VietNamNet Bridge – More than 150 golfers will compete in the 12th annual tournament dubbed the Gannon Vietnamese Championship at Ocean Dunes Golf Club in Phan Thiet this weekend.

The tournament will tee off on Saturday morning and later be complemented by a barbeque lunch with appetizers at the club-house. The tournament concludes on Sunday morning after a second round of golf and a second barbeque.

The Gannon Vietnam Championship is for professionals and amateurs, said Jeff Puchalski, general manager and director of golf at the Ocean Dunes Golf Club.

Participants will be rewarded for a range of contests, including closest to the pin, longest drive and straightest drive. Any competitor lucky or skillful enough to bag a hole-in-one wins a Mercedes-Benz C180 and a Club Car golf cart.

The tournament organizers will hold a special auction for an autographed Tiger Woods golf cap. All proceeds from the Tiger Woods cap auction and the net proceeds from the tournament will benefit ORBIS International.

This is the longest-running golf tournament in Vietnam. "I've seen this tournament grow from the gleam in the eye of a few organizers in the pioneering if days of the mid 1990s to a full-on tournament," Puchalski said.

Since its inception, the tournament has been organized by Vietnam Golf Resorts, a division of Danao International Holdings which owns and operates the Ocean Dunes GC, the Dalat Palace GC, Sofitel Dalat Palace, Novotel Dalat and Novotel Ocean Dunes. Last year's event attracted 145 golfers.

Binh Thuan to award best resorts

The Department of Tourism in the coast province of Binh Thuan reported that it will meet with other relevant organizations to plan the tourism festival next year, and to identify the resorts which will receive awards during the festival.

The objective is to introduce images, tourist potential and advantages of resorts in Binh Thuan Province, which is known as the 'kingdom of resorts' with some 70 resorts scattered around the region.

The organizers will vote for awards in the following categories: Oldest Resort in Mui Ne, Biggest Resort, Resort with the most Attractive Design, Resort with the Best Service and Resort with the most Romantic Sea View, among others.

The tourism festival, which will take place from October 24 to 26 next year, is a chance for local and international travelers to enjoy typical dishes prepared by resort chefs as well as enjoy local delicacies and learn more about local craft villages.

(Source: SGT)