bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

The piercing pop-pop of pickleball paddles starts before sunrise and ends after midnight at dozens of newly built courts across Hanoi, as residents relish one of Vietnam’s fastest-growing sports – or rage at the noise it makes.
The initial craze saw more people in Vietnam pick up a paddle per capita than anywhere else in Asia, according to one survey.
Now unwitting spectators are yelling “fault”, filing noise complaints and petitions to curb playing hours that have left authorities in a pickle.
In the country’s densely packed cities, courts are wedged between tight alleyways and nestled beneath high-rises, disturbing thousands of people at once.
“It drives me nuts,” said Hoa Nguyen, 44, who lives with her family behind a multicourt complex in Hanoi’s northeastern outskirts.
“People are playing in the middle of the night and there’s nothing we can do about it,” Nguyen said, adding that she had filed a complaint with local authorities.
“The noise makes it impossible for me to sleep. It just keeps going pop-pop-pop.”

Most noise complaints on the capital’s iHanoi app stem from pickleball, according to state media, which has dubbed the sport an “acoustic hazard”.
Associated noise-related issues range from unruly crowds to honking horns in overcrowded parking spaces.
Lam Thanh, 50, who manages a dormitory for workers near one of Ho Chi Minh City’s estimated 1,000 courts, says the cacophony is proving to be costly.
“Many tenants couldn’t stand the noise and have moved elsewhere,” she said.
“There’s the popping sound of paddles, cheering, shouting and joking around – it’s all extremely exhausting for us.”
Vietnam’s pickleball boom began around two years ago, players and coaches say, well after its popularity surged in the United States and Canada.
But the country is now the sport’s second-fastest-growing market in Asia after Malaysia, according to pickleball rating company DUPR.


Regional professional circuit PPA Tour Asia says more than 16 million people in Vietnam have picked up a paddle, though that figure is extrapolated from a survey of around 1,000 respondents.
Hanoi’s Long Bien district, its pickleball centre, has more than 100 courts, up from 54 in less than a year, according to state media.
Pickleholic Club, Victory Pickleball and Pro Pickleball Vn are all within a five-minute walk, with dozens more a short drive away.
Coach Pham Duc Trung, 37, said the sport’s accessibility was driving its popularity.
“The paddle is light and the ball is light … children can play it, and so can adults,” he said.
“The sound of the ball hitting the paddle is quite appealing,” he added.
Not everyone agrees.
Around the world, the plinks and pops of pickleball have spawned outrage, provoking protests and even lawsuits.
But Vietnam’s widespread embrace of the sport and its cities’ rapid growth in recent decades as the economy boomed help explain the intense frustration.

Ho Chi Minh City already ranks among the loudest cities in Asia, according to the United Nations, with noise pollution levels high enough to damage hearing.
And experts say pickleball sounds are louder and higher-pitched than tennis or badminton.
A nationwide noise ordinance is supposed to limit the din, especially late at night, but residents say the courtside clatter often goes unmuted.
Hanoi high school student Duong, 16, cannot focus on his homework.
“The sound made by this ball is very unpleasant,” he said. “My mind feels blank because I cannot concentrate.”
Vietnam’s sports ministry did not reply to a request for comment.
But pressure is building to smash the problem, with state media carrying health warnings from doctors.
“The constant bouncing of the pickleball is not only annoying but also subtly triggers stress, disrupts sleep and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease,” according to the state-run VTC News website.
Ball strikes register “like the ticking of a clock against the temples”, it said this month, adding many people are “haunted by the sound of popping”.


Australia is losing its ability to engage Asia on its own terms

Forest conservation must be long-term priority for Southeast Asia

Vietnam residents file noise complaint as pickleball craze spreads across the country

Vietnam’s pickleball craze brings fun and frustration: ‘it drives me nuts’

Vietnam

People play pickleball in the playground of a residential area in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: AFP

Vietnam’s pickleball boom began around two years ago. Photo: AFP

A man plays pickleball in Hanoi. Photo: AFP

Honouring ancestors, shaping empires: the story of Southeast Asia’s Peranakan Chinese

The Khoo elders observe the Tung Chen prayer ceremony in the ancestral hall of the Long San Tong Khoo Kongsi on December 20. Photo: Ushar Daniele


The Long San Tong Khoo Kongsi clanhouse in Penang. Photo: Ushar Daniele

Salma Khoo Nasution in her traditional kebaya Nyonya with Malaysian-born Hong Kong actress Fung Bo-bo at the Sun Yat Sen Museum in Penang. Photo: Salma Khoo Nasution

Peter Lee poses next to the portraits of his grandfather and grandmother. Photo: Peter Lee

Peranakan were often known for their wealth and deep connections to their ancestral traditions and practices. Photo: Christopher Teh

The Long San Tong Khoo Kongsi is one of the oldest Hokkien Peranakan clans in Penang and remains one of the most influential Peranakan communities on the island. Photo: Ushar Daniele

Fun or nuisance? Singapore’s pickleball fever leaves neighbours on edge

More than 5,000 people in Singapore consider themselves active pickleball players, according to the latest estimates. Photo: AP

Retiree Lilian Sek (right) plays pickleball at a street football pitch in the neighbourhood of Telok Blangah, southern Singapore. Photo: Jean Iau

A “Please lower your volume” sign is seen at a street football pitch in Telok Blangah, Singapore. Photo: Jean Iau

A pickleball court in Jurong, Singapore, used by Straits Pickle Club. Photo: Straits Pickle Club

A couple plays pickleball. The sport has rapidly taken off across Southeast Asia, driven by a mix of urban constraints, accessibility and a strong regional culture in racquet sports. Photo: Shutterstock

Pickleball players in action during the PPA Tour Asia Hong Kong Open 2025’s men’s doubles final at Kai Tak Arena, Kai Tak Sports Park, in August. Photo: Edmond So

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

‘The noise makes it impossible for me to sleep. It just keeps going pop-pop-pop,’ a Hanoi resident says


‘The noise makes it impossible for me to sleep. It just keeps going pop-pop-pop,’ a Hanoi resident says.


Vietnam’s pickleball craze brings fun and frustration: ‘it drives me nuts’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}‘The noise makes it impossible for me to sleep. It just keeps going pop-pop-pop,’ a Hanoi resident says

‘The noise makes it impossible for me to sleep. It just keeps going pop-pop-pop,’ a Hanoi resident says