The second edition of the Investors’ Golden Heart charity golf tournament, held by The Investor on Saturday in Ninh Binh province, northern Vietnam, raised VND650 million ($26,800), an increase of 30% compared to the first edition.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, editor-in-chief of The Investor and head of the organizing board, said that the weather challenged the golfers' golden hearts. "All golfers did not give up but braved heavy rain, strong winds and cold weather to finish with 18 par holes."
"Regrettably, a Hyundai Santafe 2.2 Premium worth VND1.2 billion ($49,440) from Hyundai TC Motor and a set of four-star Daiwa golf clubs from 7Golf, one of the largest golf supermarkets in Vietnam, did not find new owners, but many prizes were given to excellent golfers," Tuan said.
After more than six hours of competition, golfer Nguyen Van Thanh, an entrepreneur from Ha Giang province, won the championship trophy.
The first prizes went to Luu Van Tuan (group A), Tran Ngoc Anh (group B), and Hoang Ha Anh (group C). The second prizes belonged to Bui Quang Vinh (group A), Hoang Minh (group B) and Hoang Dinh Quy (group C).
Third prizes went to Phan Hai Nam (group A), Nguyen Tuan Son (group B), and Hoang Dinh Quy (group C).
The tournament organizers also awarded prizes for "shot closest to the pin" (four prizes), "longest tee shot" (two prizes), and "most accurate drive" (one prize).
This year’s event saw the participation of 144 golfers, including many from Ho Chi Minh City and provinces in the central and northern mountainous regions.
Contributions collected at the event will be used to grant scholarships to outstanding students living in hardship throughout the country. The tournament also served as a networking venue for investors, businesspeople, managers, and media practitioners.
"The $26,800 raised at this event is a very encouraging number, especially in the context of the economy and businesses facing huge difficulties,” Tuan said.
“We are committed to working with representatives of donors to deliver all the money to disadvantaged people, especially poor students who've achieved outstanding academic results," he added.
The head of the organizing board extended his gratitude to Hyundai TC Motor for being the tournament's co-organizer.
He also expressed thanks to VH-Golf as the hole-in-one sponsor; Vingroup the diamond sponsor; Hai Van Group the silver sponsor; and Hasco, TNG Holdings, Binh Duong Mineral and Construction JSC and Everygolf the bronze sponsors.
Other co-sponsors of the tournament included Dai Loc House Development JSC, IFF Holdings, Nam Thang Long Urban Development Co., Vabis Group, Sun Group, Geleximco, Dat Phuong, Newsun JSC, Habeco, Eurowindow, BRG, Vietnam-Korea Business Center, Nam A Bank, Linking Golf, Truong An Phu, and Ha Giang province gold club.
"Golf has become a sport that not only contributes to promoting tourism development, bringing revenue to the economy, but also clearly demonstrates social responsibility. As one of the leading economic magazines in Vietnam with print and online publications in Vietnamese and English, we are clearly aware of our political mission and social responsibility,” stated the head of the organizing board.
The golf tournament was held at Royal Golf Course, one of the largest and most beautiful golf courses in Vietnam. The international-standard golf course is about 100 km from Hanoi and near Trang An Landscape Complex, a UNESCO world cultural and natural heritage site, also in Ninh Binh province.