We left Saigon and Toa (our driver) took us on a leisurely drive to Phan Thiet, a beach resort town 3 hours North. The town itself was quite large, but Bruce didn’t really see it since he rested on the day off. Our hotel was the Radison and was a few kilometres out of town, right on the Beach. It was very luxurious except that when we arrived, we got stuck in the lift since the four us (with backpacks) exceeded the weight limit of the elevator. The doors wouldn’t open and we had to be rescued.
Our first game was at the Nova Golf Club, and to get there, we went on an eight lane road past the amusement park and other tourist attractions, there were virtually no cars on this road. The whole area was going to be developed massively until Covid struck, now you have all the infrastructure but a lot of half built buildings. There was hardly anyone on the golf course, so it was a very relaxing game. Bruce shot 95 (31 pts) and Rosie got 102 (24 pts). Rosie is having trouble consistently hitting the ball and is getting a bit frustrated.
We did get a really nice lunch included with our game at the golf course, so this was a bargain.
That night we walked to a recommended restaurant only to find it had closed down, we then went to another restaurant and ordered. They then kept coming back to us to say things weren’t available. We got the first three dishes then nothing else turned up. Finally we asked if any more food was coming and it became obvious that the answer was no. Didn’t cost much though.
The next day Bruce and Neil both stayed at the hotel and had a swim and a rest while the girls went shopping. They enjoyed the experience and got a good Grab driver who took them everywhere, but they didn’t buy anything. That night, we gave up looking for restaurants and had dinner at the hotel.
Our last day saw us play golf again, this time at Sea Links Golf and Country Club. This was a very nice course with the water hazards going along the edges of the fairways so you weren’t forced to take them on.
On the 8th hole, Bruce played his best every shot on a 150m Par 3, it faded in beautifully to the hole, which is where he lost site of it. The caddies were getting very excited though so he knew it was a good shot. As you can see, he missed his hole in one by a millimetre (didn’t manage to get the birdie though).
Rosie still struggled, scoring 100 (26 pts) and with the help of the birdie, Bruce scored 90 (36 points). It was an nice end to our stay and we finished off with a relaxing couple of drinks overlooking the sunset and then dinner at the hotel again.
