Top fencer Vũ Thành An carries the official torch flame of the 31st SEA Games. The flame will be kept at the National Mỹ Đình Stadium for the opening and closing ceremony and through the event from May 12-23. VNA/VNS Photo Minh Đức

HÀ NỘI — The official flame of the upcoming SEA Games has been taken to the National Mỹ Đình Stadium to serve the opening ceremony and during the Games.

The Games organising committee said that the flame would be used for the official opening and closing ceremonies, and will be lit throughout the Games, the second Việt Nam has hosted since 2003.

The flame, which was taken from the Hồ Chí Minh Museum and then to the Hồ Chí Minh worship room at the Mỹ Đình National Stadium on May 6, was escorted by a team of 11 outstanding Vietnamese athletes.

They were fencer Vũ Thành An, archer Đỗ Thị Ánh Nguyệt, shooter Đặng Hồng Hà, track and field athlete Bùi Thị Thu Thảo, Muay Thai boxer Bùi Yến Ly, boxer Nguyễn Thị Tâm, pencak silat fighter Vũ Tiến Dũng; taekwondoist Chu Diệu Hoàng Linh, gymnast Nguyễn Thị Thanh Hà, wrestler Nguyễn Thị Lụa and wushu fighter Dương Thuý Vi.

The procession departed from the sporting hall of Trịnh Hoài Đức, supported by the police force, and laid flowers at the Hồ Chí Minh Museum.

A torch that was lit at the museum was passed from the Chairman of the Hà Nội people’s committee, Chu Ngọc Anh to the torch holder Vũ Thành An, the top fencer of the Việt Nam team to start the torch procession to the stadium, which will host the opening and closing ceremony of the Games.

The torch procession is a prelude to the Games and received support from local people when it wound through over 10km of streets from the museum to the national Mỹ Đình Stadium on the night of May 6.

Joining the torch procession team, female archer Đỗ Thị Ánh Nguyệt, who will be competing in the one-string archery event in the SEA Games, said she would give her all out to win victory for the country.

Nguyệt said she would approach the women’s archery against tough opponents in the spirit of the Games, which was was considerate, noble and honest.

Việt Nam will receive about 10,000 SEA Games participants including 5,467 athletes contesting in 526 events of 40 sports, as well as thousands of tourists coming to cheer their athletes at sports venues in Hà Nội and 11 northern provinces and cities from May 12-23.

Hà Nội will be the main venue for nearly half of the total sports at the Games as well as the opening (May 12) and closing ceremony (May 23).

The men’s football event began early, on May 6. — VNS