Hà Ni MB Cup 2026 draws top pickleball players as scene grows

Ly Hoàng Nam beat Trương Vinh Hin in an all-Vietnamese men’s singles final at the MB Hanoi Cup 2026, closing a PPA 1000 event that finished with ten matches and five finals locked in after semifinal Saturday. The result mattered beyond one trophy: it was the first time two Vietnamese players met in a PPA 1000-level men’s singles final, a clear marker of how quickly the local scene is moving up the competitive ladder.

The tournament ran April 1-5 at Cung Đin kinh M Đình, also known as M Đình Indoor Athletics Arena in Hà Ni, and sat inside PPA Tour Asia’s season-opening schedule. Hanoi was one of the tour’s first three 2026 stops, alongside Kuala Lumpur and Macao, putting Vietnam on the same early-season map as two other fast-rising pickleball markets in Asia.

The field carried real star power. Promotion around the Hanoi stop centered on Ben Johns, while Christian Alshon, Kaitlyn Christian, Tyson McGuffin and Eric Oncins were also tied to the event. PPA Tour Asia built the weekend like a major tour stop, with livestream coverage across finals, semifinals, quarterfinal and R32-R16 play, plus bronze playoff matches, turning the competition into a multi-day showcase rather than a local one-off.

That structure is what gives Hà Ni growing weight in the region. A four-day event at M Đình gives Vietnamese clubs and coaches a fixed target for players moving from social games into bracketed competition, while the PPA branding gives the capital a recognisable place in the Asian calendar. Ticketbox’s event listing framed it as a new step for Vietnamese pickleball on the Asian map, and the finals stream posted on April 5 showed how quickly the event could draw attention once the bracket reached its peak.

For Vietnam, the MB Hanoi Cup did more than crown a champion. It showed that the country can host a PPA 1000-level stop with elite names, full livestream coverage and a final that stayed at home, a combination that points to a deeper domestic circuit and a bigger role for Hà Ni in Asia’s pickleball growth.