Vietnam to have first public school teaching golf

Ha Ngoc Lan, headmistress of the school in Dong Da District, on Monday said the project is a cooperation between the school and the Vietnam Golf Promotion and Development Center and the Vietnam Golf Association, among others. All 857 students at the school will get to learn golf for free, and have golf equipment provided to them.

"I want to bring golf into the curriculum as it is international. I want to be a pioneer," Lan said, adding that golf does not only train students' physical capabilities, but also help them develop important qualities, such as patience, discipline and focus.

Lan said communication skills can be honed on the golf courses, which aligns with the school's comprehensive education approach.

The school would begin teaching golf starting January, until the end of the school year in summer. The school will then evaluate the program's results, garner opinions from parents and students, and make plans for the next school years.

Vu Anh Long, director of the Junior Golf Development Project R&A-VGA, said To Vinh Dien is the second school in Vietnam, after Alpha primary school in Hanoi, and the first public school to join the project.

"The goal is to popularize golf, and through it its educational value. It's also to find young talents," he said.