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| The festival’s traditional torch is lit at Ho Chi Minh Museum |
The opening ceremony of the 10th Hue City Sports Festival 2026 brought together nearly 5,000 participants from 40 communes and wards, the armed forces, Hue University, high-performance athletes, and referees. Their presence reflected the diversity of the city’s sports movement, with each delegation representing not only its locality or organization but also contributing to a shared spirit of solidarity and strong community ties.
Under the theme ‘Hue’s Aspirations - Taking Sports to New Heights’, the performances and mass displays at the opening ceremony told a cohesive story, combining lion-unicorn-dragon dances, Vovinam and Karate martial arts, and mass performances. These were presented by nearly 2,000 athletes and performers; the program brought tradition and modernity together while conveying the image of a city rich in cultural identity, dynamic, and confident as it enters a new phase of development with aspirations to reach new heights.
As a festival celebrating determination, sportsmanship, and aspiration to reach new heights, the 10th Hue City Sports Festival features 18 sports, including chess, football, karate, taekwondo, athletics, swimming, badminton, cross-country running, table tennis, volleyball, wrestling, crossbow shooting, boat racing, Chinese chess, Vovinam, shuttlecock kicking, billiards, and petanque. The festival began in September 2025 and concluded in late September 2026.
Previously, following the launch of the two-tier local government system, 40 communes and wards across Hue also organized and completed their grassroots-level sports festivals, drawing large numbers of residents to take part and cheer on the competitions.
Building on the achievements at the grassroots level, the city’s Sports Festival brings together athletes to showcase the local sports movement and promote physical fitness, while providing an opportunity to assess sports development across localities and select outstanding athletes for the 10th National Sports Festival, scheduled for November in Ho Chi Minh City.
According to Mr. Tran Huu Thuy Giang, Vice Chairman of Hue City People’s Committee, the movements ‘Everyone Exercises Following the Model of the Great Uncle Ho’ and ‘Every Citizen Chooses at least One Suitable Sport for Regular Practice’ are gaining widespread momentum across Hue City. In high-performance sports, many athletes have achieved outstanding results at national, regional, and international competitions, including SEA Games and ASIAD, contributing to strengthening the city’s standing in the sporting arena.
As Hue enters a new era, the city is forging ahead, emerging as a green, smart, and dynamic heritage city with a strong cultural identity. In line with this development vision, physical exercise and sports have remained a key focus of the city’s Party Committee, People’s Council, and People’s Committee, which provide comprehensive leadership and direction for the sector.
“Physical exercise and sports are not only vital to improving public health and fitness, enhancing physical stature and enriching people’s spiritual lives, but also serve as a practical cultural and economic resource. Closely linked to the development of tourism, services, and the local sports economy, the sector makes a positive contribution to rapid and sustainable socio-economic growth, joining hands to realize the double-digit growth target set out by the authorities at the resolutions of the City’s Party Congress,” emphasized Mr. Tran Huu Thuy Giang, Vice Chairman of Hue City People’s Committee.
The following are a series of photos taken at the 10th Hue City Sports Festival 2026:
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| Outstanding athletes from Hue proudly carrying the traditional torch from the Ho Chi Minh Museum to the opening ceremony venue… |
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| …At that moment, nearly 5,000 participants had gathered at the sports arena for the opening ceremony |
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| Lighting the traditional torch at the opening ceremony |
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| Mr. Le Tri Thanh, Deputy Secretary of Hue City Party Committee and Chairman of the City People’s Committee, presents flags and encourages the athletes ahead of the competition |
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| The festival opens with a unicorn - lion - dragon dance performance |
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| Followed by a Vovinam mass performance |
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| Interspersing with the sports festival are colorful music performances and traditional art performances |
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| … showcasing Hue as a dynamic and modern city |
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| The mass performance by Nghia Dung Karate practitioners leaves a strong impression on the audience |
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| The opening ceremony of the 10th Hue City Sports Festival 2026 conveys a message of a city rich in cultural identity, dynamic, and confident as it enters a new phase of development with aspirations to reach new heights |
