Hue Sports Festival 2026: Looking Beyond the Games

City leaders, representatives from departments, agencies, and athletes conquering the Hueba Jogging Marathon at Hue Sports Festival 2025

Joining Hands for the Community

The 2025 edition of Hue Sports Festival featured 12 activities. Before, during, and even after the event, the primary concern for participating organizations and businesses was not the festival’s quality, scale, or audience turnout, but whether they would have the financial resources to take part again in the next edition.

In fact, concerns over funding surfaced as early as the festival’s inaugural edition in 2023. The reality is that most participating organizations are small and micro-sized businesses, while the event is staged primarily for the benefit of the community rather than for profit, making financial losses almost unavoidable.

Despite those concerns, individuals and businesses have continued to support the festival, with participation growing steadily year after year. The clearest evidence is the festival’s remarkable growth, from just 8 activities at its inaugural edition in 2023 to 10 in 2024, 12 in 2025, and 19 in 2026. What do these numbers tell us?

They reflect the dedication and efforts of participating businesses, the growing appeal of Hue’s flagship community-backed sports event, and the shared commitment of individuals, organizations, and businesses to promoting sports and physical activity, boosting tourism, and contributing to shaping a more dynamic, youthful, and vibrant Hue City.

All of these are true, but they are not enough to tell the whole story. The festival also serves as a chance to express innovative thinking, long-term vision, effective execution, and the proven capability that has earned the confidence of local authorities to entrust organizers with major responsibilities. More importantly, it embodies the dedication and sense of responsibility of individuals and organizations, demonstrated through tangible actions for the development of their hometown.

A performance at the opening ceremony of Hue Sports Festival 2025

Aiming for Bigger Goals

Hue Sports Festival 2026 features 19 activities, several of which are being introduced for the first time, including Taekwondo, health-enhancing exercise, Hue Night Jogging, archery, Aqua Warriors (a swim-run race), and Amazing Marathon. Among them, Hue Night Jogging not only offers athletes a fresh and distinctive racing experience but also pursues broader, long-term objectives beyond the event itself.

According to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Anh Khoa, Chairman of Hue PUN75 Rapid Response Association (the event organizer), Hue Night Jogging offers a memorable experience as runners make their way across the city’s vibrant nightlife. Along the 5-km route, runners can stop at colorful check-in spots, enjoy Hue’s signature cuisine, and immerse themselves in the lively atmosphere of the city’s food streets, cafes, pubs, and beer clubs…

Beyond continuing to promote sports and physical activity, the marathon is also intended to become a compelling nighttime tourism product. It is expected to encourage longer visitor stays, increase tourist spending, create new business opportunities for the retail, food and beverage, accommodation, and entertainment sectors, and advance Hue’s ongoing strategy to develop its nighttime economy.

Alongside the festival’s new additions, Hue Sports Festival 2026 also welcomes back ‘familiar favorites’, including pickleball, yoga, balance bike racing, badminton, basketball, three-cushion carom billiards, seven-a-side football, tennis, Dance Showcase, and Dance sport. Their returns not only underscore the enduring appeal of each activity but also reflect the admirable commitment of individuals and businesses that have overcome financial constraints to continue contributing, inspiring a passion for sports, and creating a meaningful playground for the community.

According to Vice Chairman of the City People’s Committee Tran Huu Thuy Giang, during Hue Sports Festival 2026, the city has directed relevant departments and agencies to provide participating organizations and businesses with support in security, traffic management, medical services, competition venues…. This coordinated support will ensure that all activities are delivered in a more professional, well-organized, and safe manner.

“Hue Sports Festival has established itself as a potential platform for promoting sports and physical activity, stimulating tourism, and supporting the nighttime economy, while contributing to the development of a more vibrant, modern, and prosperous Hue. In future editions, we hope to attract even greater participation from both residents and businesses to further expand the festival’s scale. We also plan to encourage businesses to sponsor and organize individual events, with the aim of integrating the Hue Sports Festival into the official program of the annual Hue Festival.” Said Vice Chairman Tran Huu Thuy Giang.