Vietnamese Community in Vientiane Rallies Around Pickleball Ahead of Two Major Congresses
Sometimes a pickleball tournament is about more than winning. For Vietnamese expatriates in Laos, it was a chance to come together, and the sport did a pretty good job of it, according to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA).
The Association of Vietnamese People in Vientiane held a community pickleball tournament on 25 October in response to Vietnam’s Great National Solidarity Day on 18 November. The aim was simple: strengthen ties among Vietnamese expatriates in Laos.
More Than a Sport
Le Anh Duc, Standing Vice Chairman of the association and head of the organising board, said the tournament was much more than a sporting activity. It gave community members a platform to meet, share experiences and strengthen their bonds, which in turn promotes national pride and Vietnamese cultural identity.
The event also served as a warm-up of sorts for what’s coming. It helped build momentum for the 12th Congress of the Association of Vietnamese People in Vientiane, scheduled for early November, and the fourth Congress of the General Association of Vietnamese People in Laos, expected in late December.
Notably, this isn’t the first time the same community in Vientiane turned to pickleball to mark something important. Back in August, the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos alongside Vietnamese representative agencies and the wider community also held a pickleball tournament, this time to honour the 81st anniversary of the August Revolution and the then-approaching National Day on 2 September.
Hometown Pride on the Court in Vientiane
Eight teams, representing hometown clubs and Vietnamese businesses in Laos, took part. After a round of group-stage and knockout matches, the Hanoi hometown club team took the championship. The Nghe An hometown club team finished second, while the Ha Tinh and Ho Chi Minh City hometown clubs shared third place.
Not a bad showing for a sport that, as PNA readers know, has become one of Vietnam’s biggest passions. Seeing it travel with the Vietnamese community across the border to Laos only underlines how far it has spread.
According to the report, the tournament also encouraged physical exercise among Vietnamese expatriates in Laos and fostered solidarity ahead of the two upcoming congresses.
