The Most Popular Sports in Vietnam (Top 18 Ranked)

Soccer leads Vietnam, ahead of Badminton and Volleyball. Ranking of 18 sports.

This page ranks the sports of Vietnam by the evidence behind each one, because this ranking is ordered by the weight of the evidence for each sport in the country, not by a single national participation count. Vietnam does not publish one comparable membership figure across all sports, so each entry names what supports its place.

Soccer is on top, followed by Badminton and Volleyball. The full table below covers 18 sports, and every section further down names the source for the figure it uses.

The Most Popular Sports in Vietnam

The table counts evidence, not people who say they like a sport. It is the figure that is published the same way for every sport in the list, which is what makes the rows comparable.

#	Sport	Basis for the placing
1	Soccer	The Vietnam Football Federation is the recognized national governing body for the sport and oversees the men’s and women’s national teams and the domestic league system.
2	Badminton	Badminton is widely played recreationally on public courts and in residential areas across Vietnamese cities and is one of the most common leisure sports for adults.
3	Volleyball	Volleyball is played widely in rural and urban communities and is a regular feature of local festivals and school sports programs.
4	Table Tennis	Table tennis is a common school and community sport with widespread informal participation across the country.
5	Vovinam	Vovinam is a martial art created in Vietnam and is promoted domestically and internationally as a symbol of Vietnamese sporting identity.
6	Xiangqi	Xiangqi, known locally as co tuong, is a common pastime played in public spaces such as parks and tea houses across Vietnam.
7	Billiards	Vietnamese players have won world titles in three cushion carom billiards, and the sport has a large following of billiard halls across the country.
8	Taekwondo	Taekwondo is taught widely in private clubs for children and young adults across Vietnamese cities.
9	Basketball	The Vietnam Basketball Association professional league has expanded viewership and participation in urban centers since its founding.
10	Swimming	Vietnamese swimmers have won multiple regional championship titles at the Southeast Asian Games.
11	Esports	Vietnamese teams have won regional and world titles in mobile and PC esports titles, and esports is recognized as an official sport by the Vietnamese sport administration.
12	Athletics	Vietnamese athletes have won Southeast Asian Games medals in track events including the 400 meters and relays.
13	Boxing	Amateur boxing clubs operate in most provinces and feed into the national team selection process.
14	Weightlifting	Vietnamese weightlifters have won Olympic and world championship medals in lighter weight classes.
15	Wrestling	Traditional Vietnamese wrestling, known as vat co truyen, is practiced at village festivals and organized in a modern competitive federation alongside Olympic style freestyle wrest
16	Judo	Judo clubs operate in major Vietnamese cities and the sport is included in the national Olympic training program.
17	Rowing and Canoeing	Vietnamese canoeists and rowers have won Olympic and Asian Games medals, supported by training centers on the country’s river systems.
18	Sepak Takraw	Sepak takraw is played competitively in Vietnam as part of the regional Southeast Asian sporting calendar.

Is There a National Sport of Vietnam?

Vietnam has no national sport laid down by law or by government decision. Vietnam has no sport designated by law or government decree as an official national sport.

• Vovinam. Vovinam is commonly treated as Vietnam’s de facto national martial art because it was created in the country and is actively promoted abroad as a symbol of Vietnamese sporting identity.
• Soccer. Soccer is widely treated as Vietnam’s de facto national sport because of its dominant participation numbers and public attention.

Sports That Were Invented in Vietnam

• Vovinam. Vovinam was created in Vietnam in 1938 by Nguyen Loc and later developed into an internationally taught martial art.
• Vat Co Truyen (traditional Vietnamese wrestling). Vat co truyen is a traditional wrestling style that developed within Vietnamese village festival culture rather than being imported from another country.

#1 Soccer

• Governing body: Vietnam Football Federation
• Top national league: V.League 1
• Best known athlete: Nguyen Quang Hai. Midfielder who was a key player in Vietnam’s 2018 AFF Cup title and the run to the 2018 AFC U23 Championship final, and later played professionally in France and Japan

Soccer is the dominant sport in Vietnam by both playing numbers and public attention. Matches of the men’s national team and the domestic V.League draw the largest audiences of any sport in the country, and informal games are common in cities and villages alike.

The Vietnam Football Federation runs the national team programs and the professional league structure. National team success in regional tournaments such as the AFF Cup has repeatedly driven large public celebrations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

#2 Badminton

• Governing body: Vietnam Badminton Federation
• Best known athlete: Nguyen Tien Minh. Long time top ranked Vietnamese men’s singles player who reached the world top five and represented Vietnam at multiple Olympic Games

Badminton ranks among the most widely played recreational sports in Vietnam. Courts are common in parks, apartment complexes, and community centers, and the sport is played by people across a broad range of ages.

Competitive badminton in Vietnam has produced internationally ranked players, and the sport receives steady coverage in domestic sports media, particularly around Southeast Asian Games and Olympic qualification events.

#3 Volleyball

• Governing body: Vietnam Volleyball Federation

Volleyball is a common community sport in Vietnam, played both indoors in organized leagues and outdoors in informal matches. It is a regular part of festival and holiday gatherings in many provinces.

The domestic volleyball league system includes men’s and women’s competitions, and the national teams compete regularly in Southeast Asian regional tournaments.

#4 Table Tennis

• Governing body: Vietnam Table Tennis Federation

Table tennis has a long standing presence in Vietnamese schools, workplaces, and community centers, where low cost equipment makes it an accessible sport for casual play.

Vietnam fields competitive teams in regional table tennis tournaments, and the sport remains part of the physical education curriculum in many schools.

#5 Vovinam

• Governing body: Vietnam Vovinam Federation

Vovinam is a martial art developed in Vietnam that combines striking, grappling, and weapons training with a distinct national identity. It is taught in dedicated clubs across the country and promoted abroad through Vietnamese cultural and sporting exchanges.

The sport is included in Southeast Asian Games programs when hosted by Vietnam and is often referenced in domestic media as a symbol of Vietnamese martial heritage.

#6 Xiangqi

• Governing body: Vietnam Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) Association

Xiangqi, called co tuong in Vietnamese, is a traditional board game with deep roots in everyday social life. It is commonly played in outdoor public spaces, particularly among older men in cities and rural towns.

Organized Xiangqi competitions take place at local and national levels, and the game is treated as a recognized mind sport by Vietnamese sport authorities.

#7 Billiards

• Governing body: Vietnam Billiards and Snooker Federation
• Best known athlete: Tran Quyet Chien. Carom billiards player who has won world team and individual titles in three cushion billiards and is one of Vietnam’s most recognized cue sport competitors

Carom billiards has grown into one of Vietnam’s most watched cue sports, supported by a dense network of billiard halls in cities and provincial towns. Domestic tournaments regularly draw large in person and broadcast audiences.

Vietnamese players have achieved international success in three cushion carom billiards, which has helped raise the sport’s profile and sponsorship in the domestic market.

#8 Taekwondo

• Governing body: Vietnam Taekwondo Federation

Taekwondo is one of the most commonly taught martial arts for children in Vietnam, with private training clubs operating in most major cities. Family enrollment in taekwondo classes is a common pattern for youth extracurricular activity.

Vietnamese taekwondo athletes compete in regional and Olympic qualifying events, and the sport is supported through the national training system alongside other combat sports.

#9 Basketball

• Governing body: Vietnam Basketball Federation
• Top national league: Vietnam Basketball Association

Basketball has grown quickly in Vietnam over the past decade, particularly among younger urban audiences. The Vietnam Basketball Association professional league has helped formalize competition and attract sponsorship.

School and university basketball programs have expanded alongside the professional league, and the sport is increasingly visible in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

#10 Swimming

• Governing body: Vietnam Swimming Federation
• Best known athlete: Nguyen Thi Anh Vien. Swimmer who won multiple gold medals at consecutive Southeast Asian Games and represented Vietnam at the Olympic Games, making her one of the country’s most decorated athletes in the sport

Competitive swimming in Vietnam has produced some of the country’s most successful international athletes at the Southeast Asian Games level. Training centers exist in several major cities, supported by the national sport administration.

Public swimming access remains limited outside major cities, which concentrates competitive development in a smaller number of dedicated training programs.

#11 Esports

• Governing body: Vietnam Esports Association

Esports has grown into a mainstream competitive activity in Vietnam, with organized teams competing in mobile and PC titles at regional and world tournaments. The activity is formally recognized as a sport by the national sport administration.

Esports events in Vietnam draw large online viewership, and the country has fielded competitive teams at the Southeast Asian Games esports program.

#12 Athletics

• Governing body: Vietnam Athletics Federation

Track and field competition in Vietnam is organized through school, provincial, and national level meets, feeding into the national team program. The sport is a consistent part of the Southeast Asian Games medal count for Vietnam.

Training for athletics is centralized in a small number of national facilities, with provincial teams competing to qualify athletes for national selection.

#13 Boxing

• Governing body: Vietnam Boxing Federation

Amateur boxing has an established club structure across Vietnamese provinces, with local competitions feeding into national championships. The sport is part of the broader national combat sport training system.

Vietnamese boxers compete regularly at the Southeast Asian Games and in regional qualifying tournaments for Olympic boxing.

#14 Weightlifting

• Governing body: Vietnam Weightlifting Federation
• Best known athlete: Thach Kim Tuan. Weightlifter in the lighter weight classes who has won multiple Asian and Southeast Asian Games medals and competed at the Olympic Games for Vietnam

Weightlifting is a smaller but internationally successful sport for Vietnam, with athletes competing in lighter weight classes at the Olympic and Asian Games level. National training centers focus on a limited number of elite athletes.

Vietnamese weightlifters have delivered some of the country’s most notable individual Olympic results relative to the sport’s smaller domestic participation base.

#15 Wrestling

• Governing body: Vietnam Wrestling Federation

Wrestling in Vietnam includes both the traditional village style known as vat co truyen and modern Olympic style freestyle wrestling. Village wrestling festivals remain a seasonal tradition in parts of northern Vietnam.

The modern federation structure trains athletes for regional freestyle wrestling competitions, separate from the traditional festival matches.

#16 Judo

• Governing body: Vietnam Judo Federation

Judo is practiced in dedicated clubs concentrated in Vietnam’s larger cities, with training pathways feeding into the national Olympic sport program. Participation is smaller than in taekwondo or vovinam.

Vietnamese judo athletes compete at the Southeast Asian Games and in regional qualifying events for Olympic and Asian Games selection.

#17 Rowing and Canoeing

• Governing body: Vietnam Rowing and Canoeing Federation

Rowing and canoeing training in Vietnam makes use of the country’s extensive river systems, with national training centers located near major waterways. The sport has produced some of Vietnam’s more consistent Asian Games medal results.

Participation is concentrated among athletes recruited into the national training system rather than being a widespread recreational activity.

#18 Sepak Takraw

• Governing body: Vietnam Sepak Takraw Federation

Sepak takraw, a regional kick volleyball sport, is played competitively in Vietnam mainly through organized club and school programs rather than informal street play. It has a smaller but established participant base.

Vietnam fields national teams in sepak takraw for Southeast Asian Games competition, where the sport is a standard part of the program.

Sources

• Vietnam Football Federation
• Vietnam Badminton Federation
• Vietnam Basketball Federation
• Vietnam Athletics Federation
• Vietnam Judo Federation
• Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Bo Van hoa, The thao va Du lich)

Figures on this page come from national federations and statistics offices and are only as current as their latest published report. Last reviewed: August 2026.

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