A team compete in the Hà Nội Open Dragon Boat Race last year. This year, the event will begin at West Lake on October 13. — Photo thanglong.chinhphu.vn

Boat Racing

HÀ NỘI — The Hà Nội Open Dragon Boat Race is set to begin on October 13 on the city's iconic West Lake as part of the celebrations for the 70th anniversary of Hà Nội's Liberation Day (October 10, 1954 - 2024).

Approximately 800 coaches and athletes from 48 domestic and international teams will participate. This year's competition includes seven international dragon boat racing teams and representatives from international airlines, eight teams from embassies and organisations in Việt Nam, seven professional teams from various provinces, eight clubs and enterprises from the capital and 18 teams from districts and towns in Hà Nội.

Athletes will compete in six categories, racing over a distance of 500m.

According to Phạm Xuân Tài, Deputy Director of the Hà Nội Department of Culture and Sports, the race is part of a series of activities set to honour the 70th anniversary of the capital's liberation this week.

"Hà Nội is committed to collaborating with businesses to enhance the scale of events, fostering cooperation to organise cultural and sports activities that promote the image of our capital," Tài said.

"We aim to go beyond merely organising tournaments; we want to connect sports with cultural development, tourism and the promotion of our heritage. The tournament’s international nature will showcase the beauty of Hà Nội and Việt Nam to the world," Tài added.

The inclusion of international teams adds a fresh perspective to this year's race. All participating teams are certified by international sailing organisations. Domestic teams, especially from various districts, have also prepared rigorously and have shown promising training results.

Prior to the boat race, in an earlier celebration of the capital's liberation, the Hà Nội international friendly football tournament took place from October 3 to 7, featuring four teams: Hà Nội, Thái Nguyên T&T, Manila Digger (Philippines) and Beijing (China).

The dragon boat race is part of a cultural and sports development agreement between the Hà Nội’s People’s Committee and Vietnam Airlines. The first dragon boat race was held on West Lake in 2018, attracting 27 teams from seven districts and featuring performances from various art troupes. VNS