Last updated: August 2026
Two of the four golf courses inside Da Nang sit twenty minutes apart and play nothing alike. Ba Na Hills is the longest card in the city at 7,858 yards, cut into rolling ground at the foot of the mountain. Legend Da Nang gives you two separate eighteens on coastal dune land. If you only have room for one, the honest answer depends on your handicap and what time of day you want to tee off.
Quick Answer
Pick Legend Da Nang if you are a mid-to-high handicapper, want a shorter transfer from the airport, or want to play two different designs from one clubhouse. Pick Ba Na Hills if you want the biggest test of the two, dramatic elevation change, and the best floodlit round in Vietnam. Green fees run USD 160–260 at Ba Na Hills and USD 130–240 at Legend Da Nang depending on course and day. Both are inside 30 minutes of central Da Nang.
How do the two courses actually compare?
| Ba Na Hills Golf Club | Legend Da Nang | |
|---|---|---|
| Designer | Luke Donald | Greg Norman (Norman) / Jack Nicklaus (Nicklaus) |
| Opened | 2016 | 2010 (Norman) / 2018 (Nicklaus) |
| Holes | 18 | 36 across two courses |
| Par / Length | 72 / 7,858 yds | 72 / 7,160 yds (Norman), 72 / 7,200 yds (Nicklaus) |
| Terrain | Rolling ground at the mountain foot | Coastal dunes and inland water |
| Night golf | Yes, all 18 holes | Yes |
| From city centre | About 30 minutes | About 20 minutes |
| Weekday green fee | USD 160–240 | USD 130–210 |
| Weekend green fee | USD 180–260 | USD 160–240 |
| Suits | Low handicaps, big hitters | Mid to high handicaps, groups wanting variety |
Which course is harder?
Ba Na Hills, and not by a small margin. It is 7,858 yards off the back tees, which is nearly 700 yards longer than the Norman course, and the ground moves constantly. You are rarely standing on a flat lie. Add elevated tee shots that fool your distance judgement and greens that run away from you, and a scratch player has plenty to think about.
Legend Da Nang is the more forgiving pair. The Norman course is a coastal links with wide fairways — the wind is the defence, not the corridor. The Nicklaus course brings water into play and asks for carry rather than run, but it still gives you room. Our team sends most first-time visitors and mixed-handicap groups here for their opening round, and to Ba Na Hills once they have their swing back.
Does Ba Na Hills have a cooler climate?
No, and this is the single most common misunderstanding about the course. Ba Na Hills Golf Club sits at the foot of the mountain, not up at the cable-car resort on the summit. The temperature on the course is the same as central Da Nang. Between May and August an early-afternoon tee time here is genuinely uncomfortable.
The fix is the floodlights. All 18 holes are lit, and a late round in the hot months is far more pleasant than a middle-of-the-day one. GoGolfVietnam books more evening rounds at Ba Na Hills than at any other course in Da Nang for exactly this reason.
What do the two actually cost?
Ba Na Hills runs roughly USD 160–240 on weekdays and USD 180–260 at weekends. Legend Da Nang is a little lower: the Norman course is around USD 140–210 weekdays and USD 170–240 weekends, while the Nicklaus course sits about USD 10 below that. Night golf carries a surcharge, and caddie fees are separate and mandatory at both.
Those are ranges rather than fixed prices because season and tee time both move the number. For the current figures across every course in the region, see what both of these actually cost on the day. If you are still deciding how many rounds to fit in, the full list of courses around Da Nang sets out all eight options.
What is each clubhouse like?
Both are comfortable; they aim at different things. Ba Na Hills has mountain views from the terrace, a complimentary shuttle from the city, a well-stocked pro shop and tee times running into the evening. Caddies are mandatory, as they are at every course in Vietnam.
Legend Da Nang is built as a resort base rather than a day trip. There is a golf academy with PGA-certified instructors, a full practice area, and stay-and-play arrangements with nearby five-star hotels. If your group wants to sleep, eat and play in the same place for a few days, it is the more practical of the two.
Which one should you play?
Play Legend Da Nang if your group has mixed handicaps, you want the shortest transfer from the airport, or you would rather play two contrasting designs without changing venue. It is also the safer choice for a first round after a long flight.
Play Ba Na Hills if you want the sterner test, you hit it a long way, or you want a floodlit round — nowhere else in Vietnam lights all 18 holes. Just book it early morning or evening, never at two in the afternoon in June.
Most groups do not have to choose. They are 20 minutes apart and both sit inside the city, so a short trip covers the pair comfortably — the two-round weekend most groups start with is built around exactly this pairing. For longer stays, we can put together a trip that fits both of these courses in alongside Hoi An or Lang Co.
Questions golfers ask before choosing
1. Which is better for a high handicapper, Ba Na Hills or Legend Da Nang?
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Legend Da Nang. Both of its courses give you more room off the tee, and the Norman layout in particular is wide enough that a wayward drive is still playable. Ba Na Hills is 7,858 yards with constant elevation change and punishes loose shots harder.
2. Is Ba Na Hills Golf Club cooler because it is on the mountain?
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No. The course sits at the foot of the mountain, not at the summit resort, so the temperature matches central Da Nang. From May to August, play early morning or use the floodlights rather than booking an afternoon tee time.
3. Does Legend Da Nang have one course or two?
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Two. It is a single clubhouse with two entirely separate 18-hole courses — Greg Norman’s coastal links from 2010 and Jack Nicklaus’s inland layout from 2018. They play very differently and are normally booked as two separate rounds.
4. Can you play both courses in the same trip?
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Easily. They are about 20 minutes apart and both sit inside Da Nang, so a three-day trip covers Ba Na Hills plus one or both Legend Da Nang courses without any long transfers.
5. Which one has night golf?
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Both, but Ba Na Hills is the stronger option — all 18 holes are floodlit, which is unusual in Vietnam. It is the reason a lot of groups book their Ba Na Hills round as an evening tee time in the hot months.
GoGolfVietnam is a golf tour operator based in Da Nang, and we book tee times at both of these courses every week.
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