At the ceremony, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien encouraged and praised the efforts of coaches, athletes and sports leaders in training to prepare for the SEA Games 30 with determination to achieve the highest results.

He expressed his wish that the athletes would do their utmost to bring glory to the nation. This is also an important preparation step for SEA Games 31 in 2021, when Vietnam will be the host country, he added.

Deputy Head of the Vietnam Sports Administration Tran Duc Phan, head of the delegation, said the delegation comprises of 856 members, including 568 athletes competing in 40 sports and sports sub-categories.

The Vietnamese sports delegation is determined to earn more 65 gold medals, stand at the top of the region, and maintain the achievements of Olympic sports such as athletics, swimming, gymnastics and wrestling. In particular, the men's and women's football teams strive to achieve the highest rank at the SEA Games 30, to take place in the Philippines.

Earlier, leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the General Department of Sports and Physical Training along with members of the Vietnamese sporting delegation offered incense to President Ho Chi Minh at the Uncle Ho monument area in the campus of the National Sports Training Centre in Hanoi. Nhan Dan

Vietnam to host SEA Games 31 in 2021

Vietnam will host the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31), followed by the 11th ASEAN Para Games (Para Games 11) in 2021, as announced by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on November 14.

Nguyen going for gold at SEA Games

Born in the US to Vietnamese parents, Nguyễn competed for the national swimming team at the SEA Games in Malaysia two years ago for the first time and grabbed four bronze medals.