Vietnam’s 10th National Sports Games will award 973 medals across 48 sports, drawing roughly 12,000 athletes, coaches and officials plus about 200,000 guests, spectators and tourists to Ho Chi Minh City and three other host provinces, vietnam.vn reported. The quadrennial event — the country’s largest multi-sport gathering — returns to Ho Chi Minh City as its main venue for the first time in 20 years, with competition also staged in Dong Nai, Dong Thap and Hanoi across 34 venues, 31 of them in the southern metropolis.
Nguyen Hai Dang of Ho Chi Minh City, the world No. 75 and Vietnam’s top-ranked men’s player, is the defending champion after winning the title at the 2022 Games.
Hai Dang’s ranking gap overstates his cushion at home
On paper, the gap looks enormous. Hai Dang sits at No. 75 in the world rankings, far ahead of his nearest national rivals: Le Duc Phat of the Army at No. 207, Phan Phuc Thinh of Ho Chi Minh City at No. 209, and veteran Nguyen Tien Minh at No. 248, according to vietnam.vn. Yet the rankings do not fully reflect the actual level between the players. Vietnamese men’s badminton remains tightly contested, and the national Games have a habit of producing unpredictable results.
Le Duc Phat is considered the greatest challenge for Hai Dang. The two have battled fiercely for years, and despite recent injuries that disrupted his form, Duc Phat has again shown his quality with strong performances at international tournaments.
Phan Phuc Thinh, 23, is another name to watch. The Ho Chi Minh City player has progressed slowly but steadily, and his unexpected run to the second round of the Vietnam Open 2026 showed he can challenge higher-ranked opponents.
Tien Minh, 43, still reaches finals
Nguyen Tien Minh cannot be counted out. At 43, his physical condition is plainly the biggest obstacle for a player who once stood at No. 5 in the world, but he continues to display remarkable skill and experience. At a sports festival in Ho Chi Minh City in April, he won the men’s singles gold after Hai Dang withdrew from the final with an injury. Even if that victory came with some fortune attached, reaching the final at 43 is a notable achievement in itself.
Young talents will add energy and unpredictability to the draw. Tran Hoang Kha of Ho Chi Minh City, born in 2006, Nguyen Tat Duy Loi of Lam Dong, born in 2008, and Tran Quoc Khanh of Bac Ninh, born in 2006, are all entered.
Thuy Linh head and shoulders above the women’s field
While the men’s singles promises a hard fight, the women’s singles looks far more one-sided. Nguyen Thuy Linh of Dong Nai, ranked No. 27 in the world, is not only Vietnam’s best female player but also a regular at high-level international tournaments. Her experience at the top level and her comprehensive technical game set her apart from the domestic competition, vietnam.vn reported.
Her best-known rival is Vu Thi Trang of Ho Chi Minh City, currently No. 93 in the world. A former leading figure in Vietnamese women’s badminton, Trang has extensive experience and a technically gifted style, but at 34 she can no longer match the fitness levels of her prime.
Among the younger women, Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen of Dong Nai, born in 2011, and Bui Bich Phuong of Hanoi, born in 2007, stand out as the most promising talents. Thu Huyen, at just 15, will compete on the country’s biggest sporting stage — a sign of her exceptional developmental potential.
Games run from October through December across four provinces
The main competition program runs from Nov. 14 to Dec. 12, 2026, though some events begin earlier — Muay Thai starts Oct. 20, and the official opening ceremony is set for Oct. 22. The Games’ opening ceremony takes place on the evening of Nov. 21 at the Saigon Riverfront Park in Ho Chi Minh City, with the closing ceremony on Dec. 12 at the Phu Tho Sports Hall.
The 36 delegations come from 34 provinces and cities, plus representatives of the police and military, competing for 973 medal events. Organizers expect around 2,000 referees to officiate alongside the athletes and coaching staff.
Beyond the medals, the Games serve as a national evaluation tool — a chance to assess training and coaching, discover new talent and select the next generation of athletes for Vietnamese sport.
What to watch in the badminton hall
Second, whether Tien Minh, at 43, can again find a way into the business end of a major final. And third, whether Thuy Linh’s dominance in the women’s draw will finally be tested by Trang or one of the teenage talents.
With the main program beginning Nov. 14 and the opening ceremony on Nov. 21, badminton’s early rounds will offer an early gauge of form ahead of the finals week, when the Phu Tho Sports Hall hosts the closing ceremony on Dec. 12.
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