Nguyễn Đức Tuân, who won the men's singles table tennis gold at SEA Games 31, has formally retired from table tennis as of 2026 and switched to pickleball, SGGP reported. He is part of Vietnam's pickleball delegation at the Beihai Open 2026 – Dream Come True Boyang Cup 2026, held in the city of Beihai in Guangxi, China, from 23 October to 27 October 2026.
Missing from the National Sports Games
Because he has retired, Đức Tuân is not playing table tennis for host side Hải Phòng at the 10th National Sports Games in 2026. SGGP stressed that he has not stopped competing, only changed sport.
The paper did not give a specific reason for his retirement. It did note, however, that after SEA Games 33 in 2025 he was not called into the Vietnam table tennis squad preparing for the 2026 Southeast Asian Championships.
A table tennis career in milestones
Đức Tuân learned the game in the former Hải Dương province, now part of Hải Phòng, and won several gold medals at national table tennis championships. His main milestones, compiled by KBVN+ from SGGP:
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Men's singles gold at SEA Games 31, held in Vietnam |
| 2025 | SEA Games 33 in Thailand: silver in the men's team event and bronze in men's doubles |
| After SEA Games 33 | Not called up for the 2026 Southeast Asian Championships |
| 2026 | Retired from table tennis and moved to pickleball |
According to SGGP, he is only the third Vietnamese man to win the SEA Games singles title since Vietnamese table tennis returned to regional competition. The two before him were Vũ Mạnh Cường and Trần Tuấn Quỳnh.
What it means
For Hải Phòng's table tennis team, his decision means going without a SEA Games champion who learned the game in the former Hải Dương province, now part of Hải Phòng. For Vietnamese table tennis as a whole, it marks the departure of one of only three men to have won the SEA Games singles title since the country rejoined regional competition.
Vietnam's pickleball delegation, on the other hand, gains a player who has stood on the top step of the SEA Games podium for its trip to China.
What comes next
The Beihai tournament will finish on 27 October 2026. SGGP did not say which events Đức Tuân entered or how he has fared. At home, Hải Phòng's table tennis team goes into the 10th National Sports Games without him. For more on the Games, see Muay opens the 10th National Sports Games 2026 in Ho Chi Minh City.