Even with discounted pickleball racing, the track remains empty.

After a period of explosive growth, the pickleball movement in Hanoi is showing signs of gradually "cooling down" as the number of players decreases and many courts are experiencing a decline in customers.

Báo Xây dựng•29/05/2026

The cost is considerable.

Nguyen Tuan Anh, an employee of a state agency in Giang Vo ward, Hanoi, said that he initially took up pickleball out of curiosity and because it was trendy. However, he later became attached to the sport because it helped him lose weight and relieve stress after a long day at work.

However, recently, Tuan Anh has "reduced his intensity" with this sport, partly due to increased workload and decreased income after the merger of his agencies. Meanwhile, pickleball consumes a considerable amount of his time and money. Now he only plays once a week, and there have even been times when he stopped playing for an entire month.

Phong trào chơi pickleball tại Hà Nội đang có dấu hiệu hạ nhiệt sau giai đoạn phát triển bùng nổ. — The pickleball movement in Hanoi is showing signs of cooling down after a period of explosive growth.

According to his calculations, for beginners, the cost can amount to tens of millions of VND for purchasing rackets, balls, shoes, and clothing. If investing in formal training, the cost for 5-10 lessons (1-2 hours each) ranges from 8-10 million VND, including court rental (averaging 120-255 thousand VND/hour) and coach fees (300-500 thousand VND/hour).

If you play regularly, in addition to the fixed court rental fee of 120-150 thousand VND/hour during off-peak hours and 250-270 thousand VND/hour during peak hours, there are also costs for water and balls. If you play 2-3 times a week, the total cost could reach 3 million VND/month, not including expenses for social events and competitions.

Besides the reasons mentioned above, many people have reluctantly given up pickleball due to injuries. Pickleball is considered a sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis, played on a small court at a fast pace, leading many to believe it causes fewer injuries than other high-intensity sports. However, recently there have been more injuries related to this sport.

Dr. Vo Tuong Kha, a sports medicine specialist in Hanoi, said that recently he has frequently received cases of injuries from playing pickleball. The most common are muscle strains, sprains, ligament injuries around the knee, rotator cuff inflammation, or ankle sprains.

"Because pickleball is relatively easy to play, many people become complacent, skipping warm-ups or overexerting themselves. Some participate as a trend, lacking a strong physical foundation but still engaging in continuous high-intensity exercise, making them very susceptible to injury," Dr. Kha noted.

Despite price wars and promotions, customers are still few.

With declining popularity, many pickleball courts in Hanoi are beginning to face pressure to maintain operations. Mr. Vu Van Tung, owner of a complex of courts at 54 Nhat Tao Street, Phu Thuong Ward, said that occupancy rates are currently less than 50% compared to the same period last year.

"We had to implement various programs such as reducing court rental fees, providing free drinks and match balls, or using a 'ticket-tearing' model to group individual players together in order to attract customers."

However, recently, the lack of customers has been quite common. Many newcomers join because it's trendy, but when they play with experienced players and can't keep up with the skill level, they easily get discouraged and quickly give up," Tùng shared.

According to Mr. Trinh Quoc Thang, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Liet Ward (Hanoi), the situation of pickleball courts springing up on agricultural land was quite common in the locality during the period when the sport was developing strongly. Many interstitial plots of land, agricultural land, or land awaiting projects were utilized to build temporary courts to meet the increasing demand of players.

Since the end of 2025, the ward authorities have intensified their review, inspection, and handling of numerous violations. For yards constructed illegally, the authorities require self-demolition. Cases of deliberate non-compliance will be documented and enforced.

Observations in many inner-city wards of Hanoi show that the number of people playing pickleball has decreased significantly compared to the peak period before. The lively atmosphere that used to last from early morning to late night is now mainly seen only on weekends or during certain peak hours in the evening.

Arriving at the pickleball courts of the Yen Hoa Cultural and Sports Center at 228 Trung Kinh (Yen Hoa ward, Hanoi) at around 5 PM on May 25th, our reporter observed that only 4 out of 8 courts were in operation with nearly 20 players, while the remaining 4 courts were empty.

Similarly, at the 182 Dinh Thon pickleball complex (Tu Liem ward, Hanoi), even during peak hours (6:30 PM on May 25th), the atmosphere was quite gloomy. The complex currently has 10 pickleball courts, but only 3 are in operation with about 12 players, while the remaining 8 are empty.

Ms. Bui Mai Phuong, residing on Ha Yen Quyet Street, Hanoi, said that the Cau Giay area has quite a few pickleball courts. Around the end of last year, she had to book a court one or two days in advance. On weekends or holidays, all the courts in the area were fully booked from morning to night. However, now Ms. Phuong can book a court whenever she needs one.

Entering the self-cleansing phase?

According to some sports experts, the "cooling down" of pickleball stems from several factors. The biggest reason is the overheated development of the field system, far exceeding actual demand. In a short period, hundreds of pickleball courts have been built, ranging from small clusters of a few courts to large-scale complexes.

Besides the issue of playing fields, many believe that the decline of pickleball is largely due to players participating driven by a "trend-following" mentality. When the novelty wears off, many quickly quit because of lack of time, increased costs, or an inability to keep up with the level of competition.

According to Mr. Nguyen Phu Duc, Co-founder of Sport Connect, the current pickleball market is entering a "self-purification" phase. Courses with good service quality, a stable player community, and numerous social activities maintain a relatively consistent customer base.

"Many people play out of curiosity or to check in and follow the trend. With pickleball, beginners can get used to it quite quickly, but without technical guidance, it will be difficult to progress, and they may easily reach their limit and give up," Mr. Duc shared.

Ms. Le Thi Hoang Yen, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Sports Department (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), noted that many current pickleball courts utilize temporarily converted agricultural land or undeveloped public land within residential areas for construction. While offering advantages such as low investment costs, ease of implementation, and quick return on investment, many courts face legal risks and land use planning issues.

Some golf courses are built haphazardly, failing to meet standards regarding land area, lighting systems, safety distances, or supporting infrastructure. This not only affects the players' experience but also poses potential safety risks during operation. When land use plans change or authorities increase inspections, many courses may be forced to dismantle or cease operations.

Source: https://baoxaydung.vn/san-pickleball-dua-giam-gia-van-vang-khach-192260527160440486.htm