An active session of the badminton club of University of Technology. Photo sggp.org.vn

HCM CITY — Badminton has become more and more popular among university students recently.

Every afternoon, the gymnasium of University of Technology in Thủ Đức City is opened to serve the needs of badminton training of a large number of students.

There are many badminton clubs operating in the national university village in Thủ Đức City, but the badminton club of University of Technology is the most professional and active club among them.

Nguyễn Đoàn Tuấn, the club's president, told Sài Gòn Giải phóng (Liberated Sài Gòn) newspaper that the club has about 20 regular members. Besides playing badminton at the gymnasium on weekdays, they also play at badminton courts in District 11 and Tân Phú District on weekends.

"Every year, the club receives many questions about how to join the club. New members are always welcome at our club. After a period of practice together, the club will divide into small groups with members of the same level to compete with each other. We also organise tournaments for our members to compete and have time to play with each other," Tuấn said.

Phạm Phúc Hoàng, a senior at  University of Technology, shared that although he was busy with school and a part-time job, he still plays badminton at the club at least twice a week.

Keeping this habit not only helps Hoàng satisfy his passion for playing badminton, but also improves his health, relieves stress, and makes many friends, Hoàng shared.

"I used to play football, jog, or go to the gym. But when I switched to playing badminton, I found this sport is more suitable for me," Hoàng said.

A few months ago, the Badminton Club of University of Technology won gold, silver and bronze medals in the men's doubles event at the HCM City National University Student Sports Festival.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic appeared, club members also achieved impressive achievements at the Hutech University Open Badminton Tournament 2020 and RMIT University Open 2019.

Võ Nguyễn Hoàng Như, 24, a graduate of HCM City Pedagogical University, shared that she and her friends still keep the habit of playing badminton every weekend.

"We have played badminton together since freshman year. At that time, the group only had two to three members, now the number of members in the group has increased to eight members," Như said.

"Unlike other sports like football or basketball, in my opinion, badminton is suitable for all ages and genders. You can easily pair up with another person and play. This sport also does not cost too much money to play, so it is also suitable for students like us," she added.

The average rental price of a badminton court is from VNĐ50,000 to VNĐ60,000 (US$2.1 to US$2.5) for an hour. Badminton can also be played in public parks as well as in neighborhoods without nets.

Because of the reasonable price and ease of playing, badminton is very popular among young people. VNS