My Dinh Stadium prioritizes sports activities as number one

On the afternoon of April 21, at the regular press conference of the first quarter of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, answering reporters' questions about the exploitation and use of My Dinh National Stadium, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Sports and Physical Training Department Le Thi Hoang Yen said that since its inauguration, My Dinh National Stadium has successfully organized many important sporting events, including the 22nd SEA Games in 2003 and most recently the 31st SEA Games in 2022.

In addition, My Dinh Stadium is also the venue for many major political and social events such as the ceremony to celebrate the success of the National Party Congress, cultural events, and national festivals.

Deputy Director of the Vietnam Sports Administration Le Thi Hoang Yen informed at a press conference on the afternoon of April 21.

Regarding the 2024 ASEAN Cup football championship when the Vietnamese team will compete at Viet Tri Stadium, Phu Tho to give up My Dinh Stadium for another event, Deputy Director Le Thi Hoang Yen shared: "Before the tournament, the national men's football team was not highly rated, because their performance under coach Philippe Troussier was not good. Therefore, experts have proactively quantified that the number of spectators coming to the stadium will not be too crowded and Viet Tri Stadium, Phu Tho is considered a more suitable venue to organize the group stage.

Phu Tho has successfully hosted Groups A and B of the SEA Games. The survey teams of AFF, AFC and Vietnam Football Federation also unanimously assessed Viet Tri Stadium, Phu Tho as suitable for hosting."

According to Ms. Le Thi Hoang Yen, when the team reached the semi-finals, many opinions suggested bringing the team back to play at My Dinh Stadium. However, because the team was playing well and achieving good results at Viet Tri Stadium, Phu Tho, experts and the Vietnam Football Federation agreed to continue organizing here to maintain a stable competition rhythm.

Press conference scene.

Regarding the principles of using My Dinh National Stadium, Deputy Director Le Thi Hoang Yen affirmed: "My Dinh Stadium must of course prioritize sports first. Then come other cultural and entertainment events."

However, the Deputy Director also shared the difficulties in operation: "My Dinh National Stadium is a financially autonomous unit, so it is very difficult to ensure funding for maintenance, upkeep, and care of the field and facilities. Therefore, renting out to organize large cultural and entertainment events is also a solution to ensure revenue, but the principle is not to affect the schedule of use for top sports".

The Deputy Director of the Vietnam Sports Department also added that national team matches do not necessarily have to be played at My Dinh Stadium.

"In many countries around the world and in the region, the national team does not necessarily have to play at one stadium but can play at many different stadiums. Therefore, organizing national team matches in Phu Tho, Binh Duong or other places across the country is very normal and will be decided by professional agencies," said Ms. Le Thi Hoang Yen.

Deputy Director of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Pham Van Thuy at the press conference on the afternoon of April 21.

Also at the press conference, sharing about the establishment of Vietnam's tourism promotion office abroad, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Pham Van Thuy said that with the goal of welcoming 22 - 23 million international visitors by 2025; serving 120 - 130 million domestic visitors, the tourism industry always focuses on perfecting services and tourism infrastructure to welcome and serve international visitors, especially the high-spending tourist market and strengthening promotional activities, bringing the image of Vietnam's tourism to more international visitors, expanding potential tourist markets, in addition to traditional markets.

Regarding the Project to establish a Vietnam Tourism Promotion Office in Laos, Deputy Director Pham Van Thuy shared that Laos is located on the "1 journey - 3 destinations" route of Vietnam - Laos - Cambodia, linking tourism development between neighboring countries not only contributes significantly to economic growth but also serves as an important bridge in connecting cooperative relations between Vietnam and other countries.

Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have worked with relevant parties to promote this tourism cooperation.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/san-van-dong-my-dinh-uu-tien-cho-hoat-dong-the-thao-la-so-mot-20250421211257767.htm