Dancesport

Phan Hiển and Thu Hương, the most decorated dancesport pair in Việt Nam, will compete in the DanceSport Festival 2026. — Photos courtesy of Khánh Thi

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam is set to dance its way onto the international stage this year as it hosts a series of major events under the Vietnam DanceSport Festival 2026, expected to bring thousands of contestants to the country.

Among the highlights are the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) Asian Championship and the WDSF World Ranking Events, which will gather about 4,000 athletes from 37 countries and regions in the largest dancesport competition ever staged in Việt Nam.

The festival will take place at Vienna House by Wyndham Charm Long Hải in HCM City from July 8 to 12.

To secure the hosting rights, Việt Nam overcame strong competition from countries with well-developed dancesport movements, including China, Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines.

According to coach and former dancesport athlete Khánh Thi, who is also head of the organising board, Việt Nam’s bid was built on the model of a comprehensive international festival and fully met the World DanceSport Federation’s strict standards on professional expertise, accommodation, hotels, transportation, organisational capacity and the ability to host large numbers of international participants.

Being awarded the right to host the event was not only significant from a sporting perspective but also opened up opportunities to promote the image of Việt Nam, its people and tourism to international audiences. It also offers the Vietnamese dancesport community a chance to further affirm its position on the regional and global stages.

Thi said the biggest challenge now was not expertise or organisational experience, but securing sufficient social resources to maintain the scale and quality of the tournament.

Head of the organising board Khánh Thi hopes to receive strong support to organise the festival.

“We hope to receive strong attention and support from the business community, social organisations and management agencies. This is not just a tournament, but an opportunity to invest in the future of Vietnamese dancesport,” she said.

In addition to promoting Việt Nam and Vietnamese dancesport to the world, the event would help connect sports with other industries such as entertainment, television and large-scale arts programmes, positioning Việt Nam as a destination for high-quality events.

Domestically, Thi hoped to boost national dancesport, enabling local athletes to practise and learn from senior world dancers.

“We believe that when a strong generation of athletes is over, Việt Nam will still maintain or even improve its position on the world map,” said Thi. — VNS