Farm land being bought for golf courses in Vietnam
Updated
Golf is a sport on the rise in Vietnam.
People are turning to the game at a phenomenal rate. But in a country where agriculture is so important, convincing authorities that golf courses are a good use of land is a tough ask.
Presenter:Ina Burrows
Speaker: Jeff Puchalski, PGA America
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BURROWS: Golf has only really been on the map in Vietnam since the mid 90s. It's still largely considered an elite sport, but that perception is rapidly changing.
PUCHALSKI: It's the new tennis, it's really taking off and the economy is really taking off here, people have more spending money and they're looking towards golf as a fun leisure sport.
BURROWS: Jeff Puchalski is a PGA America member and has been based in Vietnam for 14 years. He runs his own golf consultancy firm and is an advisor to the Vietnamese Golf Association. He says Vietnam is slowly building a reputation as a golfer's paradise.
PUCHALSKI: We have some great golf courses here and the Ho Chi Minh golf trail has really taken off and has bought a lot of interest especially from the media, the US and Australia.
BURROWS : It all sounds rosy, but one obstacle stands in the way - the government. More than 150 golf-courses have been licensed for development or are under contruction in Vietnam. But a negative vibe among government officials is said to be threatening golf's future. The Vietnamese Minister of Planning and Investment, Vo Hong Phuc is calling for a third of the nation's golf course projects to be aborted, and is reported to have said:
"There is no reason to use rice-growing land to build golf courses."
BURROWS: While the Vietnamese Minister of National Resources and Environment Pham Khoi Hguyen is reported to have said:
"Rice fields must be retained to ensure the nation's food security."
BURROWS : In a country where agriculture generates about 20 per cent of G-D-P, they argue too much farmland is being cleared for golf courses. But Mr Puchalski says the government needs to keep things in perspective.
PUCHALSKI: We have 18 golf courses and we're talking about a huge country, there just needs to be some communication, zone some land for golf.
BURROWS : He says it's a difficult task convincing the government of golf's benefits.
PUCHALSKI: There is concern, we just had a meeting a month ago in Hanoi, which is like a Town Hall meeting, we were able to school the government a little more on what golf is about and why it's good for the country, bringing in new jobs, developing tourism and also adding to the GDP and golf is a new thing and a lot of people don't understand it, so we just do our best to educate them.
BURROWS : And he says the tone is changing.
PUCHALSKI: There's a lot of key government officials that are starting to support the game and again you've just got to build up the communication so it's a win win situation.
BURROWS: Mr Puchalski explains that the government is becoming agitated because land that has been earmarked for golf courses is left vacant by investors who don't have enough financial backing. The government is also unhappy that some investors obtain land for courses, which costs less in rent than land for housing developments, but intend using it for other purposes. But the situation is changing.
PUCHALSKI: What they're doing now is putting pressure on the ones that haven't been moving forward and they're telling them to get their act together and build it out or they'll take their license away.
BURROWS: Mr Puchalski says aside from issues surrounding course development, the sport is thriving. He estimates there are now between four and five thousand golfers in Vietnam and that the figure is growing by more than 30 percent a year. The country also hosts a tournament on the Asian Golf Tour offering half a million US dollars in prize money. And player development is taking shape.
PUCHALSKI: We've got quitea few top junior golfers competing internationally, they've haven't won anything yet overseas but they're starting to compete more with the introduction of the Vietnam Golf association, Vietnam is now receiving invitations to all the amateur events in the region, so its opening the opportunity for them to play.
