Paintball brings battlefields back to Vietnam
Last Updated: Friday, March 23, 2012
Pham Thu Phuong, a 21-year-old student from Hanoi Foreign Trade University, didn’t look like a battle-hardened veteran, but she was exhilarated by the thrill of the fight.
Paintball Battle in Hanoi
“Our battle was really exciting, full of hunting, shooting and fleeing,” she said. For Phuong and her group of 10 warriors, paintball turned out to be the perfect way to unwind after a long week of studying.
“And it helps train our reflexes and is a way to practice discipline and organizational skills,” she said.
Nguyen Pham Gia, a 45-year-old Hanoian from Giang Vo Street, said paintball was his new favorite sport after golf and tennis.
“I find paintball really interesting,” he said. “In Vietnam our grandparents and parents were familiar with the battlefield and now I want to experience it.”
Phuong and Gia were just two of dozens of customers crowding the Hanoi Paintball Club over the weekend. The club has been teeming ever since it opened last month as the first paintball venue in northern Vietnam.
Paintball became popular in the US during the 1980s, but did not come to Vietnam until a venue was opened in Can Tho, the de facto capital of the Mekong Delta, in 2009.
The sport quickly attracted a large local following of young people and a second club was opened three months later at the Madagui Tourist Area in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong. Last October, another paintball complex opened in Nha Trang. And now Hanoi has one as well.
Occupying a total area of 1,200 square meters, the Hanoi Paintball Club grounds, located at Km.1 Thang Long Avenue, is divided into 8 battlefields featuring fortifications made out of bamboo walls, sandbags, and natural barriers like dirt mounds.
| To play at Hanoi Paintball Club, each player needs to pay VND50,000 for a gun and combat fatigues. Bullets are VND2,000 each. The ground is open from 9 a.m to 6 p.m. For booking, call 0902 529 588 or book online at: www.sungsonhanoi.vn. |
According to the club’s manager Mr. Ha, the space’s largest fields meet international specifications (70 meters in length and 30 meters in width) for competition and are large enough for two 20-fighter groups.
The plastic paintball guns weigh 1.5-2 kilograms and can shoot 200 to 250 meters. The paintballs are made from a wheat-base and artificial color, both of which are environmental-friendly and easy to clean.
Ha said that they have been receiving an increasing number of customers, especially youngsters.
“With a total of 50 guns and 8 playing fields, we cannot meet the increasing demand for paintball,” Ha said. “We are importing more equipment as well as upgrading our facilities to serve more customers.”
According to Mr. Nam, a referee at the club, each game is afforded one or two referees depending on the size of the group, but players can hire more referees if they wish.
The most popular games are “Save the Hostage,” “Defuse the Bomb,” “Destroy the Enemy’s Base,” and “Capture the Flag.” Players receive combat fatigues and all essential equipment necessary for the game, including guns, bullets, eye goggles, safety helmets, torches, and paint grenades, for the price of their ticket.
All players get instructed on the club’s rules, safety measures and weapon usage. They are also taught tricks about the terrain, hand signals and each player is given a compass.
“Although this game is just for fun, it requires players to strictly follow the safety regulations,” Nam said. “We always carefully instruct the players on just how to follow these regulations, such as no shooting within 2 meters, or no shooting at parts of the body like the head or neck.”
The new field is exceedingly popular and has been almost completely booked since it opened just a few weeks ago.
“We had booked in advance for last Saturday afternoon but then were unable to play because there were too many people here,” said 23-year-old Vu Thanh Thai from Doi Can Street. “The guard there told us that they received a lot of bookings but serve those who arrive and pay first.”
A security guard said the club was simply too popular to accommodate everyone, especially on weekends.
“We get a lot of bookings via phone and email, but only the early bird catches the worm,” he said.
“We were full each day last weekend.”
By Phong Lan, Thanh Nien News (The story can be found in the March 23rd issue of our print edition, Vietweek)