Padel has over 50 years of history. It was initially popular in Spain and some Latin American countries but has since risen to prominence worldwide.
Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was seen playing padel in Singapore in June 2023.
A padel court is smaller than a traditional tennis court and is usually surrounded by glass walls. The standard dimensions of a padel court are 10m x 20m, with 3m high walls on three sides of the court and a net in the middle. There are no sidelines, only simple markings to differentiate the serve.
Padel players use a racket that is smaller and lighter than a tennis racket. The ball is also heavier than a standard tennis ball. The court surface, which is a mixture of sand and plastic, makes the ball bounce less and helps players strike the ball easier.
Padel is played in doubles. The rules are similar to tennis with some small changes. A unique aspect of padel is that the serve must hit the ball on the ground before crossing to the opponent's side.
The ball can be played off the walls by both teams before it touches the ground. Scoring is similar to tennis, with matches consisting of three sets and each set has six games.
Le Pham Thanh Phong, a coach from Vietpadel, said: "Padel is a popular and accessible sport, especially for beginners, but it also requires technique and strategy for higher levels."
Former Vietnamese tennis singles and doubles champion Tran Thi Kim Loi has switched to padel. She finds this new sport suitable for all ages.
"I find it very enjoyable. The skill needed to handle the ball rebounding from the glass wall requires a lot of practice to master," she said.
Recently, Loi competed at APPT Ho Chi Minh, part of the 2024 Asia Pacific Padel Tour with player Si Boi Ngoc (pictured)
Actor Kim Ly (pictured), husband of Vietnamese star singer Ho Ngoc Ha, also participated in the APPT Ho Chi Minh as a team with Lu Quoc Linh, who is considered a pioneer of the padel movement in Vietnam.
"The padel movement is growing strongly and attracting many players. The selection of Ho Chi Minh City to host an international tournament this year marks an important milestone for the further development of padel here," Linh said.
The competition in HCMC, held between March 8 and 10, is part of the Open system of the Asia Pacific Padel Tour, which includes three tournament systems: Open, Grand Slam and Master.
The champion receives 1,000 points on the APPT ranking and a US$2,000 prize. The runner-up team gets 600 points and $1,000.
