Shaping marks
Sports expert Nguyen Hong Minh (former Director of the High-Performance Sports Department 1, General Department of Sports and Physical Training of Vietnam) once gave an overview that: "Vietnamese sports have been formed and developed through many historical periods. We see the imprints in investment in the difficult economic period before until Vietnam achieved valuable results at the SEA Games, ASIAD or Olympics. All milestones show the goals, policy planning and implementation methods of managers so that the country's sports affirm their position.
Over 80 years of formation and development, Vietnamese Sports in particular has had memorable milestones by winning the first Gold Medal at the SEA Games in 1989 (since reintegrating into the international arena). At the 2003 SEA Games, Vietnamese Sports for the first time topped Southeast Asia with 158 Gold Medals, 97 Silver Medals, 91 Bronze Medals.
Following that, Vietnamese Sports continuously won Gold Medals at the Asian Games (ASIAD) from 1994 to now. And, a major turning point was recorded with the achievement of 1 Gold Medal, 1 Silver Medal at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil by shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh.
Former Deputy Director General of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training, Mr. Lam Quang Thanh once assessed that the change in development of achievements that Vietnamese Sports has achieved internationally is carefully calculated in investment including nutrition, regimes, facilities, technical expertise in sports. Mr. Thanh once analyzed: "We have overcome the initial hesitation of participating in international arenas to accumulate and learn. In the past 20 years, many Vietnamese athletes have achieved high results at the Asian and world levels in basic Olympic sports such as weightlifting, athletics, shooting, gymnastics, swimming... Thus, managers clearly define investment will achieve efficiency according to their goals".
Vietnamese sports are constantly developing
Recognizing the reality of the development of Vietnamese Sports, former Head of the Vietnamese Sports Delegation Tran Duc Phan (former Deputy Director General of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training) said that the continuous development of Vietnamese Sports in the past 80 years is substantive, not superficial.
“Development is not only seen in achievements but also in the State's investment. If previously, Vietnamese sports focused on sending athletes to training at training points in Southeast Asia or Asia, now, many athletes are training for a long time in Europe or the United States. Vietnamese sports has invested heavily in key faces and the achievements they bring help Vietnamese sports have a large position in Southeast Asia, Asia... We have won Gold Medals in many Olympic sports at Asian and world tournaments,” Mr. Tran Duc Phan analyzed.
The transformation of Vietnamese Sports is clearly affirmed when we were the host of the 2 SEA Games in 2003 and 2022. In these 2 Games, Vietnamese Sports faced many difficulties in the preparation process. However, the 2 Games took place well, receiving high appreciation from regional friends.
The 2003 SEA Games was the time for the National Sports Complex to be born. To prepare for this Congress, Vietnamese Sports had a National Stadium of 40,000 seats, a National Aquatic Sports Palace of 3,500 seats... These are national-level facilities, affirming the development that Vietnamese Sports is invested in to perform professional tasks.
One of the contents in Article 4 on State Policy on the Development of Physical Education and Sports of the Law on Physical Education and Sports clearly states: "Developing the cause of physical education and sports to improve the health, physical strength, and stature of Vietnamese people, contributing to improving the cultural and spiritual life of the people, strengthening international cooperation and exchanges on sports, and enhancing understanding between nations and peoples to serve the cause of building and protecting the Fatherland.
