General Secretary Tô Lâm presents the First-Class Labour Order to the Việt Nam Department of Physical Education and Sports (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism). VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

HÀ NỘI — On the morning of March 28, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism held a ceremony in Hà Nội marking the 80th anniversary of the Traditional Day of the Sports Sector (March 27, 1946 – March 27, 2026). General Secretary Tô Lâm attended and delivered a speech.

Also present were Politburo members Lê Minh Trí, Phạm Gia Túc and General Lương Tam Quang, along with Deputy Prime Minister Mai Văn Chính, ministry leaders past and present, heads of central agencies, provincial leaders, coaches, athletes, sports workers and diplomatic representatives.

Gradually developing sports towards a mass-based, comprehensive and increasingly professional model

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyễn Văn Hùng stressed that exactly 80 years ago, when the country had just gained independence and the young revolutionary government faced countless difficulties and challenges, the Party and the beloved President Hồ Chí Minh, with strategic vision and forward-thinking, had early affirmed the important position and role of sports in the revolutionary cause. On March 27, 1946, on behalf of the Government, President Hồ Chí Minh issued Decree No. 38 establishing the Directorate of Youth and Physical Education and called on the entire people to practise physical exercise. The Minister affirmed that under the leadership of the Party and with the attention of the State, the sports sector had carried in its heart the teachings of the great President Hồ Chí Minh to undertake "an 80-year endurance run of faith and aspiration" through many emotional stages.

In recognition of the great contributions of the sports sector to the nation's revolutionary cause as well as to the building and defence of the Fatherland and national development, the Party and State have bestowed upon the sector many distinguished honours, including the Hồ Chí Minh Order and the Independence Order; hundreds of units and thousands of sports officials have also received numerous other distinguished honours from the Party and State.

At the ceremony, delegates watched a documentary entitled "Việt Nam's Sports Sector – 80 Years on a Journey of Development Aspirations" and heard heartfelt reflections from representatives of veteran coaches and athletes, as well as expressions of pride from representatives of the younger generation of athletes nationwide.

General Secretary Tô Lâm presents the First-Class Labour Order to the Việt Nam Department of Physical Education and Sports (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism). VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

In his speech, General Secretary Tô Lâm noted that in keeping with President Hồ Chí Minh's teachings, the Party and State have always paid close attention to leading and directing sports development, gradually building an organisational system from the central to the local level, training contingents of managers, coaches, athletes and referees, issuing mechanisms, policies and legislation, investing in facilities, infrastructure and equipment, expanding international cooperation, and progressively developing the nation's sports along the lines of mass participation, comprehensiveness and increasing professionalism.

Throughout 80 years of development and maturity, Việt Nam's sports sector has made very important contributions to the country. The General Secretary affirmed that these achievements were the product of many generations of officials and civil servants in the sports sector, the wisdom of managers and scientists, the quiet sacrifice of coaches, the sweat, tears and even the injuries and personal sacrifices of athletes, and the support of families, schools, communities and society as a whole. The Party, State and people always recognise, cherish and highly value those great contributions.

The General Secretary noted that the country is entering a new phase of development with very high demands regarding the quality of human resources, people's stature, community health, national competitiveness and the quality of life of the people. A more comprehensive perspective on the position and role of sports is therefore required.

General Secretary Tô Lâm delivers a speech at the ceremony. VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

In the time ahead, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the sports sector, ministries, agencies, the Fatherland Front, mass organisations, localities, schools, enterprises and all of society must urgently refine the institutional framework for sports development along modern, synchronised lines, paving the way for long-term growth. For sports to develop strongly, good institutions must come first. Institutions must lead the way, opening the path for innovation, investment, socialisation, modern management and transparent operations, and for the full mobilisation of the resources of the State, society and the people. The General Secretary specified that the new institutional framework must clearly delineate the respective roles of the State and society. It must spell out how governance is to be conducted, where public investment is to be directed, the extent of socialisation, the standards for facilities, training mechanisms for coaches and athletes, policies on remuneration, insurance, sports medicine, and post-competition career transitions, and how the application of technology, digital data, the sports economy and the sports industry are to be encouraged. Only by achieving this will Việt Nam's sports have a solid institutional foundation to go far.

The General Secretary called for the vigorous development of mass sports so that every citizen has the right, the conditions and the motivation to take part in physical training. This must be the central, overarching and long-term task of the sports sector in the new period. He stressed that sports must truly reach every family, every residential area, every school, every office, every factory, every enterprise and every armed forces unit, extending to remote and isolated areas, ethnic minority communities, border regions and islands, and including vulnerable groups, people with disabilities, the elderly, women, children, young workers and migrant labourers.

Launching a movement for 'every citizen to choose at least one suitable sport for regular practice'

The goal is not merely to increase the number of people exercising but to build an active society, a healthy lifestyle and a culture of daily physical training. The General Secretary called for the stronger promotion of the movement for "every citizen to choose at least one suitable sport for regular practice." The sport could be very simple: walking, jogging, badminton, volleyball, swimming, cycling, martial arts, qigong, yoga, Chinese chess, international chess, tug of war, crossbow shooting, stick pushing, among others. What matters is making physical training an intrinsic need, a habit and a way of life, rather than a periodic campaign.

He called for elevating physical education and school sports, regarding them as the foundation of Việt Nam's human development strategy. The education sector, sports sector and localities must coordinate more closely to robustly reform physical education and school sports. Students must receive substantive physical activity, learn fundamental physical skills and have access to a range of sports suited to their age, physique and interests. Schools must be places for discovering talent, cultivating exercise habits, and fostering teamwork, perseverance, discipline, honesty and confidence in the younger generation. He also proposed more systematic development of sports across schools.

Special attention should be paid to the preservation and development of traditional ethnic sports and forms of physical activity linked to community culture. The sports sector should coordinate with the culture and education sectors, localities and professional associations to build systematic programmes for preserving and developing traditional ethnic sports, incorporating suitable disciplines into schools, festivals, community movements and cultural tourism promotion.

Female shooter Trịnh Thu Vinh - National Outstanding Athlete of 2025, speaking on behalf of the athletes. VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

High-performance sport should be developed along professional, scientific, honest and sustainable lines. High-performance sport represents the face of national sport on the regional and global stage, and therefore requires targeted investment roadmaps for disciplines with strong competitive potential, a standardised talent identification system, reformed team management mechanisms, stronger links between school sport, mass sport and elite sport, and guarantees for athletes' livelihoods, academic education, vocational training, social welfare and post-retirement career transitions. High-performance sport must be built on the foundations of honesty, fair play and respect for the rules. Every coach and athlete must always remember that they compete not only for personal achievement but also for the national colours, for the honour of Việt Nam's sport and for the nation's image.

The General Secretary stressed that the concept of sport must be broadened towards a more comprehensive approach encompassing both physical and intellectual activities, that guided socialisation with standards of responsibility must be promoted in sports, and that international cooperation must be expanded to raise the standing of Việt Nam's sport and learn from the world's progressive experiences. Việt Nam should be more proactive in bidding to host suitable regional, continental and international competitions, while preparing step by step, with roadmaps, prerequisites and consideration of overall effectiveness, when looking towards larger events in the future.

With the glorious tradition of 80 years, with the ideological foundation of President Hồ Chí Minh, with the leadership of the Party and the management of the State, and with the support of all of society, the General Secretary expressed confidence that Việt Nam's sports sector will continue to develop more strongly, truly contributing to the comprehensive development of the Vietnamese people, enhancing the health, stature, physical strength, intellectual capacity and resilience of the nation, and making worthy contributions to the cause of building and firmly defending the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland.

At the ceremony, General Secretary Tô Lâm presented the First-Class Labour Order to the Việt Nam Department of Physical Training and Sports (under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) in recognition of its outstanding achievements in developing institutions, policies, breakthrough mechanisms and professional expertise in sports during the 2024–2025 period, contributing to the development of Việt Nam's sports sector. Also at the ceremony, on behalf of the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister Mai Văn Chính presented Certificates of Merit from the Prime Minister to Nguyễn Danh Hoàng Việt, Director of the Việt Nam Department of Physical Training and Sports, and Nguyễn Hồng Minh, Deputy Director of the Việt Nam Department of Physical Training and Sports. — VNS