Sports and fitness in Vietnam - statistics & facts

Sports has been a deep-rooted part of Vietnamese culture throughout its history, even under French colonization and during the Vietnam war. Since Vietnam’s reunion in 1975, the government has been promoting sports among the people and building up more stadiums and training facilities to support this movement. While watching and celebrating their favorite teams in organized sports leagues are extremely popular among people of all ages, Vietnamese also have a relatively high frequency of practicing in sports.

Popular sports and fitness activities in Vietnam

Football and badminton are undoubtedly the most popular sports among people in Vietnam, both for recreation and exercise and as sports content for watching. Meanwhile, other individual fitness activities have emerged as some of the leading ways to exercise in recent years. Many Vietnamese preferred fitness activities that are suitable for most age groups, such as walking, running, and cycling. In addition, these exercises can be carried out in public parks, the most used fitness locations according to people in the country. As a result, although many Vietnamese exercise quite regularly, a large share of people reported no monthly spending on these activities.

Fitness and health trends in Vietnam

Health and lifestyle awareness has become a major trend in Vietnam’s modern society, thanks to its emerging middle class and fast rate of urbanization. Fitness centers, many of those belonging to international chains, have opened across the country. However, the highest number of outlets from these fitness chains are located in bigger cities like Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City. Apart from their interest in fitness, health-conscious Vietnamese consumers are paying more attention to their food and nutrition choices. The most favored non-exercise actions to improve physical conditions included eating a healthy diet, reducing sugar intake, and sleeping earlier. In urban areas, the penetration rate of products that are considered healthier, such as plant-based nutrition drinks or less sweetened liquid milk has been growing fast recently.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Minh-Ngoc Nguyen, Jun 3, 2021

Key insights

Health club industry revenue in Asia Pacific region
16.83bn USD
GDP share of the arts, entertainment and recreation sector in Vietnam
0.59%
Most popular sports in Vietnam
Football
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