Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends the opening ceremony of the National Sports Festival 2018 in Hanoi on November 25, 2018 (Photo: VNA)

3,000 staff and athletes from 65 delegations nationwide marched through the stadium. The torch was taken from Ho Chi Minh Museum to the podium by 3 outstanding athletes: Hoang Xuan Vinh, Bui Thi Thu Thao, and Pham Thi Thao. Hoang Xuan Vinh made history for Vietnam when he won the 10m air pistol gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Fencer Vu Thanh An, representing Vietnamese 7,000 athletes, took an oath that they will abide the competition’s rules.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam praised preparations for the festival, which he said, to encourage the national movement of physical training to follow President Ho Chi Minh’s example.

The competition will run until December 10. Hanoi is currently topping the medal tally with 30 gold medals, followed by Ho Chi Minh City with 19 gold medals.