for sheer choice, Thailand.
When is the best time for a Vietnam golf holiday compared with Thailand?
Thailand: November to April. Vietnam: it depends on the region. February to April is the best all-round window for Central Vietnam, November to April for the south and islands, October to December and March to April for Hanoi. Da Lat works year-round.
Can I combine Vietnam and Thailand in one golf trip?
Yes, and several of our guests do. Bangkok to Da Nang or Ho Chi Minh City is a 90-minute to two-hour direct flight, so a 10-day trip of five rounds in each country is realistic. We arrange the Vietnam half; for Thailand we are happy to point you to a licensed local operator.
Does TGROUP offer joined or budget golf tours?
No. We only operate private groups, from two golfers upwards, with a private vehicle, confirmed tee times and a bilingual coordinator. We publish our reference rates openly so you can compare them with any joined tour and decide for yourself.
Get a private Vietnam golf quote to compare with your Thailand numbers
Send your dates, group size and preferred cities. I will reply with an all-in price per golfer, caddie and cart included, within one working day.
Email: mint@tgroup.vn · Vietnam golf tour hub · Da Nang golf tour hub
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, vary by season and exchange rate; Thailand figures are estimates from public sources and are not TGROUP prices. Related reading: Best golf courses in Vietnam 2026, ranked · Da Nang golf guide 2026.
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