On October 1, the 2026 Northern Region Trade Union Cluster Pickleball Tournament took place with the participation of 9 sports delegations and 36 pairs of athletes competing in 5 categories. This activity celebrated the 72nd anniversary of the Liberation of the Capital and marked the opening of a series of events leading up to the 50th anniversary of the founding of Noi Bai International Airport (February 28, 1977 – February 28, 2027).

The opening ceremony was attended by Mr. Pham Hoai Phuong, Member of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor and Chairman of the Vietnam Construction Trade Union; the Board of Directors of Noi Bai International Airport; Ms. Trinh Thi Lien Huong, Deputy Chairwoman of the Trade Union of the Airports Corporation of Vietnam and Chairwoman of the Noi Bai International Airport Grassroots Trade Union, Head of the Tournament Organizing Committee; along with the leaders, heads, and trade union representatives of ACSV, HGS, NAFSC, Cat Bi International Airport, Vinh Airport, and Tho Xuan, Dong Hoi, and Dien Bien Airports.

This year's tournament brought together 9 delegations from Noi Bai International Airport, Cat Bi, Vinh, Tho Xuan, Dong Hoi, and Dien Bien Airports, as well as HGS, NAFSC, and ACSV. Many of these units once shared a common historical bond as part of the Northern Airports Cluster, so the tournament served not only as a sporting competition but also as an opportunity for the units to meet, interact, and strengthen their ties.

In her opening remarks, Ms. Trinh Thi Lien Huong, Deputy Chairwoman of the Trade Union of the Airports Corporation of Vietnam, Chairwoman of the Noi Bai International Airport Grassroots Trade Union, and Head of the Organizing Committee, emphasized the significance of the tournament in celebrating the 72nd anniversary of the Liberation of the Capital and in opening the series of activities leading up to the 50th anniversary of Noi Bai International Airport's founding. She expressed hope that the spirit of solidarity and bonding fostered by the tournament would continue to spread into future activities.

Mr. Pham Hoai Phuong, Member of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor and Chairman of the Vietnam Construction Trade Union, acknowledged the attention and enthusiastic response of the units' leaders to the tournament, and wished the athletes an enthusiastic, dedicated competition, delivering beautiful rallies and great matches to contribute to the event's overall success.

Five exciting categories of competition

Throughout the day of competition, 36 pairs of athletes competed in 5 categories: men's leadership doubles, men's doubles aged 45 and above, men's doubles under 45, mixed doubles, and women's doubles.

Notably, the men's leadership doubles category drew enthusiastic cheering as many leading officials from the airports and units operating at Noi Bai stepped directly onto the court. With no distance in titles or positions, the athletes met on equal footing in the spirit of sportsmanship, teamwork, and determination in every rally.

After the matches, the Organizing Committee determined the top-performing pairs in each category:

Men's leadership doubles:

• Champion: Nguyen Quoc Tuan – Vu Quoc Khanh
• Runner-up: Nguyen Tien Duc – Do Thanh Tung
• Third place: Nguyen Nam Hai – Nguyen Duc Trung, and Pham Hoai Phuong – Nguyen Van Bac

Men's doubles (45 and above):

• Champion: Dinh Dang Dinh – Pham Huy Dinh
• Runner-up: Nguyen Ngoc Nguyen – Hoang Anh Tuan
• Third place: Nguyen Xuan Dan – Do Manh Ha

Men's doubles (under 45):

• First place: Tran Duc Anh – Dao Manh Tung
• Runner-up: Dinh Xuan Hoa – Nguyen Son Tung
• Third place: Ho Minh Hieu – Tran Trong Nghia, and Nguyen Quoc Anh – Chu Van Long

Mixed doubles:

• First place: Nguyen Ha Thanh – Nguyen Thi Nguyet
• Runner-up: Vu Xuan Tien – Tran Thi Kieu Ly
• Third place: Nguyen Ngoc Triu – Vu Thi Van, and Truong Xuan Quang – Nguyen Thi Hang

Women's doubles:

• Champion: Nguyen Thi Le Tuyet – Dang Thu Ha
• Runner-up: Le Thi Ngoc Hien – Nguyen Thi Hoa Thuan
• Third place: Lo Thi Yen – Phi Khanh An, and Tran Tuyet Mai – Do Thanh Le

With the spirit of "Solidarity – Confidence – Integrity – Sportsmanship," the 2026 Northern Region Trade Union Cluster Pickleball Tournament came to a close, while also opening the series of activities leading up to the milestone 50th anniversary of the founding and development of Noi Bai International Airport.