August 20, 2017 | 18:06 (GMT+7)
SEA Games 29 officially opens in Malaysia
Around 84,000 people attended the opening ceremony of the 29th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games at Bukit Jalil national stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August 19.
The Vietnamese delegation at the opening ceremony
Around 14,000 security personnel were deployed to ensure safety for the ceremony, themed “Rising together”.
The ceremony featured drum and traditional martial arts performances and a procession of 320 flags of Malaysia which symbolized 32 million people in the country and then 11 flags of 11 participating Southeast Asian nations.
Malaysia spent USD 105 million to host the event, six times higher than the amount estimated in 2013. This is is the sixth time Malaysia has hosted the regional games.
The Vietnamese delegation has 681 members, headed by Deputy Director of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training Tran Duc Phan. 472 Vietnamese athletes will compete in 32 out of 38 sports at the event.
The Vietnamese athletes will strive to pocket 49-59 gold medals to rank in the top group at the biennial games.
SEA Games 2017 will wrap up on August 31, on the occasion of the 60th National Day of Malaysia.
Source: VNA