The ceremony took place in a joyful atmosphere to celebrate the success of the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and the election of People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 term, and to commemorate the 80th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh’s article ‘Physical Exercise and Health’ calling on the entire population to practice sports (March 27, 1946 – March 27, 2026), as well as Vietnam Sports Day (March 27, 1946 – March 27, 2026).

Attending the ceremony were Ms. Ha Minh Trang – Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee; Mr. Nguyen Van Mao – Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports; Mr. Tran Nguyen Ba; Lieutenant Colonel Phan Thanh Phong – Deputy Chief of Staff of the Provincial Military Command; Lieutenant Colonel Phan Quoc Dung – Head of the Political Affairs Department, Provincial Police; Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Du – Deputy Director of the Department of Justice; along with leaders of the communes and wards of Hon Dat, My Thuan, and Rach Gia.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Tran Nguyen Ba, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of An Giang Province, Deputy Head of the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Run Day, and Head of the Organizing Committee of the Cross-Country Race, stated that 80 years ago, on March 27, 1946, President Ho Chi Minh wrote the article ‘Health and Physical Exercise,’ published in the Cuu Quoc newspaper, calling on the entire population to practice physical exercise. He affirmed: ‘Each weak citizen means the whole country is weak; each healthy citizen means the whole country is strong.’ Inspired by his teachings, in recent years, the movement ‘All people practice physical training following the great example of President Ho Chi Minh’ has been widely implemented at all levels, from central to local, contributing to improving the physical well-being and quality of life of the people.

Mr. Tran Nguyen Ba stated: ‘Today’s Olympic Run Day event is not merely an activity to commemorate Vietnam Sports Day, but also aims at greater goals: encouraging all citizens to engage in physical exercise, making it a daily habit to protect and improve health and fitness for ourselves and the community, thereby better serving the tasks of study, work, nation-building, and national defense. Sports not only bring health, but also connect communities, create motivation to boost labor productivity, and contribute to building a more prosperous and beautiful An Giang.’ 

Mr. Tran Nguyen Ba, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of An Giang Province, emphasized that with such purpose and significance, he hoped the athletes competing in the cross-country race would uphold the spirit of ‘Sportsmanship, solidarity, fairness, and progress,’ striving to achieve the highest results. He also stressed that the referees must work with integrity, objectivity, and in strict compliance with the rules and regulations to ensure the fairness of the competition.

This year’s Olympic Run Day saw the participation of more than 2,400 people from provincial departments, agencies, and organizations; universities and colleges in the province; as well as residents of Rach Gia Ward. Accompanying the Olympic Run Day was the Cross-Country Race, held within the framework of the Provincial Sports Festival, featuring nearly 150 male and female athletes from 20 units and localities across the province, competing in two race distances: 4 km for women and 7 km for men.

Mai Phuoc Trung, an athlete from the Traffic Police Division of An Giang Provincial Police, who won first place in the 7 km men’s individual race, shared: ‘At the beginning, I ran at a fairly moderate pace to maintain stamina; my sprinting phase was in the last 1 km. Today’s weather was cooler than usual, but still quite hot, which somewhat affected my performance. This was also my first time participating, and I was fortunate compared to other athletes as I did not encounter any incidents during the race.’

After the competition, the results of the cross-country event were as follows: In the 7 km men’s individual race, first place went to Mai Phuoc Trung from the Traffic Police Division of An Giang Provincial Police; second place to Nguyen Minh Thuan from the Provincial Military Command; and third place to Huynh Phuc Hoa from Tinh Bien Ward.

In the 7 km men’s team race, first place went to the Provincial Police; second place to Chau Thanh Commune; and third place to the Provincial Military Command. 

In the 4 km women’s individual race, first place was awarded to Cao Thi Ha My from Chau Thanh commune; second place to Nguyen Thi Tuyet Nghi from Vinh Phong commune; and third place to Huynh Ngoc Anh from Chau Thanh commune.

In the 4 km women’s team race, first place went to Chau Thanh commune; second place to Vinh Phong commune; and third place to Giong Rieng commune./.

News by Bich Thuy

Translator: Thi Huynh