Pickleball is rapidly emerging as one of the most notable sports trends in the country. From burgeoning player communities in major cities to international tournaments, pickleball in Vietnam is establishing a dedicated market filled with commercial opportunities for sports, tourism, and hospitality businesses.
Notably, the Heineken Pickleball World Cup 2026 in Da Nang placed pickleball in Vietnam squarely at the center of the global sports community. However, the key takeaway extends far beyond the scale of a single event; it prompts a broader strategic question: To what extent is pickleball in Vietnam developing, and what opportunities does this trend create for the Golf & Hospitality sectors?
1. Heineken Pickleball World Cup 2026: Da Nang Takes Center Stage in Global Pickleball
Hosted in Da Nang from August 30 to September 6, 2026, the Heineken Pickleball World Cup 2026 marked a major milestone as the first-ever Pickleball World Cup held in Asia. The event served not only as a competitive tournament but also as a networking platform connecting athletes, pickleball enthusiasts, commercial enterprises, and industry brands.
According to the Da Nang Portal, the event attracted nearly 5,000 athletes from 81 countries and territories. Beyond the competitive matches, the World Cup featured Pickleball Clinics, a Promoters Forum, and a World Market showcasing approximately 200 booths alongside international networking and exchange activities.
The appeal of the Heineken Pickleball World Cup 2026 to the Vietnamese audience
(Source: PWC Pickleball)
These figures demonstrate that the growth of pickleball in Vietnam has evolved well beyond a casual recreational activity. When an international event attracts thousands of athletes and generates an active ecosystem beyond the courts, the market assumes the structural characteristics of a mature sports economy.
Team Vietnam wins silver medal at the 2026 Heineken World Cup Pickleball
(Source: PWC Pickleball)
For Da Nang, the event highlights the destination’s potential to integrate sports, tourism, and hospitality. An international tournament creates demand not only for sporting venues, but also drives occupancy for accommodation, F&B, transport, entertainment, and experiential activities across the destination.
How, then, is the landscape of pickleball in Vietnam evolving when viewed beyond a single flagship event?
2. Growth Trends of Pickleball in Vietnam and Southeast Asia
The rise of pickleball in Vietnam reflects a broader regional trend across Asia. Research conducted by UPA Asia & YouGov (2024) indicates a rapid increase in awareness and participation rates across the region.
Key metrics from the research include:
- ~1.9 billion people across surveyed markets are aware of pickleball.
- Nearly 812 million people have played pickleball at least once.
- ~282 million active players play at least monthly.
- ~60% Year-over-Year (YoY) increase in overall interest in the sport.
Within the Southeast Asian landscape, pickleball in Vietnam stands out with exceptionally high awareness and participation rates. Approximately 88% of surveyed Vietnamese consumers are aware of the sport, while over 37% have played it. The study estimates that pickleball in Vietnam now counts over 16 million regular players (defined as playing at least once per month).
Notably, brand awareness for pickleball in Vietnam grew by 152% in 2024, outpacing Malaysia’s 132% growth rate. These figures indicate that the popularity of pickleball in Vietnam is driven by more than media hype or rapid court expansion; it is building a substantial player base that generates real demand for venues, events, coaching services, and related sports merchandise.
3. Key Drivers Behind the Surge of Pickleball in Vietnam
A primary factor behind the rapid adoption of pickleball in Vietnam is its low barrier to entry. Beginners can easily pick up the sport without a professional athletic background, while individuals with experience in tennis, badminton, or other racket sports adapt seamlessly.
Beyond accessibility, pickleball in Vietnam aligns with a growing lifestyle priority among modern urban consumers: combining physical fitness with social connection.
According to the UPA Asia & YouGov survey, top motivators for playing pickleball include:
- 35% play because it is fun.
- 33% seek to improve physical health.
- 31% find it easy to learn and play.
29% play because family or friends participate.
27% want to connect with a community.
Pickleball is gaining popularity in Vietnam (Source: Vietnam Sports Administration)
These factors make pickleball in Vietnam uniquely suited to changing urban lifestyles. Players increasingly seek activities that fulfill multiple needs simultaneously: physical movement, leisure, social interaction, and relaxation. Rather than isolating workout sessions, individuals can socialize, stay active, and build community within a single activity.
Another structural advantage is the sport’s flexibility in footprint and venue integration. Compared to golf, pickleball requires significantly less land area and can be introduced across diverse asset types from athletic clubs, residential developments, and schools to hotels and integrated resorts. This flexibility enables rapid expansion across urban centers and leisure destinations.
Furthermore, the surge of pickleball in Vietnam leverages the country’s competitive advantage in sports resort tourism. Premier destinations such as Da Nang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, and Phu Quoc offer not only beachfront resorts and F&B experiences, but also strong potential for guest sport activities. Thanks to its low barrier to entry and social nature, pickleball serves as an ideal activity for leisure travelers seeking light activity without participating in elite sports.
In summary, the momentum behind pickleball in Vietnam extends beyond simple accessibility. The sport directly intersects with emerging consumer preferences:
- Low barrier to entry → Attracts new demographics.
- Group-friendly nature → Appeals to families, friend groups, and corporate retreats.
- High social connectivity → Fosters community building.
- Synergy with leisure travel → Expands sports tourism potential.
- Adaptable footprint → Unlocks activation opportunities for clubs, hotels, and resorts.
This intersection of sports, lifestyle, and social engagement is driving the momentum of pickleball in Vietnam making it a trend worth monitoring for sports marketers, accommodation operators, and destination developers alike.
4. Opportunities for the Hospitality Sector
As modern travelers seek richer, activity-driven itineraries, hotels and resorts can leverage the popularity of pickleball in Vietnam as an amenity asset to complement traditional offerings like guest rooms, swimming pools, fitness centers, spas, or golf courses.
Crucially, pickleball does not need to operate strictly as a standalone athletic facility. When designed around a cohesive concept, it seamlessly integrates into the entire guest journey blending physical activity, social engagement, F&B, and entertainment.
Key operational models include:
The core strategy is for property operators to move beyond simply building courts and waiting for guests to use them. Commercial value is created by curating courts into an experiential product linked to broader hospitality services. In destination hubs like Da Nang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, or Phu Quoc, pickleball can serve as an engaging alternative for younger guests, family members, or non-golfers traveling alongside golf enthusiasts.
At a macro level, the rise of pickleball in Vietnam can help shape destination sports tourism products, where the sporting experience itself becomes a key driver of travel decisions.
5. Pickleball & Golf: Direct Competition or Synergy?
The rapid expansion of pickleball in Vietnam may lead golf resort operators to question whether the sport competes directly with golf for guest spend and leisure time. From the perspective of Asia Golf Journey, this dynamic is best viewed as complementary rather than competitive.
Golf and pickleball offer distinct value propositions:
- Pickleball offers low barriers to entry, high social interaction, and flexible play times.
- Golf delivers premium destination experiences, extended dwell times, and multi-day resort stays.
These complementary strengths allow both sports to coexist effectively within the same hospitality ecosystem.
Specifically, integrating pickleball in Vietnam‘s resort offerings addresses a common operational challenge for golf venues: engaging non-golfing travel companions. In family or group travel, while golfers spend several hours on the course, non-playing companions require tailored recreational options. Pickleball provides an accessible alternative, enabling resorts to capture value across the entire travel party.
An integrated guest experience framework:
Golf + Pickleball + Wellness + F&B + Accommodation
In this model, golf remains the core anchor asset, while pickleball broadens appeal for families, younger travelers, corporate groups, and non-golfers. Vietnam is already witnessing early adopters of this model: Hoiana Resort & Golfcurrently operates 8 indoor and outdoor pickleball courts, offering structured training, social play, and lifestyle services for both resort guests and local visitors.
Asia Golf Journey – Your Strategic Partner in Capitalizing on Pickleball in Vietnam
The rapid development of pickleball in Vietnam highlights how emerging sports trends can expand the ecosystem of tourism, hospitality, and destination experiences. For Golf & Hospitality operators, the opportunity lies not merely in adding court facilities, but in developing new lifestyle products tailored to evolving consumer behaviors.
Asia Golf Journey (AGJ) actively tracks golf industry dynamics alongside emerging sports and leisure trends, including pickleball in Vietnam and across Southeast Asia. Backed by deep industry expertise and an extensive regional network, AGJ partners with golf courses, hotels, and resorts to identify market opportunities, craft commercial strategies, and deliver tailored sports hospitality products.
📧 Email: creative@asiagolfjourney.com
📞 Hotline: +84 982 117 466
The Leading Strategic Partner for Golf, Sports & Hospitality in Vietnam
