The opening was attended by Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan, National Assembly Deputy Chairman Uong Chu Luu, and leaders of relevant sectors and agencies, along with representatives of ministries of sports and education Southeast Asian nations.
The evening started with a special performance highlighting Hanoi, the thousand year old city for peace, followed by the parade of participating sports delegations and the lighting of the Games’ flame.
The Vietnam sports delegation in the parade
In his speech at the event, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Tran Quang Quy welcomed all ASEAN student athletes to the competition, while emphasising that the Games aim to promote sports and physical training in schools and create a healthy platform for exchanges among regional students.
After Vice President Doan declared the Games officially open, Vietnam’s basketball player Nguyen The Hien and swimming referee Nguyen Hoang Duong represented all the Games participants and took an oath, pledging to play fairly and do their best.
The ASG is the biggest student sporting event in the ASEAN region. It has been held annually since 2009 by the ASEAN Schools Sports Council, a non-governmental organisation established by ASEAN member countries to promote the development of student sports.
The fifth annual Games are taking place from June 23-30 in Hanoi, with the participation of Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Laos and Vietnam.
Nearly 250 student athletes are representing Vietnam to compete for medals in badminton, pencak silat, volleyball, and basketball, as well as table tennis, track and field, gymnastics, swimming and sepak takraw.
