Mud Volleyball Tournament Promotes Sport Tourism in Nan Province
Nan province held its fourth annual Mud Volleyball tournament in Pua district's rice fields on August 15-16, drawing athletes and visitors while generating income for local vendors and communities during the green season.
Nan province is pioneering a new dimension in rainy-season tourism with the fourth Pua Mud Volleyball tournament, held August 15-16, 2025, in the rice fields. The event merges sports, agricultural heritage, and creative activities to enliven the Pua district while boosting travel and spreading income to local vendors and communities.
Organized by the Nan Provincial Office of Tourism and Sports alongside the Pua Tourism Promotion Association, Pua Facebook groups, the Pua Mud Volleyball Club, private enterprises, and tourism partners, the tournament operates under a competitive development and quality tourism advancement programme for fiscal year 2025. Now in its fourth year, the event reimagines Pua tourism during the green season, showcasing lush rice paddies, agricultural traditions, and local natural beauty through sport tourism and mud volleyball competition.
Throughout the event, the rice field was transformed into a celebration of sport and community spirit, with athletes and supporters bringing colour and energy. Beyond competition, activities included food and drink sales from local vendors, youth cultural performances, and live music, weaving sport into the fabric of tourism and local economy.
Tournament winners were crowned as follows: champions Nan Buri won 50,000 baht, first runners-up Chok Naphaphi won 30,000 baht, second runners-up Teng 1 VC won 10,000 baht, and third runners-up Luang Prabang won 5,000 baht. The fantasy costume competition prize of 5,000 baht went to Teng 1 VC, reflecting the event's philosophy of blending athletic competition with fun, creativity, and inclusive participation.
The fourth Pua Mud Volleyball tournament exemplifies how sport and creativity can drive tourism by building on local resources and identity to create fresh experiences open to all ages. It aims to stimulate off-season travel, distribute revenue across Pua and Nan, and elevate sport and creative tourism to establish the region as a premium destination.
Beyond the field, the event showcased collaboration between government, private sector, young people, communities, athletes, and local partners, who collectively transformed rice fields—central to Pua life—into a tourism story and added value. The tournament is more than muddy athletes; it represents a shared vision for developing the region's tourism economy.
