The Lao Cai Provincial People’s Committee launched the region’s inaugural provincial sports festival on the evening of October 28, bringing together roughly 2,500 athletes to compete across 18 disciplines, vietnam.vn reported. Duong Quoc Huy, a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and secretary of the Lao Cai Provincial Party Committee, attended the opening ceremony and lit the traditional festival torch.
Two-Phase Competition Structure Features 165 Medals
The multi-sport event features 165 total medals across its 18 contested sports. Organizers split the competition schedule into two distinct phases to manage the large contingent of participants. The initial phase encompassed 12 sports, featuring men’s football, futsal, swimming, karate, chess, archery, and stick pushing.
A second phase ran from October 28 through October 31, hosting the remaining six disciplines: athletics, badminton, table tennis, volleyball, sepak takraw, and pickleball. Marching contingents paraded through the venue during the opening ceremonies to showcase regional participation ahead of the tournament events.
Grassroots Sports Growth and Ethnic Traditions
Vu Thi Hien Hanh, vice-chairwoman of the Lao Cai Provincial People’s Committee and head of the congress organizing committee, delivered the opening remarks. She cited Ho Chi Minh’s teaching that a strong populace creates a prosperous nation, noting that the provincial government consistently invests in sports infrastructure, grassroots physical education, and elite athlete development alongside socio-economic growth.
According to provincial figures presented by Vu Thi Hien Hanh, Lao Cai now hosts more than 2,000 sports clubs, with over 40% of the local population regularly engaging in physical exercise. Regional authorities actively preserve and promote traditional sports belonging to ethnic minority groups, integrating them into the local cultural framework alongside competitive high-performance sports.
Selection Path Toward the 2026 National Games
Provincial leaders positioned the multi-sport festival as a primary selection ground to evaluate talent and assemble the official Lao Cai delegation for the upcoming 10th National Sports Festival in 2026. Organizers intend for the successful execution of the provincial games to stimulate further physical education programs across local schools, residential quarters, and family units.
