The Việt Nam delegation in the opening ceremony of the 32nd SEA Games in 2023 in Cambodia. VNS Photo Lâm Thỏa

Thanh Hà

President Hồ Chí Minh, in an attempt to encourage Vietnamese people to do exercise and practise sports, said: "Each weak person means the whole country is weak, each strong person means the whole country is strong. When the people are strong, the country is prosperous."

After the August Revolution of 1945, Việt Nam faced immense hardships and challenges. Despite his heavy workload, President Hồ devoted great attention to physical exercise and sports to strengthen his own health, while he also cared about preserving the health of the people.

In 1946, he established the department of youth and physical education, marking the birth of the national sports industry.

President Hồ Chí Minh deeply understood the role of exercise and sports in maintaining health. File Photo

His call for all people to exercise was published in Cứu Quốc (now Đại Đoàn Kết) Newspaper on March 27, 1946, and had a profound impact on everyone.

"Currently, our mass sports movement has reached a high level compared to other countries in the region. High-performance sports developed a little more slowly due to historical context. However, Vietnamese athletes still achieved many excellent results," said pundit Nguyễn Hồng Minh, former vice president of the Việt Nam Olympic Committee.

"Việt Nam has risen to the top of Southeast Asia, and hundreds of athletes have achieved high results such as Olympic medals. This is the result of a process of active and persistent efforts, overcoming many difficulties to achieve success."

International imprints

Locally, Việt Nam organised many national championships of different sports. Among the first were a table tennis event in 1978, then football in 1980.

In 1985, the first National Sports Games took place with nearly 1,900 athletes across 15 sports.

Internationally, Vietnamese athletes crossed the border to compete with strong rivals. One of the most important milestones was the gold medal and world record set by marksman Trần Oanh in an international military shooting tournament of Socialist countries in 1962.

His achievement was considered special, as Việt Nam at the time struggled with training conditions and equipment. Oanh not only put the country on the international shooting map but also inspired many generations of shooters.

Oanh continued to win major titles in continental competitions and was recognised by the International Olympic Committee as an "Outstanding Vietnamese Athlete of the 20th Century".

The 15th SEA Games in Malaysia in 1989 marked Việt Nam's return to the regional sport arena for the first time after a long disappearance. The delegation with 46 athletes in eight sports secured three golds, 11 silvers and five bronze medals.

In 1994, taekwondo fighter Trần Quang Hạ won a gold medal in the Asian Games (ASIAD) in Japan.

In 2000 in Australia, Trần Hiếu Ngân claimed Việt Nam's first-ever Olympic medal. Ngân, who earlier won Asian and SEA Games gold medals, finished second and took silver in the women's 57kg taekwondo event.

Marksman Hoàng Xuân Vinh wins Việt Nam's first Olympic gold medal. -- Photo Việt Nam Sports Team

Sixteen years after that first medal, Việt Nam took a big step forward, winning the first Olympic gold in the men's 10m air pistol by shooter Hoàng Xuân Vinh in the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil. Vinh also bagged silver in the 50m air pistol, making him the most decorated Việt Nam athlete of all time.

In addition to those major milestones, Việt Nam also grabbed high results in regional, continental and international competitions that demonstrated a path of transformation and global integration.

Among them were top-three finishes in various SEA Games editions; World Cup and world championships golds in gymnastics, weightlifting, aerobics, shuttlecock kicking, sepak takraw and martial arts, along with many Asian and Southeast Asian titles in different sports.

In football, Việt Nam was runner-up at the Asian U23 Football Championship and the men's team won two SEA Games and three AFF Cups. The women's team recorded four SEA Games titles, qualified for the Women's World Cup in 2023, and also participated twice in World Cup Futsal.

Athletes with disabilities have also impressed, with Paralympic gold and silver for powerlifter Lê Văn Công, who is also a world and Paralympic record holder. Other athletes have also earned gold medals from the Asian and ASEAN Para Games.

World record holder Lê Văn Công (centre) meets with, from left to right, General Secretary Tô Lâm, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyễn Văn Hùng and Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính on August 23 in Hà Nội. VNS Photo of Công Lê

Development strategy

Considered a turning point, 2025 carries many important tasks, with the launch of the Việt Nam Sports Development Strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2045, in which the national sports sector is expected to reach its full potential.

The Prime Minister has also assigned the Sports Authority of Việt Nam (SAV) to develop a programme to develop key sports to participate in the Olympics and ASIAD over the next 20 years.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoàng Đạo Cương said that the strategy was a new step forward, marking a strong transformation in methods to develop national sports.

"The strategy inherits the achievements of past years, promotes positive aspects, overcomes limitations, and provides directions, goals, tasks and appropriate development solutions," he said.

"This is also the legal basis for attracting investment and allocating resources, as well as exploiting our strengths and maximising our potential to realise the goal of building a sustainable and professional sports industry by 2045."

The national women's football team play in their first World Cup in 2023. -- VNS Photo Thanh Hải

The deputy minister believed that there would be many challenges. He called for and looked forward to receiving the attention, support and companionship of ministries, localities and relevant agencies, as well as businesses during the long-term process.

According to Hoàng Quốc Vinh, SAV's head of High Performance Sports Department, Việt Nam targets a top-two finish in the SEA Games, top 15 in ASIAD and top 50 in the Olympics in 2046.

Athletes are expected to win gold medals in Việt Nam's stronger events such as shooting, archery, weightlifting, rowing, sepak takraw and karate in ASIAD, and bronze medals in shooting, archery and weightlifting in the Olympics. Football teams must be in the Asian top 10 for men and top eight for women.

Pundit Minh, who was also head of the Việt Nam Sports Delegation across many Games, suggested that instead of spreading out, investment should be given to sports which can compete for continental or world medals. The scouting and training of young talents should be promoted in combination with science and sports biomedicine applications that help athletes develop comprehensively.

“The country is entering a new era of deep reforms. Sports professionals must build a generation of healthy young Vietnamese, fully developed physically, mentally and intellectually, to both serve the cause of national construction and possess the strength to conquer global sport,” he said. VNS