The Most Popular Sports in Vietnam
The Most Popular Sports in Vietnam - Player Stats, Fan Numbers and Big Moments
In Vietnam, sport is tied to city parks at dawn, school yards full of noise and packed stadiums on humid nights. But what are the most popular sports in Vietnam? Read on for the full list!
Vietnamese football matches draw huge crowds across the country. Image credits: VFF
According to one recent study, sports already contribute to around 0.59% of Vietnam’s GDP, worth roughly 56 trillion dong in 2022, and movement is a huge part of Vietnamese daily life.
Let’s take a look at the 8 sports that best shape active culture and local community participation in Vietnam. You can almost hear the whistles and cheers now…
How We Chose the Most Popular Sports in Vietnam
When people argue about the most popular sports in Vietnam, they often mix what they see on TV with what they see in real life. In our article, we focus on participation, visibility in public spaces and national results.
We looked at research on sports and fitness in Vietnam, including SEA Games medal tables, as well as current reporting on league attendance and traditional martial arts.
That combination keeps the list grounded in evidence, rather than guesswork. We found key statistics from surveys that highlight the core activities enjoyed most by Vietnamese adults and teenagers across the country.
The 8 Most Popular Sports in Vietnam
The most popular sports in Vietnam are:
Football
Badminton
Volleyball
Swimming
Running and fitness
Martial arts and Vovinam
Basketball
Chess
Let’s take a closer look at each sport in a little more detail, including the latest player stats, fan numbers and big moments in Vietnamese sporting history!
1. Football
Football is the most popular sport in Vietnam. A Nielsen survey found that around 75% of Vietnamese people identify as football fans, an incredible share for any country.
Stadiums also reflect that passion. Early in the 2021 season, more than 400,000 spectators attended just the first nine rounds of V.League One, a 33% jump from the year before.
Street games, school tournaments and viewing parties make big matches feel like national holidays, especially when the men’s or women’s national teams play regional rivals and dream of trophies.
2. Badminton
Badminton is everywhere in Vietnam, especially in narrow alleys, community courts and indoor halls. It ranks among the most common exercise choices in national fitness studies, alongside football and swimming.
Vietnam has never won a SEA Games badminton gold medal, even with great badminton player and former world number five Nguyễn Tiến Minh leading the way. However, the sport’s base remains huge.
Local leagues, workplace tournaments and early-morning doubles groups keep rackets swinging, and new international events such as the Felet Vietnam International Series raise the country’s technical level every season.
Badminton is also popular in other Asian countries like South Korea.
3. Volleyball
Volleyball is a favourite in Vietnamese schools, universities and military units, as it allows large groups to share a single court and stay active together. You often see students setting up makeshift nets across school yards or quiet streets as the sun goes down.
Both indoor and beach versions are popular - and Vietnam regularly fields competitive teams at the Southeast Asian level. When the country hosts regional tournaments, matches draw intense crowds and loud drums.
For many teenagers, volleyball doubles as social time, a simple way to relax after class while still breaking a good sweat and building lasting friendships.
Looking for more? Check out our list of the most popular sports in the world - volleyball comes in at #5!
4. Swimming
With a long coastline, countless rivers and many new public pools, swimming naturally ranks high among the most popular sports in Vietnam.
National fitness reports list swimming alongside football and badminton as a leading exercise choice for adults and teenagers. Parents see it as both a healthy habit and an important life skill, especially in flood-prone regions.
Vietnam’s swimmers have also contributed to SEA Games medal hauls as the country has topped the regional table, including one excellent campaign with more than 136 gold medals. This helps keep public interest in aquatic sports strong, pushing local facilities to improve.
5. Running and Fitness
If you walk into a Vietnamese park early in the morning, you will probably see why running and simple fitness workouts belong among the most popular sports in Vietnam.
Joggers circle the paths, while others move through group aerobics or light callisthenics. Wearable tech and online workout videos have made tracking key features like running distance and heart rate more common.
A recent industry report even noted that sports and fitness together were worth about 56 trillion dong in 2022, proving that everyday exercise now has real economic weight and clear health benefits nationwide.
6. Traditional Martial Arts and Vovinam
Traditional martial arts give Vietnamese sports a very local flavour. Styles such as Vovinam, Bình Định martial arts and other regional systems mix self-defence, performance and philosophy.
The Ministry of Culture has recognised Vovinam as national intangible cultural heritage, and by 2024, the Vietnam Vovinam Federation estimated that more than 2.5 million people were practising the sport.
Nationwide, there are also hundreds of traditional martial arts schools and clubs, with tens of thousands of students. Together, they fill community centres at night, appear in festivals and connect teenagers with stories and values from earlier generations.
7. Basketball
Basketball has grown fast in Vietnam’s cities, helped by youth culture, global media and the Vietnam Basketball Association, a professional league launched in 2016.
Street courts and school gyms are busy with pickup games, and many teenagers follow NBA stars, as well as local players. The sport rewards height and quick feet, but is flexible enough to accommodate a range of skill levels at school or after office hours.
Read more basketball articles on our NBA blog
As more indoor arenas open, clubs in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang are building bigger communities of fans who enjoy faster-paced action and energetic workouts.
8. Chess
Chess might seem quiet compared with roaring football crowds, but it is one of Vietnam’s proudest sports. The country has produced strong grandmasters, and chess appears in school clubs, youth centres and national training programmes. It is officially listed among key individual sports, alongside badminton and athletics.
Many families like that chess builds patience and planning without requiring expensive gear or large spaces. Weekend tournaments in cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City draw packed halls.
At the same time, online platforms let young players test themselves against opponents from other provinces and countries without leaving home.
What Sports Do You Associate with Vietnam?
Looking at the most popular sports in Vietnam, you can see a mix of global games and local traditions. Football and badminton dominate screens and streets, while volleyball, basketball, running and swimming keep gyms and school yards busy. Traditional martial arts and chess add culture, discipline and quiet focus to life in Vietnam.
Together, all of these activities show a country where sport is as much social glue as it is entertainment. Whether someone is chasing medals or just meeting friends, they can usually find a ball, board or mat in almost every corner of the country.
