1st Dong Nai City Sports Festival 2026 opens

The Dong Nai City People's Committee solemnly held the opening ceremony of the 1st Dong Nai City Sports Festival 2026 on the evening of August 28 at the stadium of the Dong Nai City Military Command in Tan Trieu Ward.

Scene from the opening ceremony of the 1st Dong Nai City Sports Festival 2026. Photo: Huy Anh

The ceremony was attended by Nguyen Trong Ho, Deputy Director of the Sports Authority of Vietnam under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Nguyen Huu Dat, Head of the Representative Office of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Ho Chi Minh City.

Performers carry a large Vietnamese national flag during the opening ceremony. Photo: Huy Anh

Dong Nai City leaders attending the event included Ton Ngoc Hanh, Member of the Party Central Committee, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Dong Nai City Party Committee (CPC) and Chairwoman of the City People's Council; Nguyen Van Ut, Deputy Secretary of the CPC and Chairman of the City People's Committee; Vo Tan Duc, Deputy Secretary of the CPC; and Huynh Thi Hang, Deputy Secretary of the CPC and Chairwoman of the City Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee. Also present were members of the CPC’s Standing Board and the CPC’s Executive Board; leaders of departments, agencies, mass organizations, and armed forces; leaders of communes, wards, and businesses; along with a large number of coaches, athletes, and residents in the city.

The opening ceremony comprised two main parts: the formal ceremony and the festival program. During the formal ceremony, rituals were conducted solemnly and in accordance with regulations, including the procession of the Vietnamese national flag and the portrait of President Ho Chi Minh; the flag parade; and a parade showcasing the strength of 15 athletic delegations from communes and wards across the city, together with representatives of city departments, agencies, and mass organizations. Notably, traditional rituals, including the festive drums, the parade of forces, the torch relay to light the traditional cauldron, and the flag salute, made a strong impression on the audience.

The flag parade enters the grandstand. Photo: Huy Anh - Thanh Nhan

The festival program featured art and sports performances with several vibrant and engaging themes, including "Opening the Frontier," "Physical Training Following Uncle Ho's Example," and "Dong Nai Sports Conquering the Heights." The performances were elaborately staged, combining artistic performances, sports demonstrations, and displays involving a large number of athletes, performers, armed forces personnel, and students from the city. In particular, artistic performances, mass sports demonstrations, theatrical arts, and modern lighting effects recreated the city's socioeconomic and sporting achievements.

Sports delegations from communes and wards across Dong Nai City take part in the parade. Photo: Huy Anh - Thanh Nhan

The 1st Dong Nai City Sports Festival 2026 features 24 official sports. As of August 20, competitions had been held in 19 of the 24 sports, reaching 79% of the planned schedule. Through these competitions, the Organizing Committee awarded 236 sets of medals, with more than 3,000 athlete entries recorded. Competitions in the remaining five sports, including athletics, men's and women's volleyball, vovinam, tug-of-war, and swimming, are continuing and are scheduled to be completed by September 15.

The sports delegation from the Dong Nai City Military Command participates in the parade. Photo: Huy Anh

The sports delegation of the Dong Nai City Public Security enters the grandstand. Photo: Huy Anh

With the motto "Being healthy to build and defend the Fatherland," the sports movement in Dong Nai City has in recent years consistently received the attention, leadership, and guidance of the CPC, the City People's Council, the City People's Committee, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, as well as coordination from departments, agencies, mass organizations, and authorities at all levels.

As a result, the mass sports movement has seen positive changes and become increasingly substantive, helping improve people's health, physical fitness, and mental well-being. Through the movement, the city has discovered, selected, and trained many talented athletes who have gone on to achieve strong results at domestic and international sports competitions.

The pupil and student contingent takes part in the parade, representing the younger generation and symbolizing youthful vitality, intellect, aspiration, knowledge, determination to advance, and a spirit of dedication. Photo: Thanh Nhan

The sports delegation representing the city's 12 sports federations enters the grandstand. Photo: Huy Anh

To date, Dong Nai sports have produced many generations of elite athletes who have left proud marks on the national, regional, and international stages.

Many sports, including athletics, badminton, sepak takraw, Chinese chess, swimming and diving, kickboxing, judo, jujitsu, football, and dancesport, have gradually established their positions, contributing to enriching the local sports tradition.

Notably, in 2026, Dong Nai football continued to make its mark, with the team officially securing promotion to the V.League. The achievement has generated further motivation, confidence, and expectations for the city's sports in a new phase.

The torch relay delegation enters the stadium and approaches the grandstand. Photo: Huy Anh

Deputy Secretary of the Dong Nai CPC and Chairman of the City People's Committee Nguyen Van Ut lights the festival flame. Photo: Thanh Nhan

In addition, the city's volleyball team is also aiming to secure promotion to compete in the National Championship in 2027. These goals show that high-performance sports in Dong Nai are making positive progress, with a focus on developing a contingent of athletes capable of competing at major sporting events.

Le Truong Son, Member of the CPC’s Standing Board, Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee and Head of the Steering Committee for the 1st Dong Nai City Sports Festival 2026, delivers the opening remarks. Photo: Huy Anh

In his opening speech, Le Truong Son, Member of the CPC’s Standing Board, Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee and Head of the Steering Committee for the 1st Dong Nai City Sports Festival 2026, emphasized, "Today, in the joyful atmosphere as the entire Party, people, and military are competing to achieve success to celebrate the 81st anniversary of the August Revolution and the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; and in the proud and enthusiastic spirit of Dong Nai City, a new city rising strongly, the Dong Nai City People's Committee solemnly organizes the opening ceremony of the 1st Dong Nai City Sports Festival 2026."

The festival is a sports event of special importance and a major festival for all walks of life in the city. It is also an occasion to showcase the strength of the great national unity bloc, assess the development of the sports movement, and continue to inspire the spirit of physical training throughout society.

Ton Ngoc Hanh, Member of the Party Central Committee, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the CPC and Chairwoman of the City People's Council, and Vo Tan Duc, Deputy Secretary of the CPC, present flowers and commemorative flags to delegations participating in the opening ceremony. Photo: Huy Anh

Nguyen Van Ut, Deputy Secretary of the CPC and Chairman of the City People's Committee, presents commemorative flags to delegations participating in the opening ceremony. Photo: Thanh Nhan

Huynh Thi Hang, Deputy Secretary of the CPC and Chairwoman of the City Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, presents flowers to delegations participating in the opening ceremony. Photo: Thanh Nhan

The 1st Dong Nai City Sports Festival 2026 is organized on a scale of 24 competition events, attracting more than 5,000 athletes from 95 communes, wards, and armed forces units across the city.

The festival is held at a particularly significant time, as Dong Nai City officially enters a new stage of development with a new scale, development space, and stature. Therefore, the festival is not merely a sports event but also a celebration of solidarity, willpower, resilience, and Dong Nai City's aspiration to advance.

"Through the competition events at the festival, we have the conditions to accurately assess the sports movement at the grassroots level and discover new elements and athletes with aptitude and promise for continued training and development to supplement the city's teams," emphasized Le Truong Son.

Unique artistic performances leave a strong impression on the audience. Photo: Huy Anh

By H. Anh, T. Nhan, G. Nam – Translated by Minh Hong, Minho