Opening of the 2025 International Youth Student Football Tournament - THACO Cup: Very attractive

After many days of careful preparation, yesterday, March 22, the 2025 International Youth Student Football Tournament - THACO Cup officially opened for the first time at Ton Duc Thang University (District 7, Ho Chi Minh City).

A tournament full of noble meaning.

A large crowd of fans, including students from the home team, Ton Duc Thang University, along with students from other universities such as the People's Police University, the University of Finance and Marketing, Saigon University, and Saigon Technology University, created a vibrant atmosphere in the stands. The impressive martial arts performance by the Ton Duc Thang University taekwondo team, followed by the song "Football is Number 1" by the MTV group, further fueled the excitement of the football match.

Distinguished delegates, officials, and members of the organizing committee went down to the field to encourage and cheer on the teams participating in the tournament.

PHOTO: Independence

Speaking at the opening ceremony, journalist Nguyen Ngoc Toan, Vice President of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union, Editor-in-Chief of Thanh Nien Newspaper, and Head of the Organizing Committee of the tournament, said: "Right after the end of the first season of the Vietnam Student Youth Tournament, Thanh Nien Newspaper conceived the idea and developed a roadmap for an international tournament for students. With the enthusiastic encouragement and support of our partner - THACO Group, the coordinating organizations: Saigon Tourism Corporation - Saigontourist Group, Ton Duc Thang University, and the professional support of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), this year we have turned that idea into reality."

Journalist Nguyen Ngoc Toan, Vice President of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union, Editor-in-Chief of Thanh Nien Newspaper, and Head of the Organizing Committee of the competition, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony.

PHOTO: Independence

Journalist Nguyen Ngoc Toan emphasized: "The goal of this international tournament for students is not only to give players more opportunities to gain professional experience, contributing to improving their football skills and aiming to become an important source of talent for national teams, but also to help universities in the region strengthen integration, build friendly relationships, and establish cooperative partnerships. The organizing committee hopes that the matches of the international student tournament will recreate the image of dramatic, exciting, and captivating competitions of national teams in the region. The players will compete with determination but still maintain a spirit of fair play and friendship to create a successful tournament with many positive impressions together with the organizing committee."

Journalist Nguyen Ngoc Toan, Vice President of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union, Editor-in-Chief of Thanh Nien Newspaper, and Head of the Organizing Committee of the competition, and Mr. Pham Van Tai, General Director of THACO Group - the main sponsor of the 2025 International Youth Volunteers Championship, introduced the 2025 International Youth Volunteers Championship trophy - the THACO Cup.

Photo: Independent

Impressed with the organization.

Attending the opening ceremony, VFF Vice President Tran Anh Tu commented: "The International Student Football Tournament organized by Thanh Nien Newspaper is in no way inferior to a professional tournament. Besides that, I see the enthusiasm of the participating teams along with the large number of cheering spectators, which shows the attractiveness of the tournament. School football always plays an important role in the development of sports in general and football in particular. School football in Vietnam is receiving more and more attention. I believe that in the future we will have a strong student football tournament like those in Southeast Asia such as Thailand, or in the continent such as Japan and South Korea."

In its inaugural edition, the organizers aimed to create a platform for student football teams from Southeast Asia to gain a clear understanding of the strengths of ASEAN school football. In fact, the tournament has seen the participation of champions from Cambodia, Singapore, and Vietnam.

The teams parade at the opening ceremony.

PHOTO: Independence

The Deputy Director General of the Cambodian General Department of Sports, Mr. Va Vannak, affirmed: "The International Student Football Tournament is a very good initiative of Thanh Nien Newspaper. This will be a good foundation for building cooperation between universities in Southeast Asia in particular and internationally in general, through sports. Being here, I am truly impressed by the infrastructure and equipment of the host institution, Ton Duc Thang University, which are very spacious and modern. The performance of the student teams on the opening day also met high standards. The tournament has had a great significance for education through sports in ASEAN. If this momentum is maintained, through quality tournaments like the one Thanh Nien Newspaper is organizing, sports will receive more focused policies to balance education and sports."

The opening ceremony was attended by distinguished guests including: Ms. Nguyen Pham Duy Trang, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and President of the Central Council of the Young Pioneers; Mr. Tran Trong Dung, Vice President of the Vietnam Journalists Association; Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh, Deputy Director of the Department of Sports and Physical Education of Vietnam, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Mr. Le Thang Loi, representative of the Ministry of Education and Training and Director of the Southern Center for Education and Training Development; Mr. Tran Anh Tu, Vice President of the Vietnam Football Federation; Mr. Nguyen Minh Tam, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City; Ms. Tran Thi Dieu Thuy, Vice President of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City; Mr. Nguyen Nam Nhan, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City; and Dr. Vu Anh Duc, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ton Duc Thang University.

Among the international guests were Mr. Phonesy Bounmixay, Consul General of the Lao People's Democratic Republic in Ho Chi Minh City; Mr. Bun Khunny, Consul of the Kingdom of Cambodia in Ho Chi Minh City; Mr. Prum Bunyi, Advisor to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of Cambodia; Mr. Va Vannak, Deputy Director General of the General Department of Sports of Cambodia; and Dr. Khamtanh Somvong, Education and Cultural Counselor, Embassy of Laos in Vietnam.

The sponsors include: Mr. Pham Van Tai, General Director of THACO Group - the main sponsor of the 2025 International Student Games - THACO Cup; Mr. Nguyen Dong Hoa, Deputy General Director of Saigontourist Group; Mr. Ha Chi Hieu, Deputy Director of Vietnam Foreign Trade Commercial Bank (Vietcombank) Ho Chi Minh City branch; Mr. Le Dong Tuan, Acting Director of Saigon - Hanoi Commercial Bank (SHB) Ho Chi Minh City branch; along with partners such as Vietnam Airlines, Bao Uyen Sport Co., Ltd. (Bulbal brand), Dong Luc Joint Stock Company, Nam Saigon Hospital, AAA Insurance, Ton Duc Thang University, FPT Play Television…