Vietnam’s national men’s and women’s football teams are expected to bring home gold medals in the 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 30), which will take place in the Philippines later this year, said Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien.

Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien speaks with athletes and coaches at the Hanoi National Sport Training Centre

The minister made the request on February 12 while visiting athletes and coaches at the Hanoi National Sport Training Centre as they returned for training after the traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) festival.

Lauding the athletes’ efforts, he voiced his hope that they would go on to achieve even more outstanding results in 2019. In particular, the sport sectors has been asked to give priority to improving results towards high achievements at the SEA Games 30 and qualifying rounds for the 2020 Olympics.

Director of the training centre Nguyen Manh Hung affirmed that national teams of various sports have been busy preparing for this year’s major events, aiming to deliver some of the best performances in Southeast Asia. –VNA