At that time, sports were the spirit. It is the will to overcome difficulties amidst countless shortages. Athletes go to training by bicycle, eat and drink a lot, but still compete with a pride in iron and steel. In the first SEA Games after the unification (first participated in 1989), Vietnam stood modestly in the bottom group, but no one was discouraged. Because there is a long way to go.
The first 3 decades after liberation were the create period. We gradually have a training center, a youth training strategy, and international integration. Football, athletics, swimming, weightlifting, shooting, figure-ups, martial arts... have gradually improved. The 2003 SEA Games in Hanoi was a turning point. For the first time, Vietnam is leading the whole group, not because we are the host, but because we have prepared carefully, methodically, and deeply.
Over the past 20 years, Vietnamese sports have gradually affirmed their position in the continent and the world. Hoang Xuan Vinh's Olympic Gold Medal, ASIAD Medal in athletics, weightlifting, World Gold Medal in martial arts, many sports, many athletes making their mark in international arenas, achievements of the men's and women's football teams, youth teams... are proof of the strong transformation.
50 years is a very long journey for life, but only starting with Vietnamese sports. The front is a challenge of high -achievement sports in the age of science and technology, a regional competitive pressure, a story of professionalization and sports economy. The more developed, the more you need to be cared for, the strategy needs to be clear, the long -term investment, the methodical training and respect for the person to do.
Sports development cannot be separated from the development of the country. A strong Vietnam needs a sport of great stature. Look back 50 years to appreciate the past. And from there, confident in the future. A future of Vietnamese sports is not only present but also shines.
