Hanoi, Vietnam: The rise of Vietnam as a golfing force has been well documented in recent years. The triumph of Nguyen Anh Minh, Le Khanh Hung and Ho Anh Huy in October’s Asia-Pacific Men’s Amateur Team Championship for the Nomura Cup was just the latest example of the country’s golfing progress.
Another important – but less well-known – milestone for Vietnamese golf occurred in 2016 when, for the first time, two individuals – Vũ Nguyễn and Đinh Hồng Minh – achieved the Level 3 Rules certification. In 2017, two more individuals – Vũ Quân and Dương Quang Huy – followed suit.
By 2019, Bạch Cường Khang and Phan Ngọc Tâm joined the list of individuals with Level 3 certification, while approximately 30 individuals had achieved Level 2 certification.
That same year, the Vietnam Rules Committee was established with Vũ Nguyễn serving as its first Chairman. Prior to that, referees and golf enthusiasts had been active at the Vietnam Golf Referee Club, one of the pioneering institutions that fostered a passion for golf rules.
In 2020, Bạch Cường Khang officially took over as Chairman of the Committee, even though this period coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic. However, this was also a crucial time for enhancing knowledge of golf rules and refereeing, with many online courses being launched.
As of October, 2024, Vietnam boasted 30 individuals holding Level 3 certification and more than 300 individuals with Level 2 certification.
The Vietnam Rules Committee currently has 40 permanent referees, 20 of whom are qualified to officiate at international tournaments. Many Vietnamese referees have participated in the management of international golf events such as the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, Asian Games, Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) tournaments, Asian Development Tour and Asian Tour.
Notably, Vũ Nguyên has officiated at The Open Championship, the prestigious Major tournament.
A former representative in Vietnam’s national amateur team, Vu is now Secretary-General at the Vietnam Golf Association (VGA) as well as representing the APGC on The R&A’s Rules of Golf committee.
The Vietnam Rules Committee has implemented many activities to keep up with global changes in golf rules, such as translating the latest golf rules publications into Vietnamese, participating in international rules forums and communities, and regularly interacting with The R&A’s Rules of Golf committee.
Khang, who acted as Tournament Director at the Nomura Cup, said: “An important point to note is the increasing popularity of golf rules development in Vietnam.
“This is not only for those working in the golf industry or those passionate about refereeing, but also for regular golfers who want to improve their understanding and enhance the quality of their play.
“It’s encouraging that nearly all golf courses in Vietnam now have management staff holding rules certifications, which helps improve the quality of tournament management and organisation.
“In Vietnam, we are working towards establishing a standard that all tournaments, whether lasting one day or four, and ranging from youth, amateur to professional events, must involve a referee. Through this, we contribute to building a culture of respect for the rules of the game and the fundamental principles of organising tournaments.
“Not only are we focused on domestic development, but we also seek opportunities for referees to officiate at international tournaments, thereby improving their skills and qualifications.
“In particular, to promote the spread of the Rules of Golf internationally, we regularly invite international referees to Vietnam to officiate, fostering professional exchange, cultural sharing, and experience in the development of golf rules and tournament organisation.”
Khang added that the rapid growth in the number of certified golf referees and individuals with rules certifications is a key factor in the strong development of Vietnamese golf and has created a model for rules development for other countries in the region and continent.
“We are proud to contribute, alongside The R&A and the APGC, in spreading golf rules across Asia and thank The R&A for their continued support of the Vietnam Golf Association,” added Khang.
