For most of our round, we could soak in the scenery without rushing. Only once did we see another group of golfers, an invigorating reminder of golf's origins as a battle between man and nature.

On the seventh hole of the Lakeview course, a 340-yard par 4 with a ribbon of a fairway, my caddy, Thi Tuyet, pointed to a pair of mountains side by side in the distance, shrouded in haze. She explained that the peaks had always offered solace to people in the area because one represented a woman, the other a man.

Minutes later, a small military plane flew overhead. Thi Tuyet said that during the war, the area had been bombed heavily by the Americans, who sought to knock out several North Vietnamese military bases nearby. The American campaign had killed many people, but Thi Tuyet was too young to remember that time. And like so many Vietnamese, she didn't seem particularly interested in our questions about that period.

After all, it was time to move on. It was time to play another hole.

"The golf course," she said, laughing at her silly American customers. "Very safe."

RECULTIVATING GREEN SWATHS OF A COLONIAL PAST

GETTING THERE

Visas are required of all American citizens to enter Vietnam and can be ordered by mail or in person at the Vietnamese Embassy in Washington (1233 20th Street NW, Suite 400; 202-861-0737 or 202-861-0694; www.vietnamembassy-usa.org). A one-month single-entry visa costs $65, or $85 for expedited service. Vietnamese embassies in Asia work faster and cheaper, and many tourist hotels in Siem Reap, Cambodia, secure visas in a day or two for about $75.

Several companies like TraveltoVietnam.com (in Ho Chi Minh City) also offer visa processing that takes from one ($38) to three days ($28). You then collect your visa in Vietnam at the immigration desk at the airport, for an additional charge of $25.

There are no direct flights to Vietnam from the United States. Most visitors fly to Hanoi on Vietnam Airlines (www.vietnamairlines.com) from Hong Kong, Siem Reap, Seoul, Tokyo or Bangkok. A recent Web search for flights from New York in early April yielded round trips with one stop each way from $1,411 on Vietnam Airlines and $1,413 on Delta.

The Vietnamese currency is the dong. The exchange rate in late February was about 16,400 dong to the dollar, but most transactions in Vietnam can be conducted in dollars. United States-based credit cards are accepted at almost all hotels and restaurants. ATM's are also easy to find.

GETTING A TEE TIME

Package tours that include rounds at several courses and lodging at some of Vietnam's best hotels can be arranged through the Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail (www.hochiminhgolftrail.com; 84-54-931-090). Prices vary depending on courses and hotels.

Individually, a round of 18 holes at a course in Vietnam will cost about $65 to $75 for those who stay with partnered hotels and $85 to $100 for those who stay elsewhere. Most clubs rent clubs and shoes. Caddies cost about $15 plus a tip.

WHERE TO STAY

In Hanoi, the Sofitel Metropole Hanoi (15 Ngo Quyen Street; 84-4-826-6919; www.sofitel.com) is an Old World oasis amid the bustle of North Vietnam's largest city. This landmark hotel features wooden ceiling fans, marble floors in the lobby and 363 rooms that combine flat-screen TVs with artistic antique décor. The interior garden has a pool bordered by lounge chairs — each adorned with a conical hat to shield sunbathers — and a bar where Champagne tastings are common. There are two restaurants (one French, one Vietnamese) and a health club on the property. When we visited, work on rooms in the newer Opera wing was still going on; it is supposed to be finished in the next few weeks. A double starts at $259 in the Opera wing, and $289 a night in the historic wing.

The Sofitel Dalat Palace (12 Tran Phu Street, Da Lat; 84-63-825-444; www.sofitel.com) is a majestic, Jazz Age, 43-room hotel with sweeping corridors, a grand French restaurant, and a cozy bar with pool tables in the basement. The rooms are lavish with high ceilings, wood shutters and claw-foot tubs. Doubles from $201.

WHERE TO EAT

Green Tangerine (48 Hang Be, Hanoi; 84-4-825-1286) offers a menu of innovative and delicious French and Asian fare. Set back from the busy streets in a restored 1928 colonial home in the Old Quarter, Green Tangerine is a great spot for lunch or a drink. The desserts — especially the banana spring rolls — make it worth seeking out. Lunch with drinks, about $40.