Pickleball travel diaries: Ten days in Vietnam

Tears were shed more than once on this trip. Over beauty— in landscapes and in people. Over gratitude— for how welcomed we felt and for the privilege in being there. Over deep connection— beyond language barriers, generational gaps and obvious economic and power differentials. 

The memories we make of a place are dictated by the context in which we experience them, so it’s only right to mention that this trip came amidst a time of deep confusion and frustration in my life. Really for a world of reasons but primarily because I’ve struggled to feel settled in a place we prayed so hard to get to and have felt like there’s a bigger purpose I’m not fulfilling and time is moving like lightning etc etc.

But more of that for another time.

Here are some quick facts about Vietnam to ~set the scene~ for anyone who’s never been

• Location: Southeast Asia, bordering China, Laos and Cambodia
• Capital: Hanoi, located in far north Vietnam
• Largest city: Ho Chi Minh, located in far south Vietnam
• Population: ~106 million humans
• Fun fact: There are approximately 55 million motorbikes in the country… and tbh probably even more

From the moment we landed in Ho Chi Minh City… I just knew this place would be wild. I was naively expecting it to be similar to some chaotic parts of South America (or even New York City in peak traffic, let’s be real…) but we’ve truly never experienced anything like this. People and THINGS are just… everywhere! I’ve never been on psychedelics but like, I have to believe this is what it would feel like (someone pls confirm).

And somehow, somehow, it just works. The traffic just flows. The bikes just manoeuvre through (with bird cages and spare tires and washing machines in tow). The cars just keep driving and the people literally just cross the street!! I’ve never seen anything like it.

This city has over 9 MILLION people. For context, Brisbane has just over 2.5M and Austin has less than 1M. Add to that the sounds, the smells, the lights, the karaoke reverberating off surrounding buildings and it’s a wonder if there’s any room left for internal thoughts. Honestly by the end of our 11 days in Vietnam I was ready to see nothing and speak to no one for… at least 3 hours. Just to really process and decompress 😅

We started with four days of pickleball… paradise? While “going to Vietnam for a tournament” sounds like such a flex, the reality is that traveling internationally will always require some adaptation.

The scenery, the people and the food were absolutely beautiful and Joey and I felt so grateful to have this experience. In the same breath, we were absolutely cooking in 90% humidity, the court surfaces weren’t ideal for the players, we were carrying around liters of bottled water and the resort was surprisingly expensive (really on par with Australian prices) with limited food options.

BUT, we were in Vietnam!! For pickleball! And the workers at the resort did everything in their capacity to make it a beautiful experience for us despite the few setbacks. So that’s all I’ll say about the tough conditions.

A massive shoutout here to the unsung heroes of the tournament:

• Shannon Burr, who organised a laundry service haul that saved our life as Joey sweat through pounds of clothes, and also went into town and bought liters of water which he handed out to anyone in need. Shan is the man
• Noush & Vish, who gave us some Vietnamese currency (aka dong) for a taxi that took us to the next resort which had different restaurants and an ATM for more cash, and also delivered and brought back our clean laundry. Angel humans
• Nat and Hayley, the chiros who saved Joey’s life when his wrist suddenly stopped working just before mixed doubles finals. They work so hard to keep all the players safe and competing at their best — thank you!!
• The resort staff who were so attentive, always gave the warmest greetings and even gave Danni and me a special treat for Vietnamese Women’s Day <3
• Everyone who kept me company, joined me for a chat or provided a distraction when things got tense on the court. Thanks for keeping me going xx

And while our bucket hat king brought home 2 gold medals (and, for the first time in his life got photos with fans), I was busy performing my #globalwag duties and managing my courtside anxiety. 😅 After tournament days, we found time for a couple’s massage, walks around the resort and making memories with the rest of the crew. I feel so lucky to get to be a part of it all *without even having to compete.

Post-tournament, Joey and I booked out 6 days to explore more of Vietnam. We opted to visit the northern part of the country, renowned for its incredible food and stunning geography. After a 2 hour flight on what I would call one of the most chaotic airplane experiences I’ve had in a while (quite a few people seemed to have left their headphones at home, and the lady beside me literally did everything you’re not meant to do pre-takeoff. Tray table down, seat reclined, neck pillow on, bag in lap… anyway sad day for her when the flight attendant came around for final checks)… we landed in Hanoi!

I’ve heard Hanoi is a place you either love or hate, which feels totally valid. By recommendation from many a travel blog, we chose to stay in the Old Quarter. Remember what I said earlier about the psychedelics? There’s just a lot happening everywhere, all the time. It’s cramped, noisy, so incredibly busy and I quite literally had to mentally prepare myself each time we left the serenity of our hotel and stepped out into the street.

I quickly learned that Vietnam has a huge sidewalk culture, which means everything happens on the sidewalks. Cooking, cleaning, eating, shopping, smoking, chatting, drinking… and any other verb you can think of. Except walking. 🙂 So to get most places by foot, you have to brave walking along the streets. And because the streets are so narrow and cars and a million motorbikes are also trying to squeeze through, we primarily walked in single file staying as close to the parked bikes as possible.

Now a fun fact about me is that I can’t interpret a map to save my life and must follow my little blue dot to know which direction I’m heading in. But luckily, this little cookie married a genius who can navigate us everywhere. So picture all 5’1 of me clumsily following Joey around and praying oncoming traffic will see me in time.

All that aside, Hanoi is VIBRANT. I fell in love with the beauty of the French architecture and colours intertwined with the classic Southeast Asian pagodas and temples. Tall skinny structures are squeezed into every square foot of space, draped in the most beautiful greenery hanging from balconies and roofs.

I could probably write an entire post dedicated just to the incredible food we had. With so many little restaurants in the heart of the city, it’s inevitable that they’re each vying for tourists to stop in but I just don’t think you can make a wrong choice. Truly everything we had was unreal, and I lived for the little moments of telling the staff how much we loved their food on our way out. I also gained a new appreciation for fish sauce… it really does elevate every meal.

We only spent 5 days in Hanoi. I remember by the end of day 1 thinking to myself there was no way I could survive the rest of the week. Between the lights, the smells, the adrenaline spikes just from walking around… my nervous system wasn’t quite prepared for it. But something magical happens when you spend long enough in one place— when you’re consistently greeted by the same staff, walking the same streets, hearing the same sounds… you fall in love with it all bit by bit. It starts to become nostalgic.

On day 5 we hugged my favourite staff member, Lily (more about her below), goodbye as we loaded our bags into the car. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get to see her again, but I’m sure I’ll remember her, and my first time in Hanoi, forever.

Here are a few other things we got up to!

• Water puppetry show: A must-see Vietnamese tradition! Even though it was entirely in Vietnamese, the dan bau, music and storytelling transcended any language barrier
• Ho Chi Minh Museum: An eye-opening experience about Vietnam’s beloved leader. Our guide’s words still echo: “We like to remember the war to learn from it, but not to live in it. So that we don’t go through it again. We just want peace.”
• Street food tour: Best $7 we’ve ever spent! Lisa, our amazing guide, introduced us to authentic Vietnamese street food culture— tiny plastic stools, sidewalk dining and all
• Hanoi walking tour: Our college student guide Sky brought Vietnam’s history to life, especially at the Ha Noi prison— a powerful reminder of how recent this history really is
• Train Street: The definition of organised chaos— lights, cafes, drinks, and a literal train that comes within 1 ft of you cruising down the middle of it all 
• Beer Street: We… ended up here accidentally, but it deserved an honorable mention. I’ve never been offered a free beer so much in my life, though probably not ideal for two non-drinkers. So fun we walked through it twice 🤭
• Pizza 4Ps: After a few days of a strict Vietnamese diet we were craving something western. Enter Pizza 4Ps, the most glorious, delicious pizza that Joey still dreams about. They make their burrata fresh in house… need I say more??
• Lily at San Grand Hotel: Following a series of unfortunate events with our first accommodation in Ha Noi (read: construction), we landed at the stunning San Grand Hotel. Lily served us in the hotel restaurant and had such a warm presence, amazing recommendations and a beautiful life story. After 4 days of seeing her for breakfasts, she invited us up for afternoon tea and made us a special boba… with ingredients she sources and buys herself especially for her guests. She will be in my heart forever (and I will never forget my incredible hibiscus bubble tea with salted cream and jelly pearls, omfg.)
• Lan Ha Bay: We splurged on an overnight cruise in Lan Ha Bay and it was so, so magical. Waking up to a misty bay view, doing tai chi on the top deck at sunrise, kayaking through the limestone caves, dreaming about our future while watching a never ending sunset… every moment felt surreal

It’s not lost on me the ‘wtf’ reality of being here for and because of pickleball. When pickle was first introduced to us in 2020 as ‘the fastest growing sport in America’ I was like… what a meme. NOBODY knows what this is. But the thing about Joey (and, dare I say, most men??) is that once he’s fixated on something he’ll keep going until he’s the best at it. It’s one of the qualities I admire most about him actually. 

And you know those moments where you’re physically present somewhere but also somehow floating above yourself, watching it all unfold like a movie? This trip was full of them. Between cheering Joey on, learning to cross streets like a pro and making connections with the locals, I left with a heart fuller than I could have imagined and a desire to do more and share more of what we get up to on this journey.

I’m so grateful to my time in Vietnam for inspiring me to do more and be more while the opportunity is here.

So we made it to Ho Chi Minh City & Hanoi (and Australia, New Zealand and beyond in 2025) as our first taste of big international travel for pickleball all because of this once silly little sport. What a life, man.

Where to next?

-Tati aka #globalwag

• Embrace the chaos – especially in traffic
• Try the street food (through a guided tour if you’re nervous!)
• Stay at Hotel San Grand *unbiased 🤭
• Make time for both traditional experiences (water puppetry) and modern culture (Train street)
• Talk to locals – they have the best stories and recommendations
• Download the Grab app (SEA’s Uber) to get around places! Much better prices than taxis
• Find tours and other excursions online through places like Booking.com or Get your Guide
• Have Whatsapp handy – it’s what most locals use to communicate with you
• If you get a choice, consider exploring Lan Ha Bay instead of Ha Long Bay. We found there were very few other tourists around as we were kayaking, which is important given you only get a small window of time for excursions!

Did you know? The lotus was voted Vietnam’s national flower in 2010 and holds a special place in Vietnamese culture and spirituality. The lotus’s ability to rise gracefully from muddy waters and bloom into an enchanting display symbolizes Vietnam’s resilience and strength amidst adversity. It embodies this beautiful country and its people perfectly.