Last updated: 10 October 2026
For most golfers flying into Saigon, one course justifies a drive out of the city: The Bluffs Grand Ho Tram, Greg Norman’s dunes course on the coast south-east of Ho Chi Minh City. The question is never whether it is worth it but how to fit it in. This guide covers the drive from Saigon to Ho Tram, whether golf there works as a day trip, where to sleep, and how to pair it with the courses near the city. For the wider picture of golf around the city, see our complete guide to golf in Ho Chi Minh City.
Quick Answer
Saigon to Ho Tram for golf is about 105–120 km, roughly two to two and a half hours by private car on the new expressways. A day trip to The Bluffs is possible but means leaving before dawn and four to five hours in the car. Most golfers stay one or two nights at Ho Tram and stop at Vietnam Golf & Country Club on the way back.
Why golfers make the trip to Ho Tram
The Bluffs is a Greg Norman design laid across coastal dunes beside a national forest, with the highest point about 50 metres above the sea. It plays as an 18-hole par 71 at 7,007 yards from the back tees, it has appeared in Golf Digest’s World 100 in several editions, and it has been named Vietnam’s best course at the World Golf Awards in several years. No course near Saigon looks like it. The par-3 11th plays towards the sea and the long par-3 15th climbs to the highest point on the property. Layout, tees and hole notes are on our course guide to The Bluffs Grand Ho Tram.
Caddie and cart are included in the green fee under the club’s published rates, so the only extra planning is the journey itself.
How to get from Saigon to Ho Tram
Ho Tram is on the coast of what was Ba Ria–Vung Tau province, which became part of Ho Chi Minh City in July 2025, so on paper you never leave the city. In practice it is a long drive. We checked the route on Google Maps from Ben Thanh Market in District 1 on 10 October 2026, at about 17:55 on a Saturday.
| Option | Distance | Time | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private car via the Bien Hoa–Vung Tau expressway | About 105 km | About 2 hours | The fastest route; toll road | Google Maps, 10 Oct 2026, 17:55 |
| Private car via the Long Thanh expressway | About 114 km | About 2 hours 30 minutes | Alternative when the first route is busy | Google Maps, 10 Oct 2026, 17:55 |
| Resort guidance | About 120 km | 2 to 2.5 hours | The Grand Ho Tram’s own figure for the drive from the city centre | The Grand Ho Tram |
| Vung Tau to Ho Tram | About 45 km | About 1 hour | Useful if you add Vung Tau to the trip | The Grand Ho Tram |
A private car or van is the practical choice for golfers. It carries the clubs, it can leave at any hour for an early tee time and it can stop at another course on the way back. Public buses and limousine vans run between the city and the coast, but they do not suit a golf bag or a tee time. We have not included the Saigon–Vung Tau fast ferry, because we could not confirm a current 2026 timetable from the operator.
Flying in with your own clubs? Read what airlines charge for golf bags on flights to Vietnam before you book; the car transfer is the easy part.
Day trip or stay over?
A day trip is possible, but it makes for a long day, and the table shows why most plans include at least one night.
| Day trip | One or two nights at Ho Tram | |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Leave District 1 around 05:00 for a morning tee time | Drive down the afternoon before, or play an afternoon round on arrival |
| Time in the car | About 4 to 5 hours in one day | About 2 to 2.5 hours each way, on different days |
| Rounds | One | Two rounds at The Bluffs, or one plus a beach day |
| Best for | Golfers with only one free day in Saigon | Anyone who wants to enjoy the course rather than survive the day |
The deciding factor is the tee time. The Bluffs is at its best in the morning, before the sea breeze picks up and the heat builds, and a morning start on a day trip means leaving the city before dawn. Staying over turns the same round into a short drive after breakfast. With two nights, you can play The Bluffs twice and learn the dunes on the second round.
Practical tips for the Saigon–Ho Tram drive
- Book the tee time before the car. The round decides the departure time, not the other way round. For a 07:30 tee time on a day trip, plan to be in the car by about 05:00.
- Allow for weekend traffic. Roads out of Saigon towards the coast get busier at weekends and on public holidays; a midweek trip is usually smoother.
- Keep the clubs in the car, not the boot of a taxi. A booked car stays with you for the whole day, so bags, shoes and a change of clothes travel with you to the course and back.
- Carry your passport. Hotels on the strip register guests at check-in, and you will want it if the plan changes to an overnight stay.
- Eat before the round on a day trip. A 05:00 start leaves little time for breakfast, so plan it on the road or at the course before you tee off.
- Plan the return around the light. If you play the afternoon and drive back the same day, much of the return is in the dark, which is one more reason to stay the night.
Where to stay at Ho Tram
The Bluffs sits on the Ho Tram Strip alongside The Grand Ho Tram, an integrated resort with two IHG hotels: InterContinental Grand Ho Tram, the luxury option, and Holiday Inn Resort Ho Tram Beach, the family-focused one (IHG, 2019). Both are on the beach a short drive from the first tee, and both are where we place golfers for the coastal nights.
Staying on the strip means the round, the beach and dinner all happen within a few minutes of each other. For golfers who want a livelier town, Vung Tau is about an hour up the coast, with more restaurants and the option of a round at Vung Tau Paradise Golf Resort.
Pairing Ho Tram with the Saigon courses
The drive back from Ho Tram passes the eastern side of the city, which makes Vietnam Golf & Country Club the natural partner. It is Vietnam’s first 36-hole club, with a West Course from 1994 by Chen King Shih and an East Course from 1997 by Lee Trevino, about 20 km from District 1. An afternoon round there on the way home turns the return drive into a golf day. Long Thanh Golf Club and Vinpearl Golf Leman, both on the eastern side of Saigon, work for the city days either side.
Our five-day Saigon and Ho Tram trip with two rounds at The Bluffs is built exactly this way: a round at Vietnam Golf & Country Club, two nights on the coast and two rounds at The Bluffs. For a longer tour, the Southern Vietnam Golf Tour 7 Days 6 Nights adds Long Thanh and Vinpearl Golf Leman before the coast.
Best time to go to Ho Tram for golf
Southern Vietnam has a dry season from about December to April and a rainy season from about May to November, when afternoon showers are common. For Ho Tram, the dry months are the best time: firm fairways, clear skies over the sea and the most reliable morning tee times. Being on an open stretch of coast, The Bluffs is more exposed to the wind than the courses around Saigon, and the dunes make that part of its character. In the rainy months, a morning tee time usually beats the afternoon storms.
Ho Tram for non-golfers
Ho Tram is a resort coast rather than a town. A partner who does not play gets a long, quiet beach, resort pools and spas, and the forest that runs behind the dunes. Families tend to prefer the Holiday Inn side of the strip. Anyone who wants markets and seafood restaurants should plan an evening in Vung Tau, about an hour away. On a two-night stay, the usual rhythm is golf in the morning, the beach or pool in the afternoon and dinner at the resort, with one evening out on the coast if the group wants a change of scene.
When your dates are set, look through our Ho Chi Minh City golf trips that can add the Ho Tram coast and we will plan the transfers, tee times and hotel nights as one trip. GoGolfVietnam, a local golf tour operator based in Da Nang, arranges golf across southern Vietnam, including the drive to Ho Tram and back.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How far is Ho Tram from Ho Chi Minh City?›
About 105–120 km. Google Maps put the drive from District 1 at about 2 hours via the Bien Hoa–Vung Tau expressway (105 km) on 10 October 2026; The Grand Ho Tram gives 2 to 2.5 hours.
2. Can I do The Bluffs as a day trip from Saigon?›
Yes, but it means leaving around 05:00 for a morning tee time and spending four to five hours in the car. Most golfers stay one or two nights at Ho Tram instead.
3. How do I get to The Bluffs Ho Tram?›
By private car or van from Saigon, which carries the clubs and leaves when you need it. Public buses and limousine vans do not suit a golf bag or a tee time.
4. Where should I stay to play The Bluffs?›
On the Ho Tram Strip at The Grand Ho Tram, either InterContinental Grand Ho Tram or Holiday Inn Resort Ho Tram Beach, both a short drive from the course.
5. Is The Bluffs worth the trip from Saigon?›
For most visiting golfers, yes. It is a Greg Norman dunes course by the sea, listed in Golf Digest’s World 100 in several editions, and nothing near Saigon plays like it.
6. Can I combine Ho Tram with Vung Tau?›
Yes. Vung Tau is about 45 km, roughly an hour, up the coast, with more restaurants and Vung Tau Paradise Golf Resort.
7. Are caddie and cart included at The Bluffs?›
Yes. Caddie and cart are included in the green fee under The Bluffs’ published rates.
GoGolfVietnam, a local golf tour operator based in Da Nang, arranges tee times, transfers and hotels across Vietnam, including Ho Chi Minh City and Ho Tram.
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