Artists are training to prepare for the SEA Games 31 opening ceremony at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi on May 12. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi has completed preparations for the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) and everything is in place for the region’s biggest sporting event.
At the coming Games, Hanoi will host 18 sports at 16 venues, including 12 venues managed by district-level authorities, three by the municipal Department of Culture and Sports, one by a business, and four by central agencies.
As of March 31, upgrades and repairs at a total cost of 618.7 billion VND (26.9 million USD) for competition venues and training facilities had been completed. The installation of new competition equipment as well as decorations for the Games have also been completed.
The capital city was assigned to coordinate with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to organise the opening and closing ceremonies, and artists have been training hard since April 1 to prepare. Besides, Hanoi has worked with Vietnam Television to produce a special video clip to be screened at the opening.
The municipal Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union has also recruited and provided training for 3,000 volunteers who will work at competition venues.
The Vietnam Sports Administration recently signed memoranda of understanding with 14 hotels based in Hanoi. The municipal Tourism Department has coordinated with the sub-committee for logistics and public services to open training courses for local travel and accommodation facilities to ensure the best services for visiting delegations.
While the Hanoi Power Corporation has readied plans to guarantee power supply throughout the Games, the city’s centre for disease control, the food safety sub-department, hospitals, and healthcare centres have also been gearing up anti-COVID-19 measures and medical response at hotels and competition venues.
In addition, the Department of Public Security is working to ensure security and safety for SEA Games 31. The Hanoi Capital High Command is also coordinating with local police to prepare plans and personnel for duties during the occasion.
The municipal Department of Transport has also made plans to keep traffic flowing.
Authorities are encouraging local residents to adopt civilised behaviours so as to introduce Hanoi as an attractive, safe, and hospitable destination to foreign visitors during the event.
The administration issued marketing plans under which relevant agencies have worked with Vietnam Television, the Hanoi Radio and Television Station, and other media outlets to produce and broadcast videos and documentaries about the local culture, tourism, and people on tourism websites, TV channels, social networks, and CNN International.
Hanoi has had 68 coaches and 248 athletes called up to the national team in 30 sports, accounting for 26.22 percent of the coaches and athletes in the Vietnamese delegation. It is aiming to contribute to more than 30 percent of Vietnam’s medals at SEA Games 31.
Themed “For a Stronger Southeast Asia”, SEA Games 31 will feature 40 sports and is scheduled to take place in Hanoi and 11 nearby localities from May 12 to 23.
The biennial Games was initially slated for late 2021 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is the second time Vietnam has hosted a SEA Games, after the first in 2003./.
