All 248 Vietnamese athletes are ready to participate in the 5th Southeast Asian student sports festival, which will be held in Hanoi from June 23-30.

On June 20, a ceremony was held in Hanoi to encourage the spirit of the athletes on the eve of the event, which is organised in Vietnam for the first time.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman of the Vietnam Student Sports Association and Deputy Minister of Education and Training Tran Quang Quy wished the Vietnamese delegation success and expressed his hope that the athletes will contribute to promoting the image of a beautiful and friendly Vietnam in the spirit of solidarity and friendship.

The festival will greet student athletes from Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, the Philippines and Laos, who will compete in nine disciplines of athletics, swimming, badminton, basketball, gymnastics, table tennis, volleyball, pencak silat and sepak takraw.

The organising board said competitions will take place at the Hanoi Training Sports Centre, My Dinh national stadium and the aquatic sport centre.

It aims to develop physical education and sports in schools, and improve students’ fitness.

In the previous event, Vietnam won 60 medals, including 27 golds, ranking fourth among the participating countries.-VNA