Golf in Hanoi for Senior Golfers (2026): Cart Rules, 9-Hole Options, Cold Mornings and a Paced 7-Day Itinerary

Last updated: 9 October 2026

A December morning in Hanoi can start at 10–15°C with fog lying over the lakes, and the drive to some of the best courses takes up to an hour and a half. Neither is a reason to stay away. Both are reasons to plan a Hanoi golf trip differently once you are in your sixties or seventies: later tee times in winter, shorter drives on most days, and a rest day between rounds.

Do you have to walk when playing golf in Hanoi?

No. At the Hanoi courses we book, you ride a buggy and play with a caddie. Two clubs make that a written rule, and the others include a cart in the fee or confirm it when we book.

Drive times match our own transfer planning. Sky Lake (about 1 hour), Heron Lake (about 45 minutes) and Hanoi Golf Club in Soc Son do not publish their buggy or 9-hole terms in a form we could check, so we confirm those with the club when we book. Van Tri is a private club.

Sharing is the norm. Kings Island’s fee includes a shared buggy, and Chi Linh Star’s includes half of one. Chi Linh Star is the only club here that publishes a price for riding alone: 200,000 VND (~$8) extra for a single cart over 18 holes, or 400,000 VND (~$15) for a private cart.

If walking long distances or uneven ground is a concern, check with your doctor before travelling and tell us when you book; caddies carry the bag, and the buggy does the rest.

Can you play only 9 holes in Hanoi?

Yes, at some courses and on some days. Kings Island and Chi Linh Star both publish 9-hole rates; Long Bien takes 9-hole bookings on weekdays but not at weekends or on public holidays.

Rates are the clubs’ own published prices; we confirm them again when we book. Two things to know. Nine holes at a resort course still means the full drive there and back, so 9 holes at Kings Island is a half-day round with a long transfer, not a quick outing. And Long Bien’s weekday-only rule makes it the natural place for a short round: 20–30 minutes from the Old Quarter, gently sloping parkland, nine holes, back for lunch.

Which Hanoi golf courses are closest, and which make a long day?

Long Bien and Legend Hill make short days; Kings Island, Sky Lake and Chi Linh Star make long ones. For a relaxed trip, we put a short day or a rest day after every long one.

• Short days, 20–40 minutes: Long Bien (20–30 min) is the city course, on gently sloping ground with no big climbs. Legend Hill (about 40 min) is hillier, set in the low hills of Soc Son, and sits beside Noi Bai Airport, which makes it a good arrival or departure-day round.
• Long days, 45–90 minutes: Kings Island (45–60 min) on Dong Mo Lake, Sky Lake (about 1 hour), and Chi Linh Star (about 90 min) in a valley between forested hills. These need an early pickup and come back mid-afternoon.

GoGolfVietnam, a local golf tour operator based in Da Nang that also runs trips around Hanoi, plans slower trips around one simple rule: never two long-drive courses on back-to-back days. A 90-minute transfer each way to Chi Linh Star adds three hours in the car to the round itself, and that, more than the golf, is what tires people out.

Is Hanoi too cold for golf in winter?

No, but the first hour of the day is. December and January mornings can drop to 10–15°C, and fog over the lakes can hold the first groups for 30–90 minutes. By mid-morning the golf is good: firm fairways, little rain and quiet weekdays.

Through December and January our team books 9–10am tee times instead of first light. The fog has usually lifted, the air has warmed, and nobody stands on a cold tee waiting for visibility. Pack a warm layer and a hat; golfers flying in from Singapore or Kuala Lumpur often arrive with clothes for Da Nang beach weather.

Spring and autumn are the easiest seasons for a slower trip, at 18–28°C, while May to August is hot enough that only early starts make sense. For the month-by-month picture, see why Hanoi winter tee times start later.

The paced 7-day Hanoi golf itinerary

Three rounds in seven days, never two in a row, with the long drive in the middle of the week and the airport-side course at the end.

In December and January, every tee time in this plan moves to 9–10am. Ha Long Bay and Ninh Binh are each around two hours or more from Hanoi, so we would not squeeze either into a day trip at this pace; an overnight, or simply staying in the city, is gentler.

We use the seven-day Hanoi package we adapt to this pace as the starting point, then spread the rounds out and swap courses to suit the group.

Short on time? The 5-day version

Two rounds and a rest day between them, both on short-drive courses.

Five days is enough for a relaxed trip if two rounds are enough for you. It leaves out the resort courses west of the city, which is the trade-off for never spending more than 40 minutes in the car.

What if your partner does not play?

Hanoi is one of the easier places in Vietnam to bring a non-golfer. The rest days in both plans are city days, and on golf days a partner has the whole morning while you play.

Most of what first-time visitors want to see in Hanoi is walkable or a short taxi ride from the Old Quarter. For ideas that suit a gentle pace, we keep a list of Hanoi sights that suit the rest days. If you would rather we plan both halves of the week, the Hanoi golf holidays we plan around shorter drives cover golfers and non-golfers in one itinerary.

Da Nang or Hanoi for a slower golf trip?

Da Nang is the easier choice if you want warm weather and the same cart rule everywhere; Hanoi suits golfers who want a city, cooler months and a mix of short and long golf days.

We wrote the Da Nang version of this guide as well, covering how the same slower trip works in Da Nang.

Frequently Asked Questions

GoGolfVietnam is a Vietnam-based golf tour operator arranging tee times, transfers and hotels for golfers of every age visiting Hanoi and Da Nang.