Hanoi, Vietnam to host the 31st SEA Games in 2022 03:38, 06/05/2022

Originally scheduled for November and December of 2021, but the SEA Games 31 were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 31st SEA Games will now take place from 6 May to 23 May 2022 in Hanoi, Vietnam, and 11 nearby provinces across the country. The opening ceremony will be held at My Dinh Stadium on May 12 at 8 p.m., and the 31st SEA Games will end at 8 p.m. on May 23 at a closing ceremony at the Athletics Arena, Hanoi. 

Hanoi will be the central location for the SEA Games in 2022, with satellite cities hosting other events and competitions. Hanoi will host 28 competitions at 18 venues, and the rest will hosted by Bac Ninh, Hai Duong, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh, Vinh Phuc, Phu Tho, and Bac Giang.

Ensuring COVID-19safety is the Health Subcommittee's top priority. All athletes and officials will need to enter Vietnam with a negative RT-PCR COVID-19 test and rapid test again within 24 hours of entry and before competing in their event. Spectators will not have to show a negative covid test to enter, but venue capacities will be determined by the real-time COVID-19 situation at each venue. Spectators will not need to show a negative covid test or a medical declaration, but the maximum capacity of the venue will be determined by the real-time COVID-19 situation in each location.

In this year’s SEA Games, golf tournament will be played at Heron Lake Golf Course (Vinh Yen, Vinh Phuc) with athletes from 09 countries for the men’s group and 07 countries for the women’s group. Currently, the leading country in terms of regional golf performance is Thailand. At the last SEA Games in 2019 in the Philippines, the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore are holding medals in golf categories. 

This is the 7th time Vietnam has participated in the golf competition at the SEA Games since the 23rd SEA Games held in Thailand. Vietnam’s best achievement so far belongs to female athlete Nguyen Thao My, who finished in 11th place in the women’s group at the 28th SEA Games (2015) in Singapore. To achieve the goal of having a medal, the Vietnam Golf Association (VGA) in conjunction with the General Department of Sports has planned to prepare and select athletes from the end of 2021.