Noise complaints spark Vietnam pickleball wars in communities

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.

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PEOPLE playing pickleball in the playground of a residential area in Hanoi. The piercing pop-pop sound of pickleball, a popular sport in Vietnam, has led to noise complaints. See story below.

(AFP)

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 highrises, 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 poppop-pop."