Same court, same faces, and yet the air changes completely depending on whether the game counts for DUPR. I regularly get invited into Vietnamese-majority socials in Ho Chi Minh City, and this gap is the part I find most interesting. What follows is only what one player, neither a pro nor a coach, has felt within the range of people he has played. Please read it as a personal view.
The moment a score is on the line, the same opponent becomes a different person
The relaxed sessions and the other kind
In the socials I join, games submitted to DUPR and games that are not are clearly separated.Games that do not count for DUPR are startlingly relaxed. They laugh along when I make a silly mistake, and even a first-timer gets folded in naturally.
The moment a score is at stake, though, the same person's expression changes. I hear of players getting frustrated with themselves over a single error, and the amount of talk and the density of concentration during a game are plainly different. Not in a bad way, they simply take competition seriously.
The number carries weight, so they get serious
Knowing the background makes part of it click. According to DUPR, Vietnam is among the world's top five countries by registered users, with the highest month-over-month growth rate on the platform. DUPR opened its first regional base in Asia in Ho Chi Minh City in April 2026. Facolos Champion 2025, held in January 2025, was the country's first large tournament with more than 300 entrants that sent every result to DUPR.Here a DUPR number connects directly to which sessions you can join and to proof of your level. The number carries weight, so of course they get serious.
Once I understood the gap, I changed how I pick sessions. On days I only want to move my body, or days I want to get to know faces at a court I am visiting for the first time, I join a session without DUPR. On days I want to measure where I stand, I deliberately sign up for a scored one. The word social covers two different things, so checking on the sign-up page whether results go to DUPR keeps your expectations for the day in line.
Line calls do not go your way unless you speak up
This needed getting used to before anything about play itself. Within the range I have faced, calls can be fairly loose.
A ball that looked in gets called out
The call on a ball landing on your side belongs to that side's pair. So even if I think it was in, if the other side says out, out is how play proceeds. There is no referee.When you do not accept it, the only option is to say so clearly on the spot. Let it pass in silence and the same call repeats within the same match.
Your own call against yourself can get pushed back
The reverse happens too. A ball was clearly out so I called it on myself, and the opponent would not budge, insisting it was in. The instinct is to defer and back down, but standing firm here makes the rest of the session go better.
Under the rules, a ball you are unsure about goes in, to the opponent's benefit, and you cannot ask for a replay on the grounds that you did not see it. In principle, calls on your side are your responsibility and you do not comment on theirs. That principle itself is set out inthe article on court etiquette, but the felt reality is that on court things do not always follow the principle.
Courtside note: read a DUPR number together with its reliability
Alongside the number, DUPR carries a reliability score showing how dependable that number is. DUPR treats 60% and above as a reliable level, and below that it is closer to a reference figure. A rating settles only after a certain number of matches are logged, and DUPR itself explains that right after you start logging, or after a long break, you are in an adjustment period with large swings, and that the more matches you play, the smaller the effect of any single one. How many matches it takes to settle is not published, but it is safer to assume a fresh number moves a lot. When you look at an opponent's number, reading these two together keeps your expectations in line.
Speed balls and lobs: playing styles within the range I have faced
Playing tendencies obviously come down to the individual, so read this part especially as a personal impression. Even so, after playing a number of times, certain shapes come up again and again.
One is thatThere are a lot of fast balls. They play the fine exchanges like dinks properly, but give them the slightest bit of height and they swing without hesitation. The impression is less about building a point patiently and more about finishing the moment a loose ball comes.
The other isLob. When they get squeezed at the net, they reset once with a ball over your head. The lob sits among their options as an ordinary defensive tool. So even when you think you have taken the net, you cannot leave the back open. This caught me out again and again, and I learned to prepare to back up and to think about my overhead.
| Tendency I noticed | How to prepare on the receiving end |
|---|---|
| They swing at any ball that floats | Do not return at a half-height. Prioritize keeping the ball low |
| They escape with a lob when pressed | Take the net but never leave the back fully open. Agree the coverage with your partner |
| They will stay in a dink exchange | Whoever gets sloppy first gets attacked. Do not rush and pop it up |
Why a DUPR 3.0 here does not play like a 3.0
The biggest surprise was the level.In Vietnam, an opponent rated around 3.0 on DUPR can still be a serious handful. The strength you picture from the number and what you feel across the net do not match.
The number has not caught up with the ability
One reason, I think, lies in the nature of the rating itself. DUPR 3.00 to 3.99 is the intermediate band, but while few matches are logged the number is close to provisional and can sit below the player's actual level. In a market where the playing population has grown in a short span, that many more people have only just started and their numbers have not caught up. My read is that this is why you so often meet opponents stronger than their number on Vietnamese courts.
Jump into sessions with a rating cutoff
As a player, this actually suited me. The more often you face stronger opponents, the better the practice. Some socials in Ho Chi Minh City set a DUPR cutoff: 002 Pickleball Club in Thao Dien, for example, runs sessions for 3.0 and above on Tuesday and Thursday nights. If you do not meet the cutoff, it is up to the host. The same club also runs sessions for 3.5 and above, and places such as D’lucky in District 4 split levels by court and set aside courts for 3.5 and up.
Trying to find opponents in the same band consistently in Japan runs first into a wall of numbers. In Ho Chi Minh City, fixed sessions stand on fixed days of the week, and if you sign up you can play game after game against equals or better that same day.An environment where paying the court fee gets you strong opponents is laid out day by day. What makes me rate the practice environment in Vietnam is less the number of courts than this: opponents are findable.
Checking the courts and the local etiquette before you play in Vietnam makes things go smoothly.
Summary
In the socials I join in Ho Chi Minh City, the temperature of a game changes clearly depending on whether it counts for DUPR. Go in expecting to make your own calls, plan for fast balls and lobs, and the rest is just fun. Including how often you meet opponents stronger than their number, I see it as an environment where practice partners are never a problem.
The differences between courts by area are covered inthe guide to courts in Ho Chi Minh City, a guide to court fees inTypical Pricing, and how to book inthe article on booking through Zalo.
(Written by Rei Kojima, based in Vietnam)
