On September 13, Ngoc Trao Commune People's Committee, Thanh Hoa province organized the opening ceremony of the 2026 Ngoc Trao Open Volleyball Tournament, celebrating the 85th anniversary of the establishment of Ngoc Trao War Zone (September 19, 1941 - September 19, 2026).
Ngoc Trao volleyball tournament is a traditional sports activity, maintained for nearly 30 years, attracting a large number of local people and neighboring areas to watch and cheer.
This year's tournament has 6 participating teams, divided into two groups. Group A includes Ngoc Trao, Thach Quang and Pho Cat teams; group B includes Thach Son - Thach Cam, Thanh Vinh and Agribank Ha Tinh teams.
The teams compete in a single round-robin format, selecting the two teams with the best results in each group to enter the semi-finals.
In addition to local athletes, many teams have strengthened with professional players from other provinces and cities, contributing to improving the professional quality and attractiveness of the tournament.
Right from the first matches, the competition area attracted thousands of spectators to watch and cheer.
The two semi-finals and the final match were held in the afternoon of September 13. After the final match, the Organizing Committee proceeded to award prizes to teams with high achievements.
The tournament is one of the activities towards the 85th anniversary of the establishment of Ngoc Trao War Zone - a place associated with an important milestone in the revolutionary history of Thanh Hoa.
The special feature of the Ngoc Trao Volleyball Tournament is that although it is only organized at the local level, it has still created great attraction for many years, gathering many athletes with high professional qualifications, including professional players who are playing for strong clubs and units inside and outside the province.
The fact that teams have increased quality hitters has significantly improved the professional level of the tournament, many matches have taken place fiercely, attractively and attracted thousands of spectators to the stadium to cheer.
According to historical documents, in mid-1941, before the requirement to build forces and revolutionary bases, the Thanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee decided to build the Ngoc Trao War Zone. On the night of September 19, 1941, at Hang Treo, the Ngoc Trao Guerrilla Team was officially established with 21 soldiers, divided into 3 squads, commanded by Comrade Dang Chau Tue. This was the first concentrated armed force of the Thanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee.
The birth of the Ngoc Trao War Zone and Guerrilla Team marked a new development step of the revolutionary movement in Thanh Hoa, contributing to preparing forces for the General Uprising to seize power in August 1945. Ngoc Trao War Zone is considered one of the important pre-uprising bases, formed during the stage of preparing revolutionary forces nationwide.
On September 27, 1994, the Ngoc Trao Guerrilla War Zone Relic was recognized as a national-level revolutionary historical relic. This is also the place where the Ngoc Trao Guerrilla Team was established - a force identified as the predecessor of the Thanh Hoa province armed forces.
Today, the relic site has become a "red address" serving sightseeing and revolutionary tradition education activities for generations. Therefore, maintaining the Ngoc Trao Volleyball Tournament and cultural and sports activities on September 19 every year not only creates a playground for people but also contributes to linking community activities with preserving and spreading the historical values of the Ngoc Trao War Zone.
