According to an article in the VN express international Vietnamese pickleball players spent VND22.7 billion (US$923,000) on buying pickleball equipment online in the second quarter showing just how popular the sport is becoming across the entire nation in the major cities.
Badminton player Le Tan in HCMC recently bought a VND2.5 million pickleball paddle. He said: “I bought a mid-range paddle as I am a beginner.”
Although the sport was introduced to Vietnam in 2018, it only became a craze at the beginning of this year. It is somewhat cheaper than badminton, a traditionally popular sport in Vietnam, with the wiffle ball being more durable than the shuttlecock.
Hoa Shop in HCMC’s District 3 has been selling pickleball equipment since February last year.
Sales have exceeded expectations this year, a store employee said. “Many pickleball players came from other sports such as badminton, tennis, table tennis, and golf. There are also many who have never played any sport.”
On average, the basic equipment to start playing costs VND1.5 million, the person added.
The VND22.7 billion sales of pickleball-related items in the second quarter on the five major e-commerce platforms, Shopee, Lazada, Tiki, Sendo, and TikTok Shop, represented 150% growth from the previous quarter, according to data provider Metric. The biggest vendor on Shopee sold over VND1.5 billion worth of items.
In the first seven months this year around 200 new pickleball courts were established in Hanoi and several hundreds in HCMC. Many social media groups have been formed.
Hoa Shop’s group on Facebook has over 58,000 members, with 100-300 more being added every day. An employee said: “In summer up to 800 people joined the group on a single day. Many people were looking to buy paddles for the whole family,”
Pickleball’s rapid rise in popularity can be attributed to several factors. The sport is easy to learn, does not require high levels of physical fitness and is a social activity.
Thao said: “I started playing because it looked interesting. I keep playing because it is perfect for someone like me who does not exercise regularly.” She said playing the sport helps improve social relations with colleagues.
Original Source for this story taken from – https://e.vnexpress.net/news/business/companies/vietnamese-spend-900k-on-equipment-amid-pickleball-boom-4793117.html
