Hanoi opens 11th annual sports games celebrating unity, excellence, athletic spirit citywide
Hanoi opened the Capital Sports Games 2025 with a grand ceremony, highlighting the city’s growing sports movement, strong community participation and ambition to elevate both mass fitness and elite athletics.
THE HANOI TIMES — Hanoi’s 11th annual Capital Sports Games, the city's largest sporting event, opened on December 15 to promote unity, excellence and a citywide athletic spirit.
Athlete delegations gather at the opening ceremony of the Hanoi Sports Games 2025 on December 15. Photos: Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports
Held at the Hanoi Athletics Palace, the every-four-year Games feature a record 25 sports and bring together nearly 8,000 athletes, drawing strong attention from officials, residents and sports fans nationwide.
The event showcases athletic strength, assesses grassroots fitness movements and identifies outstanding athletes for elite sports.
The opening ceremony began with a parade carrying the portrait of President Ho Chi Minh and the Red Flag formation, symbolizing unity, resilience and the desire for development.
After 10 previous editions, the Games have expanded steadily in scale, quality, number of sports and athlete participation, with many records set over time.
In preparation for the 11th Games, from July to November 2025, wards, communes, departments, sectors, armed forces units and schools across Hanoi organized grassroots-level sports competitions.
The Capital Sports Games 2025 gather nearly 8,000 athletes that have gone through qualification rounds since July.
These activities attracted nearly one million participants and created a strong competitive atmosphere across the city.
The opening ceremony began with an artistic performance featuring instrumental music and songs with heroic melodies. The performance conveyed energy, pride and Hanoi sports’ aspiration to reach higher levels.
Vice Chairwoman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Vu Thu Ha delivers opening remarks at the event.
A large-scale ceremonial parade followed with solemn pageantry. The procession opened with the ceremonial unit carrying the National Flag, the Games flag, a portrait of President Ho Chi Minh and the Red Flag formation, symbolizing unity, resilience and the desire for development.
Marching units then represented the armed forces, city police, political and social organizations, the education sector, civil servants and workers, senior citizens, war veterans and 11 emulation clusters with 22 formations representing 126 wards and communes across the capital.
Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Vu Dai Thang receives the flame and joins outstanding athletes in lighting the Games torch.
Each delegation displayed distinctive colors reflecting the strong and widespread growth of grassroots sports movements. The parade highlighted a shared commitment to compete with unity, integrity and sportsmanship at the Games.
In her opening speech, Vice Chairwoman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Vu Thu Ha said the city has made consistent investments in sports development through a coordinated and modern approach upon international standards.
When the games' torch lights up, it stands for the spirit of “Sportsmanship – Unity – Integrity – Fair Play” and encourages the athletes to achieve the best results.
She said Hanoi continues to lead the country in mass sports and high-performance athletics, contributing to public health, a healthy cultural life and a spirit of unity and self-reliance rooted in the capital’s thousand-year heritage.
After the official opening declaration, the torch-lighting ceremony took place with solemn rituals. The sacred flame was lit at the Ho Chi Minh Museum, carried through city streets and brought into the Hanoi Athletics Palace.
Two representatives from the referee and athlete delegations take their oaths, pledging to be fair, honest and sincere during the games.
Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Vu Dai Thang then received the flame and joined outstanding athletes in lighting the Games torch.
The torch symbolizes sporting spirit, determination, confidence and the capital’s aspiration to contribute to a new development phase. In a solemn moment, an athlete representative stepped onto the stage to take an oath.
A performance at the event.
The athlete pledged to uphold the spirit of “Sportsmanship – Unity – Integrity – Fair Play”, follow competition rules strictly and give full effort for team colors, the success of the Games and the honor of Hanoi sports, with strong determination to achieve top results.
A performance at the event.
A referee representative then took an oath, committing to officiate with responsibility, fairness, objectivity and strict compliance with professional rules and the Games charter. The pledge aimed to ensure a transparent and equitable competition environment.
A performance at the event.
The opening ceremony concluded with a special artistic and sports performance titled “Brilliant Hanoi – Aspiration to Rise”. Thousands of artists, performers and professional and grassroots athletes joined the show.
The program featured carefully choreographed music, dance and mass sports displays with modern staging and a strong cultural identity. The performance portrayed a dynamic, integrated capital ready to rise in a new era.
An art performance at the event.
The opening ceremony of the 11th Capital Sports Games 2025 left a strong impression and launched a vibrant competition period.
The Games promise new achievements while spreading the spirit of physical training, improving public health and building a Hanoi citizenry that is graceful, civilized, physically strong and intellectually resilient.
An art performance at the event.
