by Joe James
What’s the Story?
The University of Education Practice High School in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, has just opened its M Sports Court, an international-standard sports facility designated for pickleball and other sports.
Standards set by FIBA, basketball’s international governing body, and the Badminton World Federation, including durability, flatness and traction, are met. Yet still, the focus is on pickleball, which will be the first introduced on the M Sports Court.
Across Ho Chi Minh City, the investment in pickleball’s infrastructure can be seen in schools such as Mac Dinh Chi High School.
Hung Vuong High School and the High School for Gifted Students have also introduced courts.
In April 2024, the city hosted the Asia Open Pickleball Championships with Vietnam emerging victorious, winning 17 golds, 15 silvers, and 17 bronzes to top the medal tally.
Vietnam will host the Asia Pickleball Junior Championships in Da Nang from July 14 to July 16 this year.
The Asia Pickleball University Network (APUN), which is dedicated to expanding the pickleball community across the continent, will have its 2025 Championships, also in Da Nang, just two days after the junior championships, ending on July 21.
In an Instagram post, pickleball rising star Quang Dong explained that Vietnam “has the most pickleball dedicated centres and players in Asia,” and with Badminton being the second-most popular sport in the country, pickleball is primed to explode.
The Recap
Introduced to the country in 2018, the game has very swiftly found a home in Vietnam, as it has in China and India, as well as its Southeastern neighbours Malaysia and the Philippines, and this feels only the beginning.
It is estimated that Vietnam now has over 10,000 players nationwide, with most of those players coming from major city centres.
The University of Education Practice High School in Ho Cho Minh City has just opened a brand new international-standard sports facility, suitable for badminton and basketball but with a major focus on pickleball as the sport is the first introduced to students on the new courts.
The Asia Open Pickleball Championships were held in Ho Minh City in 2024, with over 400 participants, as Vietnam ran out as the overall winner.
Last October, the PPA Tour Australia held their Vietnam Open at the Carmelina Beach Resort in Ba Ria-Vung Province, with a prize pool exceeding $100,000, which was a landmark moment for the country’s pickleball growth.
In January this year, the Facolos Champion 2025 tournament marked Vietnam’s first large-scale tournament, with all results submitted to the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR).
Vietnam’s major pickleball star, Quang Dong, who won multiple singles and doubles titles in paddle tennis at just 15, has now transferred over to the sport as he currently ranks No. 6 in Men’s Singles, No. 21 in Men’s Doubles and No. 17 in the Men’s Mixed Doubles rankings, at just 19-years-old.
As many countries and continents have found, pickleball’s accessibility and affordability have been key to its development, and Vietnam is no different. Starter kits in the country cost around VND1.5 million, which is around $59 or £46, making this an attractive option for virtually anyone.
A VnExpress article found that in the second quarter of 2024, sales of pickleball-related items in the second quarter equated to VND22.7 ($923,000) billion sales, which was a 150% increase on the previous quarter and is a showcase of the sport’s growth.
The PKLBull Verdict
Pickleball’s major rise in Vietnam is a testament to the sport’s accessibility, social appeal and adaptability within a country that is already crazy about racket sports.
Having over 10,000 players and hundreds of courts spread over high-standard facilities and major cities like Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, the sport’s infrastructure and popularity are firmly rooted in Vietnam.
The success of tournaments such as the PPA Australia Open’s tour of Vietnam, as well as the Asia Open reflects the country’s emerging and growing status on the international stage.
Badminton is massive in Vietnam, but pickleball is also here to stay, as shown in its economic growth, which will surely prompt investors’ attention to turn to the sport as it will be seen as something with major marketing potential.
Vietnam is on a path to becoming a truly major hub for pickleball in Asia, and if a star like Quang Dong already sees it as the most facility-dedicated region on the continent for pickleball, maybe it is already close to being there.
As has been said before, pickleball is not just a trend but a growing sporting powerhouse, and Vietnam looks like another nation to engrain it into its culture.