PPA Tour Asia brings new entertainment package to Ho Chi Minh City

PPA Tour Asia is pushing Ho Chi Minh City into a bigger role on its calendar, with the tour promising an all-new sport and entertainment experience around the MB Ho Chi Minh City Open. The city is not being treated like a one-off stop. A 2026 Ho Chi Minh City Open is already listed for Aug. 6-9, underscoring how firmly the tour is planting Vietnam’s largest city in its regional plans.

That matters because Vietnam has become one of the most important growth markets in Asian pickleball. PPA Tour Asia has repeatedly positioned the country as a destination for major events, and its tournament listings now include both the MB Ho Chi Minh City Open and the 2025 MB Vietnam Open. The message is clear: Ho Chi Minh City is being used as a recurring anchor market, not just a place to pass through on the way to the next stop.

The commercial side is building just as aggressively. MB was named title sponsor of the PPA Tour Asia Vietnam Cup 2025, and that sponsorship came with an exclusive meet-and-greet for customers with pro pickleball stars. That combination of branding, access and star power is exactly what PPA Tour Asia appears to be selling in Ho Chi Minh City. It is no longer only about who wins on court. It is about whether the event can pull in sponsors, create premium experiences and give casual fans a reason to show up.

That shift fits the broader direction of the sport in Southeast Asia. Ho Chi Minh City offers scale, corporate backing and strong regional connectivity, which makes it a natural showcase market for a tour that wants to look more polished and more mainstream. PPA Tour Asia has also continued to expand its footprint across the region, including Malaysia, but Vietnam now stands out as one of the clearest proof points for how the tour is packaging pickleball for growth.

The latest Ho Chi Minh City push suggests the sport is moving from community-led tournaments toward city-scale entertainment products. That is the real story here: not just another event on the schedule, but a tour trying to turn one of Asia’s most important urban markets into a permanent stage for professional pickleball.