Hanoi Sports:

The milestones of Hanoi's sports at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 33) are not just about medals, but also about a turning point that opens a new phase, a phase where human potential, training foundations, and groundbreaking policies are converging, creating opportunities for a strong "breakthrough" for the capital's sports in the new era.

The women's 4x400m relay team, featuring athletes Nguyen Thi Hang and Hoang Thi Minh Hanh, was unrivaled at the SEA Games 33.

New faces – the foundation for the future.

In 2025, Hanoi's sports scene received much good news from international competitions. Hanoi athletes played a leading role in winning the gold medal in the women's four-person sepak takraw event at the World Sepak Takraw Championships. The silver medal in the women's 4x400m relay at the Asian Athletics Championships bore the mark of two Hanoi athletes, Hoang Thi Minh Hanh and Nguyen Thi Hang. At the World Boxing Championships, boxer Ha Thi Linh won a bronze medal, considered one of the most impressive achievements of Vietnamese boxing on the world stage... At the recent SEA Games 33 held in Thailand, Hanoi athletes contributed 79 medals (29 gold, 23 silver, and 27 bronze), accounting for 33.33% of the total medals of the Vietnamese Sports Delegation. This further affirms the leading position of Hanoi's sports nationwide.

Notably, the gold medals won by Hanoi athletes are spread across Olympic and Asian Games sports with impressive achievements. Accordingly, Hanoi's athletics sector demonstrates an effective transition of talent with a promising new generation of athletes. Specifically, there are the two gold medals in important events won by Ho Trong Manh Hung (men's triple jump) and Bui Thi Kim Anh (women's high jump); the women's 4x400m relay team with the participation of Nguyen Thi Hang and Hoang Thi Minh Hanh; and the silver medal breaking the SEA Games record in the men's 400m by Ta Ngoc Tuong... This is not including the hundreds of gold medals that Hanoi athletes have won at numerous national championships.

According to Dinh Van Luyen, Director of the Hanoi Sports Training and Competition Center, the success is the result of persistent investment, a long-term vision, and unwavering commitment from the capital's sports sector. Since the 1990s, Hanoi's sports sector has been guided by the city in building its strength, with careful selection and long-term training of athletes abroad, hiring skilled experts, and investing heavily in infrastructure. This fundamental strategy has created the springboard for Hanoi's sports sector to break through and become a leading sports center in the country. "The athletes receive systematic training from an early age, with a long-term development roadmap, so when they join the national team, they can adapt very quickly and maintain stable performance in major tournaments such as the Southeast Asian Games or, further afield, the Asian Games and the Olympics," Mr. Dinh Van Luyen affirmed.

Policies to create a new impetus

Besides focusing on investing in human resources, a system of groundbreaking mechanisms and policies is considered a key factor in helping Hanoi's sports attract and retain talent. Pham Xuan Tai, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, affirmed: The success of Hanoi's sports in international competitions is the result of in-depth investment, especially the issuance and synchronized implementation of many important policies during the 2023-2025 period.

Accordingly, Hanoi provides long-term support to outstanding athletes, especially those who qualify for the Olympics or World Cup, with support up to 17 million VND per month for a period of 4 years. The medal reward system at world , Asian, and regional championships is clearly defined; coaches whose athletes achieve high results receive half the support of the athletes. The city also focuses on supporting athletes who have dedicated more than 5 years but are no longer able to compete.

In its development strategy until 2030, with a vision to 2045, Hanoi's sports sector aims to maintain its number one position overall at national sports events, while contributing approximately 30% of the gold medals to the Vietnamese sports delegation at the Southeast Asian Games. The success at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games is seen as a "boost" for Hanoi to improve its talent attraction mechanisms, enhance the quality of training and coaching, and maintain its leading role. Coach Bui Vinh (chess department, Hanoi Sports Training and Competition Center) said that the new policies help coaches dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to their professional work. Boxer Ha Thi Linh shared: "The new regulations help athletes better secure their lives, allowing them to focus on training and contributing."

The Government's issuance of Decree No. 349/2025/ND-CP, effective from February 15, 2026, is expected to provide a strong impetus for Vietnamese sports in general and Hanoi in particular. With the new incentives, the income of coaches and athletes will improve significantly, helping them feel secure and committed to the profession in the long term. However, according to experts, increased income is only part of the solution. For Hanoi sports and Vietnamese sports to develop sustainably, it is necessary to continue to comprehensively improve several factors: enhancing the quality of training, expanding opportunities for international competition, developing modern sports medicine, promoting the application of science and technology, and focusing on long-term training of successors. Only when these "pieces" are closely connected can Hanoi sports fully seize the opportunity, create a real breakthrough, and gradually realize the aspiration to conquer new heights on the continental and world sports map.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/the-thao-ha-noi-vuon-toi-nhung-dinh-cao-moi-734115.html