The ceremony takes place at the Government Guest House on 37 Hung Vuong Street, Hanoi. |
Present at the event are hundreds of Vietnamese athletes to compete in SEA Games 29 this August. |
Hoang Xuan Vinh, who won a gold at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, comes to the event. |
The athletes join art performances at the ceremony. |
Vietnamese martial artists |
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien (right) hands the national flag over to Tran Duc Phan, head of the Vietnam SEA Games delegation. |
Phan raises the flag showing the determination of Vietnamese athletes to win top prizes at SEA Games. |
“We will try our best to grab 49 to 59 gold medals to rank in the top three. The Games is a chance for Vietnam to compare our sport development with other countries. It is also a step towards the country’s preparation for bigger Games such as the Asian Games in 2018 and the Olympics in 2020,” says Mr Phan. |
476 athletes will compete in 32 out of 38 sports events at the biennial Games in Malaysia from August 19 to 30. |
The first teams will leave for Malaysia on August 11, while leaders and key members will depart on August 16. The contingent will take part in the flag-raising ceremony a day later. |
Fencer Nguyen Thanh An, on behalf of the athletes, promises to compete with competitive spirit under the sportsmanship for the nation’s glory. |
An is the national champion in men’s sabre and he will defend his title at the Kuala Lumpur competition. |
In the previous Games in Singapore, Vietnam stood third, winning 73 titles. |
