Golf tournament expected to boost tourism in capital city

As approved by the Hanoi People’s Committee, the Kinh Te & Do Thi (Economic & Urban) newspaper, in cooperation with the Vietnam Golf Tourism Association, will host the “Hanoi Golf & Cultural Exchange Week 2022” in Hanoi’s Dong Mo Golf Club during October 17-22, 2022. The sporting event is expected to connect all domestic and international golfers, introduce and promote new tourism products, and attract foreign visitors to Hanoi tourism sites.

Editor in Chief of Kinh Te & Do Thi newspaper Nguyen Minh Duc and Vice Permanent Chairman of the Vietnam Golf Tourism Association Pham Thanh Tri share their opinions on the threshold of the event.

How did you come up with the idea of the “Golf Tourism and Culture Week – Hanoi 2022” event?

Chief Editor Nguyen Minh Duc: I have thought there should be an event connecting various domestic and overseas partners. Such an event will make it easier for the city to promote its favorable business environment and foster socio-economic growth.

Nguyen Minh Duc, Editor-in-Chief of Kinh Te & Do Thi (Economic & Urban) newspaper.

During my business trips in South Korea and Thailand, some partners suggested our newspaper hold an exchange event in Hanoi to promote the city’s tourism. In that spirit, we successfully held a golf tournament in HCM City.

The golf tournament's success inspires our newspaper to work with the Vietnam Golf Tourism Association to host the “Hanoi Golf & Cultural Exchange Week 2022” in October on the 68th anniversary of the Liberation of the Capital City. The golf tournament is an important cultural, sports and tourism event for the city to showcase its charm and beauty comparable to other cities in Southeast Asia.

Vice chairman Pham Thanh Tri: The everlasting love for Hanoi has bonded the Kinh Te & Do Thi newspaper with the Vietnam Golf Tourism Association to organize the next sporting event jointly. The tourism and transportation sectors were the hardest hit during the Covid-19 pandemic, and there must be some specific solutions to boost their recovery.

My family has lived in Hanoi for more than half a century. My father and grandfather were high-ranking officials in the central and Hanoi governments, and both served the country's development well. As the son of my family, I have lived with the desire to contribute a part of my knowledge and effort to the development of the capital city as my family did.

What do you expect from the upcoming golf tournament?

Chief Editor Nguyen Minh Duc: The “Hanoi Golf & Cultural Exchange Week 2022” is the event that connects golfers and introduces popular sights of the capital city. This is where business people, hotel operators, travel agencies, fashion designers and golf service companies exchange ideas and seek cooperation opportunities.

The Vietnam Golf Tourism Association is a professional tournament and will become a milestone for golf players and entrepreneurs in Hanoi and other provinces.

Vice chairman Pham Thanh Tri: More than 400 golf players will compete in the upcoming tournament, and this will be a huge sports event in October. International golfers will enjoy golf tourism, a new tourist service offered by Hanoi.

Pham Thanh Tri, Vice Permanent Chairman of the Vietnam Golf Tourism Association.

Hanoi and its neighboring provinces will have the chance to introduce their famous sights, traditional craft villages and world-class golf courses.

As the Vice General Secretary of the Vietnam Golf Association, I contributed to the successful organization of two golf tournaments in 2009 and 2010 with around 1,000 golf players on the occasion of the 1,000^th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Duc, how do the city’s leaders support the upcoming sports event?

Chief Editor Nguyen Minh Duc: The leaders of the Party Committee and the People's Committee are in full agreement with the tournament plan and expect it to be a very significant event for the city. They have asked our newspaper to ensure that the tournament will successfully celebrate the Capital City Liberation Day on October 10.

The tournament has received full support from different parties, especially Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Chu Xuan Dung. All departments and authorities, as well as golf courses, have given their fullest support for the event to be held as planned. BRG Group will host the tournament at its Dong Mo Golf Course.

Many companies and golf clubs have proposed to become sponsors of the event.

Mr. Pham Thanh Tri, could you share some ideas about the golf-tourism product you mentioned?

Vice chairman Pham Thanh Tri: The climate in Vietnam is more favorable than that of Japan and South Korea for year-round golfing. We expect the demand of people travelling from South Korea and Japan to Vietnam for tourism and golf to be extremely high between November this year and April next year.

The golf tourism product aims to help foreign visitors book flights more easily and apply for tournaments, as they often have little time to do so. They would want to get to the course soon after landing. Their accommodation and travel will be taken care of by tour agencies. The upcoming tournament will allow Vietnamese travel companies to promote their products and services to potential customers.

Could you share details about the tournament's number of players and revenue?

Vice chairman Pham Thanh Tri: Each golfer from South Korea or Japan may spend US$2,500-3,000 to stay in Vietnam for 3-4 days. Of the total expense, flight fare may cost $700, accommodation may cost $700-800, and playing golf on the field may cost $1,000. These are big numbers to help the tourism sector recover and develop in the post-pandemic stage.

If it goes well, Hanoi, with ten golf courses, will draw some 30,000 players each month and around 150,000 players each year, not to mention their companions. A full package of golf and tourism will keep visitors and players free from worries about accommodation and travel, and they can enjoy their stay in Vietnam at comparatively low prices. This is a “gold mine” for Hanoi’s tourism sector, and local newspapers have to enhance the promotion of the new potential product.

What are you planning to do after the tournament?

Chief editor Nguyen Minh Duc: We want to make the “Hanoi Golf & Cultural Exchange Week 2022” a success, and we hope it will become an annual fall event. We also hope the cooperation between our newspaper and the Vietnam Golf Tourism Association will bring investors from South Korea, Japan and Thailand to Hanoi. Additionally, we hope the two sides will further extend the cooperation for developing the capital city and the golf-tourism sector.

Vice chairman Pham Thanh Tri: The Vietnam Golf Tourism Association expects the “Hanoi Golf & Cultural Exchange Week 2022” will be a success that kick-starts tourist activities in other provinces and cities like Haiphong, Vinh and Danang.

On its development path to become a multi-media agency, the Kinh Te & Do Thi newspaper will be a trustful partner of the Vietnam Tourism Association and the Vietnam Golf Tourism Association.

Thank you for your time!