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By Mike Orloff Mike Orloff is a US and Australian PGA Member with over 35 years of experience in golf, club, leisure, and resort operations across the USA and Australia. |
Discover Cam Ranh, a hidden gem along Vietnam’s southern coast, and part of what I’m coining the term “The Vietnam Golf Trail” - where pristine beaches stretch endlessly into the horizon.
This emerging golf destination pairs the raw beauty of untouched shorelines with thoughtfully developed havens of hospitality. Nestled in this coastal paradise, Alma Resort – Cam Ranh offers an effortless blend of sophistication and seaside serenity. Whether you are seeking a romantic escape, planning unforgettable family moments, or craving coastal adventures, the resort provides the perfect backdrop. Here, refined comfort flows as naturally as the tides, creating an atmosphere of effortless luxury.
A group of six Aussie/Kiwi journalists, a six-day expedition offered the ultimate taste of Vietnam’s emerging coastal luxury and world-class sports scene. Half of our journey was dedicated to exploring this region's premier golf courses, for the group to immerse themselves in the 30-hectare coastal sanctuary of Alma Resort.
The three-day media tour showcased three distinct championship layouts across the region, each presenting a completely unique topographical personality, architectural vision, and coastal backdrop.
Occupying 90 hectares of an expansive 800-hectare master plan on the Cam Ranh peninsula, KN Golf Links features 27 holes altogether when factoring in the 9-hole, garden-style Oasis Course that runs inland from the clubhouse.
However, most of the conversation and excitement revolves around the main 18-hole Links Course. Designed to maximize the sweeping, rolling contours of the coastal land, the layout is exemplified by massive, dramatic sand dunes (Some similarities to The Bluffs at Ho Tram: Both designed by Greg Norman). The course boasts firm, fast-releasing fairways, generous run-off areas around the greens, and imposing natural boulders, some of which form a striking aesthetic backdrop behind the green on the par-5 17th hole.
"It’s not an Irish-style golf course. It’s not an Australian-style golf course. It’s not a Scottish-style golf course. It’s just a damn good links golf course."
— Greg Norman, Course Designer
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Nestled on Hon Tre Island, renowned for its year-round sunshine and turquoise waters, Vinpearl Golf Nha Trang showcases a truly unique coastal terrain. Surrounded by verdant hills, the layout offers panoramic sweeping views of the heavenly bay.
Designed by IMG Worldwide, the 18-hole championship course preserves the natural beauty of its island environment, featuring expansive fairways that meander and undulate gracefully along the hillsides. The course promises to be an ideal destination for challenging and inspiring swings across every skill level. Adding to the adventure is the journey to the first tee itself.
Vinpearl Golf Nha Trang - Scenic Bay View overlooking the fairways and cable cars]
"Arriving by water and returning over the bay via cable car turns a great round of golf into a complete, unforgettable island excursion." "You take a boat to get there, and a cable car on the way back. It really adds to the excitement of the day of golf."
— Mike Orloff
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Leaning against the majestic Nui Chua mountain range and looking back toward the romantic shores of Binh Tien beach, ANARA Binh Tien Golf Club is imagined as a hidden sapphire set on the mountain downside. Here, gleaming sand dunes stretch alongside lush, long green fairways gently swaying with palm trees.
The golf course serves as the premier centrepiece of the upper-upscale ANARA Binh Tien Ocean Leisure Sanctuary, a master-planned destination surrounded by international luxury resort brands. Designed with five distinct tee options per hole, the course offers a fun yet strategic challenge for both professional golfers and casual amateurs looking to explore untouched nature during their round.
We unfortunately had a late shuttle pick up so played last holes in the dark. It is worth adding to your itinerary though.
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After rounds on the links and fairways, returning to Alma Resort provided an extraordinary haven of luxury and relaxation. Reflecting on the group's six-day itinerary, Mike was quick to highlight the property's incredible scale and thoughtfulness:
"It’s the best resort setup that I’ve ever stayed at. There is so much to choose from cuisine-wise, your own supermarket, as well as 12 pools throughout the property. You can read a book on the beach—which is the cleanest I've experienced in Asia! - or do some exploring through the 30-hectare property."
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Situated directly on Vietnam’s emerging Cam Ranh peninsula fronting Long Beach, Alma Resort commands 30 hectares of inspiring grounds. Emblematic of Vietnam’s maturation as an international luxury destination, the bold and spacious integrated resort offers 580 oversized suites and pavilions that all afford sweeping, unobstructed vistas of the ocean.
Accommodation highlights include contemporary three-bedroom oceanfront pavilions. Each pavilion spans a generous 224 square meters of living space, complete with an expansive main living room, four bathrooms, and a private plunge pool overlooking the tide.
Beyond accommodation, Alma features a broad spectrum of dining venues helmed by top chefs. Guests can explore a vibrant food court offering an array of local and international cuisines, a lively sports bar, a relaxed pool bar, and an oceanfront beach bar.
Complementing the 12 cascading swimming pools stretching down to the coast is a dedicated waterpark with a lazy river, water slides, wave pool, and children's splash zone. Other resort amenities include:
Recognizing its world-class standard, the US-based publication Travel + Leisure named Alma Resort the No. 1 resort in Southeast Asia, the No. 2 resort in Asia, and the No. 9 resort worldwide in its prestigious World’s Best Awards, scoring an extraordinary 99.2 on the publication's 100-point survey.
During our stay, the group of six journalists was invited to participate in one of Alma’s most cherished traditions: the "Plant a Coconut Tree" initiative. The resort offers guests the meaningful opportunity to plant a tree on property, complete with a personalized name tag and message, followed by regular photo updates sent to their inbox to track the tree's growth over time.
Guests and green thumbs can choose between three distinct species; each selected for its rich cultural and symbolic meaning.
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"Leave your mark on our resort by selecting from three tree species that each have significant meaning. A Golden Bell is a symbol of wealth in Feng Shui, planted to attract prosperity. A Bauhinia variegata represents beauty, grace, and life’s transient nature. A Coconut tree is renowned as the ‘tree of life,’ symbolizing generosity and resilience."
— Herbert Laubichler-Pichler, Managing Director |
The tree planting took place along the resort’s lush “Walking Street,” bookended by the Kid’s Club to the south and the Youth Club to the north. Staff affectionately refer to this path as “The Walk of Green” due to the increasing number of trees planted by past guests flanking its sides.
The path winds past signature dining venues including Asiana, La Casa, the Alma Lounge, and Alma Garden. For Mike and his fellow journalists, placing their personalized name tags into the soil and planting their tree along The Walk of Green was a profound honor—a tangible link connecting their journey to the living history of the resort.
Mike Orloff and Media Group Planting a Coconut Tree on The Walk of Green
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"Planting our tree along The Walk of Green was a personal highlight. Knowing that our visit left a positive, lasting mark on the resort grounds makes the experience at Alma truly unforgettable."
— Mike Orloff |
The tree-planting initiative is merely the latest in a comprehensive series of environmental measures implemented by Alma to significantly lessen its carbon footprint and lead the region in sustainable operations.
Alma is currently in the process of implementing what is believed to be Vietnam’s most ambitious resort solar power project. The initiative involves installing 4,476 solar panels totaling 23,290 square meters across the roofs of its 196 pavilions, two V-shaped towers (housing 384 suites), the main lobby lounge, and utility buildings.
With a peak generation capacity of 2,462 kilowatts peak (), the solar power system generates between 25% to nearly 35% of Alma’s total energy requirements, depending on low and high seasonal occupancy fluctuations.
In a drive toward greater sustainability and self-sufficiency, Alma operates its own onsite Herb Garden, Nursery Garden, and Chicken Farm. These facilities provide fresh organic produce and free-range eggs directly to the resort's diverse kitchens.
To share these practices, the resort runs complimentary guided garden tours to equip guests with practical tips on nurturing home vegetable patches and raising chickens. Plans are also underway to roll out hands-on garden cooking classes, where guests pick, clean, and cook their own healthy meals directly beside the crops.
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At the centre of Alma’s operational excellence is Managing Director Herbert Laubichler-Pichler, a seasoned hospitality leader with decades of international experience in luxury hotels and resorts. Herbert's career spans resort operations, food and beverage, finance, human resources, and sales.
Named Best General Manager in Vietnam by Travel + Leisure in both 2024 and 2026, Herbert focuses on building high-performing teams, advancing Cam Ranh as a world-class luxury market, and translating complex operational goals into seamless guest experiences. Under his stewardship, sustainability and operational performance go hand in hand.
Beyond the luxurious confines of the resort and the fairways, the six-day visit offered the media group an authentic connection to local culture.
A huge thank you to Christina from Zazen Travel for her personalized, kind, and attentive guidance during our city tour to the markets, where her passion for Vietnam allowed us to discover local culture in a deeply authentic way. From exploring the bustling fish market and learning about daily local life to discovering historic temples and sampling exotic regional fruits, her culinary and cultural insight made our market visit an unforgettable experience.
