Usually in life, niche topics are commonly associated with unpleasant stigmas and misunderstandings — skateboarding in Vietnam is no exception. Once, I admittedly was influenced by such one-sided assumptions.

I used to believe that skateboarding is a street hobby reserved for hip-hop revelers, and for shirtless sweaty dudes who always swear on Nguyễn Huệ Walking Street. Much like prejudiced characters we often see in the movies, I met my “comeupppance” after accompanying my friend one summer to a beginner’s skateboarding class. Even though I’m not a dude, not very street, and don’t know anything about hip-hop, I was completely enthralled by the dopamine hit that this mystical sport provided me.

One of the goals I set for 2024 is joining a new sport. In my mind, I envision playing more mainstream fields, like badminton or running, but I didn’t expect to fall in love with skateboarding. It came as a total surprise to me that even in a city as lively as Saigon, this isn’t a commonplace pastime. My friend even thought that I took up surfing (lướt ván) instead of skateboarding (trượt ván), no matter how many times I tried to clarify.

Badminton, running, or swimming? I picked skateboarding.

Digging deeper into the history of skateboarding, I discovered that, even though both were introduced to Vietnam in the 2000s, skateboarding is much lesser-known than its inline sibling, rollerblading, which has a more robust scene and many more skating venues. Despite this lack of facilities, Saigon skaters keep their passion going by gathering at public places like Gia Định Park, Khánh Hội Bridge, under the Ba Son Bridge and in front of Bến Thành Market. Nonetheless, all of these places weren’t designed for skateboarding, exposing players to incoming traffic and pedestrians. I hesitated a lot before joining due to these risks, so I started hanging out at Saigon Skatepark, an indoor skatepark in District 7, every Monday at 6pm.

The first indoor skatepark

Saigon Skatepark was the first indoor skateboarding venue in Vietnam, established by a duo of skaters after running their Saigon Skateshop for 10 years. Today, the District 7 park is a well-known address for the community of skaters in the city, and even from overseas. I choose the 6pm slot on Mondays as my regular visiting time, not because I’m particularly free then, but because this period is specifically reserved for newcomers, especially female skaters.

The spacious interior of Saigon Skatepark

On your first time at Saigon Skatepark, you’ll probably need a moment to get used to the dynamic atmosphere here, filled with skaters flying and sliding in every pose on the park’s range of slopes, rails, steps and ramps. During my first visit here, I thought everyone was really flying on their boards like Aladdin on his carpet, though the skaters were more stressed-looking and sweatier. Even if you’re not observing them closely, you can probably feel their efforts through the clamoring of wooden boards against concrete or metal, depending on the trick they’re trying to master.

Skaters can express their personalities via the designs and patterns of the griptape on their boards.

Thông, the cofounder and manager of Saigon Skatepark, shared with me that the idea behind the park’s Beginner’s Monday wasn’t something they started out with, as the founders were all long-time skaters, who have befriended the boards for over two decades ever since the action sport first entered Vietnam.

“Had we kept operating from the perspective of veteran players, we would not have noticed and realized the common feeling of new skaters. They’re often quite shy and reluctant when they skate in front of more experienced participants. Moreover, skating with pro skateboarders can be dangerous as each side is used to a different speed and intensity,” he told me in Vietnamese.

A good board can be determined by the quality of each component: decks, trucks, wheels, etc.

After a few Mondays at the skatepark, I personally thought that I can qualify as a skateboarding newbie to realize that this is a conducive environment for anyone new to the sport, as it can satisfy my checklist.

Regarding safety, the indoor space is designed to be quite friendly to amateurs. You can rent any gear you’re missing like helmets, braces for your knees, elbows and wrists. Staff members are always present to deal with urgent situations if any. Cost-wise, with just VND50,000, equal to a plate of cơm tấm in Sài Gòn, you can skate for as long as you want at Saigon Skatepark for a day, until you’ve burned off all the calorie from that cơm tấm plate. Finally, this is probably my most significant factor: no need to feel shy. During these sessions, everyone is just like you — all are starting out, so there’s no need to hesitate.

A set of safety gears include a helmet and braces for knees, elbows and wrists.

Every skater was once a newcomer

One thing that I learned too late about skateboarding: it’s an officially recognized sport. It’s currently a highly sought-after event as part of the Summer Olympics; it even appeared in SEA Games 30, though that was the only time. Like most other sports, skateboarding is much more fun when there’s a community behind you. I would have given up much easier had I not had my group of friends and a welcoming place like Saigon Skatepark to practice.

Skaters at Saigon Skatepark stretch before a session.

Nguyễn Phương Thảo, one of my skate-mates here, told me: “Here, you only need to be brave enough to ask, no matter how silly the questions might seem, other skaters, especially the female skaters of @chiemskateclub, will wholeheartedly help out and even coach you.”

Another thing that has endeared me to my community of skaters is that moment after successfully carrying out a trick that you’ve painstakingly trained for a long time. Every person in the park, friend or stranger, will genuinely cheer you on, and clap for you, even if they didn’t actually see your trick.

As long as you ask, someone will help out.

I’ve accomplished another personal goal for 2024 thanks to my new connection with skateboarding: befriending more people. This is of course not reserved to skateboarding, as any sport has the potential to forge a bond between participants without much effort or commitment, as long as you keep to a consistent schedule to sustain the passion and the relationship. One of my skate-mate made it a personal goal to be able to do the ollie trick — leaping into the air with one’s board without using hands — before she gets married. And we also promised her to practice hard to ollie during her wedding. Perhaps, finding motivation to exercise is simpler than I thought.

In skateboarding, falling down is a frequent event.

Skateboarding is like most other sports, as it requires time to hone the craft and to develop as an athlete. “Even though we’ve skateboarded for many years, in a badminton court, we will revert to shy newbies and will need a lot of time to train,” Thông explained. “To me, landing a new trick is just a matter of time. You’ll definitely be able to do it after 50, 100, or 1,000 tries.”

To me, the heart of any sport is always a sense of joy and community, so the act of reaching out to ask “hey, wanna skate today?” is more important to me than pressuring oneself to succeed at a challenging trick at all cost.

Saigon Skatepark has different opening times depending on the day. Check out the park’s official fanpage or Instagram account for more details.