Vietnam’s Pickleball Explosion Comes as Sport Faces Growing Pains
by Joe James
What’s the Story?
Vietnam is seeing a surge in pickleball, nearly doubling its player count since 2024 to about 30,000.
The increase in players has resulted in more casual and competitive tournaments being held across the country weekly.
A higher demand for pickleball equipment and apparel has resulted from the growing interest in Vietnam.
Quang Dong, No.17 Men’s Doubles player and international star, has taken part in exhibitions as well as former tennis legend Andre Agassi.
This year saw Vietnam host its first-ever National Pickleball Championship in March, with support from governing bodies, investors and sponsors continuing to grow.
As seen across the globe, Vietnam has witnessed such fast growth in the sport that it is struggling to keep up with the demand.
These struggles have been called organisational growing pains, with concerns over officials, tournament prizes, revealing attire and other sporting elements.
Many officials are new and inexperienced with national and grassroots level competitions suffering, leading to officials working on forming a sporting governing body.
Max Xuan Tung, a pickleball specialist at the Sports Authority of Vietnam, told Tuoi Tre News: “We have set up a campaign committee and will submit a proposal to the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism in April to form a national pickleball federation, which will provide the necessary framework for the sport’s long-term development.”
Going Deeper
Vietnam has emerged as one of the leaders in pickleball development within Asia.
As of September 2024, the Asian Pickleball Federation (APF) which was established in 2020, has 21 member countries with over 50,000 participating players across the continent.
It is estimated Vietnam has over 10,000 players, showing that they make up around one-fifth of Asia’s players, but again, this is just an estimate.
The APF has organised multiple major events including the Asian Pickleball Championship and Asian Open Pickleball Championship, the latter of which Vietnam won, with 600 referees certified.
The numbers are big, but there have been concerns over the skill levels of officials in the aftermath of Vietnam’s National Pickleball Championship, and the relative newness of the craze means some referees are being criticised as not up to standard.
Calls on whether the ball is in or out are still judged by the naked eye, and the playing fields and spectator stands are also not good enough.
In other developments, 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.
Last October, Australia’s PPA Tour hosted its Vietnam Open at the Carmelina Beach Resort in Ba Ria-Vung Province, with a prize pool exceeding $100,000.
The DUPR also have been integrated, adding integrity to the game nationally, with the Facolos Championship’s results this year submitted to pickleball’s premier rankings system.
Pickleball is moving in a positive direction in Vietnam, but its boom leaves some structural changes required.
The World Pickleball Verdict
Vietnam, like many countries in Asia and the world, is experiencing a surge in pickleball popularity, but it is struggling to cope with the demand.
The milestones of their first National Pickleball Championship, their success in continental tournaments, and having a stop on Australia’s PPA Tour are all exciting developments.
However, concerns over some structural and organisational processes are something that needs to change if the game is to continue growing.
Gripes over officiating standards are something that must be changed as soon as possible. Referees are there to maintain integrity and equality in sport and if they are being criticised as below the required ability, then it is going to be tough to legitimise the sport at the top level.
The commitment from the Vietnamese sports authority is encouraging and shows that they are taking not just these concerns seriously, but the prospect of the sport seriously too.
Vietnam’s pickleball scene is rapidly evolving, and the governing bodies need to not just catch up but get ahead if they are to allow the upward trajectory of pickleball to continue in the long term.
It is all well and good to discuss the rapid expansion of the sport, but this will not continue unless those in authority are proactive in their planning and organisation when it comes to venues, associations, officials and demand, as the entire ecosystem of pickleball, is just as important as the actual playing of the game itself.