Việt Nam is ready to host the SEA Games 31. — Photo baodansinh.vn

HÀ NỘI — As excitement builds for the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, which will be hosted by Việt Nam in May, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have released the schedule for the games. 

The regional event will get underway in Hà Nội and 11 other northern provinces on May 5 and run until May 23. It is the second time that the country will have hosted the games since 2003.

The upcoming SEA Games will feature a total of 40 sports with 526 categories and is expected to welcome 10,000 participants.

The event’s opening and closing ceremonies will take place at the Mỹ Đình National Stadium in Hà Nội on May 12 and May 23, respectively.

The men’s football event will be held from May 6 to May 22, while the women’s football is set to take place from May 11 to May 21. Other sports include track-and-field, basketball, vovinam (Vietnamese traditional martial arts), and volleyball, all of which have fixed dates, with medals being awarded to the winners.

At present, the preparation of facilities is being carried out on schedule under the close supervision of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, National Sports Administration. The Mỹ Đình National Stadium is being upgraded for the games. 

The organisers have set the target of completing all preparations for the SEA Games in April next year, including trialing the competition venues so they are ready for the games.

The 31st SEA Games had been due to take place in November and December this year, but was delayed because of rising COVID-19 case numbers in Việt Nam.

Cambodia is due to stage the 2023 Games. VNS