On the morning of July 9, the The Grand Esports 2026 event series officially opened at My Dinh Athletics Sports Palace (Hanoi), opening a new stage of development for Vietnamese e-sports in a professional direction, associated with the strategy of developing the cultural industry, sports economy and digital economy.
The event is directed by the Vietnam Department of Physical Education and Sports (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), in coordination with VTC Multimedia Corporation and specialized units.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Dao Cuong said that this is an important milestone for the development of Vietnamese esports.
Today's event marks an important shift of Vietnamese esports to a more systematic, professional and legitimate development stage, and also demonstrates the State's determination to accompany new sports fields in the digital environment, in line with development and integration trends.
We expect The Grand Esport 2026 to be a premise for forming a mechanism to honor official names for athletes, coaches, Esport clubs, businesses, and individuals who have made many contributions to the development of Esport.
We hope to receive the companionship of businesses, organizations, international partners and the community to build a professional and sustainable Esport Vietnam ecosystem.
I hope the athletes will compete with talent, bravery and fair play spirit, spreading the positive values of e-sports and the image of Vietnam being dynamic, creative, and integrated," the Deputy Minister emphasized.
With the message "National Stature - International Spreading", The Grand Esports 2026 is built according to a national-scale e-sports festival model, combining competition, technology experience, community exchange and professional activities.
The event series includes 4 main components: Vietnam National E-Sports Cup (VENC), International Esports Tournament (EGC), Grand Esports Festival and Grand Esports Awards.
According to the Organizing Committee, this year's season has more than 1,000 athletes participating in competition throughout, especially the final round gathers more than 130 athletes and members from 10 countries, taking place from July 9 to 12.
In addition to tournaments, the forum "Creating the future of Vietnamese Esports - Elevating the national level, spreading internationally" also attracts the participation of management agencies, businesses, technology experts and game publishing units to discuss long-term development orientations.
Mr. Nguyen Danh Hoang Viet - Director of the Vietnam Sports Administration, said that Esports is being seen as a modern sport, playing a role in the national sports development strategy.
We are researching the development of an annual Esports Award chaired by state management agencies. This will not only be an honor for outstanding athletes, coaches or clubs, but also recognize businesses, publishers, media units and individuals who have contributed to building the Vietnamese Esports ecosystem," the Director said.
Closing the series of activities will be the Grand Esports Awards 2026 ceremony on the evening of July 11 to honor individuals, collectives and businesses who have contributed to the development of Vietnamese e-sports.
