Caddies in Hanoi: How Much to Tip, What’s Included and Course-by-Course Rules

Last updated: 9 October 2026

Every round you play around Hanoi comes with a caddie, and the question we are asked most often before a trip is not about the courses at all. It is how much to tip that caddie, when, and in what currency. The short version: the caddie is part of the green fee, the tip is not, and nobody will tell you the amount on the day. This guide sets out what the clubs actually require and what golfers in Vietnam actually give.

Do you have to take a caddie in Hanoi?

Yes. Every club we book around Hanoi plays with caddies, and the ones that publish rules make it a condition of play. Long Bien requires one caddie per golfer and a buggy for every round. Sky Lake requires a caddie and a cart for every round on both its courses. At Kings Island and Legend Hill caddies are compulsory, as they are at nearly every course in Vietnam.

There is no walking-alone option and no “bag only” discount for declining one. Treat the caddie as part of the round, the same way you treat the buggy.

Is the caddie fee included in the green fee?

At the established Hanoi clubs, yes. The caddie and a shared buggy are normally part of the quoted green fee, which surprises golfers from Europe, the UK and the US who budget for them separately. Third-party listings say the same: the Kings Island round sold on Expedia includes the green fee, caddie fee and shared buggy, and lists caddie tips as excluded.

So the fee pays the club. The tip is what reaches the caddie directly, and it is never on your bill. For what the rest of the round costs, see what else a Hanoi round adds to the bill.

How much to tip a caddie in Hanoi

No Hanoi club we book publishes a set tip. The amount is yours to decide, which is exactly why visitors worry about it. These are the figures in print for 2026:

Read together, the picture is consistent: around 300,000 VND is the local norm, and visitors usually sit above it. Give more for a caddie who read the greens well and kept your pace up, less only if the service was poor. Nobody expects a tip above 500,000 VND for an ordinary round.

Course by course: what each club requires

Our Hanoi packages work the same way: caddie and buggy are in the price, tipping is listed as excluded. On the three-day, two-round Hanoi break, for example, two rounds means budgeting two tips, around 800,000–1,000,000 VND (~$30–40) per golfer at the visitor rate.

Tipping for night golf, Tet and 27-hole days

Night golf. Four courses around Hanoi are floodlit: Long Bien, Legend Hill, Hanoi Golf Club and Heron Lake. No club we book publishes a separate night rate for the tip, and the caddie does the same job under the lights, so the same range applies. Night rounds sometimes cost more in green fee, and that is a separate line; for which courses are lit and when, see the floodlit Hanoi courses and their evening tee times.

Tet. Over Lunar New Year (6 February in 2027) the caddie roster is thinner than usual, which is one reason clubs push tee times later. No club publishes a holiday tip. If you play over the holiday, a little extra for the caddie working on Tet is a kind gesture rather than an obligation, and what changes at Hanoi courses over Lunar New Year covers the rest of the holiday week.

27 or 36 holes. No club we book sets a different tip for a longer day. If the same caddie stays with you for 27 or 36 holes, it is a longer working day for them; tell us in advance and we will brief you on what fits before you tee off.

What a Hanoi caddie does

More than carrying the bag. According to Vinpearl’s 2026 caddie guide, the job covers:

• Carrying and handing over clubs, and cleaning clubs and balls through the round.
• Estimating the distance to the green and reading the line on the putting surface.
• Watching where your ball goes, so you lose fewer of them.
• Replacing divots and raking bunkers.

On a twin-green course like Legend Hill, the caddie also tells you which green is in play that day, something the scorecard may not show. English varies: it is an advantage in the job rather than a requirement, and the larger resort clubs tend to have more English-speaking caddies. Kings Island has won Vietnam’s best caddie service award several times, including in 2010, 2011 and 2017.

Caddie etiquette visitors miss

• Bring small notes. Have 100,000 and 200,000 VND notes ready before you tee off. Asking for change at the 18th is awkward for both of you.
• Tip by hand, at the end. The tip is given directly to your caddie after the last hole, usually at the 18th green or the bag drop. It does not go through the pro shop or the bill.
• Tip in VND. Dollars can be accepted but cost the caddie a poor exchange rate. Dong is the currency for tips.
• Give your numbers early. Tell the caddie on the first tee how far you hit your main clubs. Their club suggestions get much better from the third hole on.
• The final call is yours. Take the read, then hit your own shot. A caddie will not be offended if you disagree.
• Keep it respectful. Caddies here are professionals paid a modest base wage, and the tip is a real part of their income. Treat it that way.

Tipping as a group

At most Hanoi clubs each golfer has their own caddie, and Long Bien requires it. So each player tips their own caddie; there is no pooled tip for the group. If one person is hosting, they can hand over all the tips, but each caddie should still receive their own amount directly.

For larger groups, the simplest approach is to agree one amount before the round so every caddie gets the same. Groups we arrange across several rounds usually settle this at the hotel the night before. When you are ready to plan the trip itself, Hanoi golf trips where the only cash you carry is for tips show what is already covered. GoGolfVietnam is a golf tour operator based in Da Nang, and we brief every group on tipping before the first round.

Frequently Asked Questions