The clink of cue sticks on eight-ball muffling the clank of whisky glass ice cubes and the slap of cards as boozehounds hide their addictions in the shadows of sport and hobby? Dense plumes of Bastos smoke obscuring illicit activities and immoral affairs? Are Saigon's pool halls the seedy dens of patriarchal indulgence their reputation and pop culture representations suggest?
I’m no big-J journalist, so I visited a pool hall during the Tết holiday not for any scoop, but simply because I need more hobbies. Everyone should have a pastime they cannot monetize and will never be particularly good at, an activity whose sole purpose is to provide non-destructive joy. It's worth noting that while many, myself included, use the terms pool and billiards interchangeably, particularly because most venues have tables to accommodate both, they are distinct games.
The youthful vibes present in many Saigon pool halls. Photo via Saigon Billiards.
As a relatively young walker of the straight-and-narrow, I was not alone at the three-level District 3 pool hall. Even in the waning days of the holiday, it was filled with groups of youths sipping soft drinks and joking around without a single criminal act in sight. It was the complete opposite of what this article's top image suggests. This shouldn’t really come as a surprise. Saigon residents hunger for third-space offerings away from screens. Air-conditioned, spacious, convenient, clean, and relatively cheap, pool halls meet these needs. Recent reports in local media support my first-hand observations for Saigon and beyond. It’s not so difficult to understand why, as the egalitarian spaces offer a welcome change-up from routines saturated by coffee shops, bars, and restaurants. The game itself is at worst a nice diversion, and maybe a chance to flex that high school physics class knowledge.
The one surprise came when I looked into the history of the sport in Vietnam. While I rightfully assumed it was imported from the west, where it evolved centuries ago amongst European aristocracy, I didn’t expect it to have such a robust and enduring niche popularity. Several Vietnamese have earned accolades on the global professional circuit in recent years, as well as gotten involved in a convoluted scandal involving tournaments and overlapping governing bodies.
Perhaps pool halls will become part of my regular routine. Inspired by a recent Saigoneer writer’s pursuit of skateboarding, maybe I’ll delve deeper into the sport, meeting friendly, interesting people and gaining valuable life-long lessons along the way and write a Parks and Rec spotlight. Or maybe months will pass without me playing again. Regardless, I am happy to know there is a very viable option for having good, clean fun any time, day or night, waiting.
[Top image by Adrian Jean]
