HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Việt Nam (MCST) has officially reappointed Australian golf legend Greg Norman as Việt Nam’s tourism ambassador for the 2025–2030 term.

A two-time Open Championship winner and World Golf Hall of Fame inductee, Norman first took on the role in 2018. His initial term (2018–2021) was widely regarded as transformative for Việt Nam’s golf tourism sector.

During this period, Norman worked closely with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism to position the country as a world-class golf destination, which helped spark global interest in Vietnamese golf.

He became the representative for the Golf section of the Vietnam.travel website and a storyteller through his experiences of the country's landscapes, cuisine and fascinating destinations. While travelling across the country, he often shared stories on his social networks. In particular, he created a promotional clip for Việt Nam’s tourism with the message A Fantastic Destination to Experience Golf for the FLC Hạ Long Golf Course.

Notable achievements during his previous tenure include the co-production and international broadcast of a promotional video on CNN Asia and CNBC, which showcased Việt Nam’s rapidly growing golf infrastructure and natural beauty. Norman was also instrumental in promoting Việt Nam’s golf industry during and after the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Norman’s efforts in his initial term to turn Việt Nam into a global golf hub yielded tangible results. The country was named World’s Best Golf Destination at the prestigious World Golf Awards in both 2019 and 2021. New world-class golf courses such as The Bluffs Hồ Tràm, KN Golf Links, BRG Đà Nẵng Golf Resort and PGA NovaWorld Phan Thiết have further solidified Việt Nam’s appeal, both to tourists and for professional events.

With his global influence and extensive network, Norman has supported and connected international events to Việt Nam, most notably by bringing the Asian Tour's International Series Vietnam tournament to KN Cam Ranh Links golf course, where he is the lead designer. 

Speaking at the appointment ceremony, Norman said he was honoured to be reappointed as Việt Nam’s tourism ambassador for the 2025–2030 term, emphasising his commitment to promote Việt Nam as a destination not only for golfers but also as a country of heritage, nature, culture and friendly people, further spreading the image of Vietnamese tourism globally.

In his new term, Norman will continue to promote Vietnamese golf tourism on his personal media platforms, which have accumulated over 175,000 followers. His goal is to enhance international recognition of Việt Nam as a premier golf destination.

He will also focus on connecting with and organising international golf tournaments in Việt Nam, and hopes to collaborate with LIV Golf to bring a major tournament to the country.

Plans for his next term also include implementing the Greg Norman Golf Academy to train the next generation of young golfers, he said. This initiative aims to integrate golf into physical education and enable the Vietnamese people to access the sport from an early age.

In addition, he will advise experts on developing sustainable golf course management policies, combining environmental protection with green tourism development. He plans to propose a programme for international standard golf course certification and ranking.

Norman said he will work to connect golf tourism with heritage tourism through events such as the Heritage Golf Festival in Quảng Trị, Huế and Đà Nẵng. He will continue to coordinate and participate in promotional activities for Vietnamese tourism — and especially golf tourism — at cultural and tourism events held in the US and Australia organised by the MCST and Việt Nam’s National Tourism Administration.

He added that he will also collaborate with various domestic and international investors to propose investments in world-class golf courses at potential locations nationwide.

According to Deputy Minister of the MCST Hồ An Phong, Norman is not only a golf legend, but also a companion for Vietnamese tourism.

“His reappointment aims to leverage his role, reputation, international relationships and understanding of Việt Nam in promoting the country's image abroad," Phong said.

“I hold a high appreciation and deep trust in the appointment of Norman as Việt Nam’s tourism ambassador, believing that he will make even more positive and effective contributions. I hope the collaboration between local authorities and Norman will continue to create new values for Việt Nam’s tourism.” VNS