In response to the public criticizing that the non-sport services and facilities mushrooming inside the My Dinh national sports complex in Hanoi have deformed the venue, its director says the constructions simply make it more beautiful.

>> Hanoi’s proud My Dinh stadium now getting ugly The 247-hectare complex including the US$53-million My Dinh Stadium, and the $11.48-million aquatic sport center is now home to a series of restaurants, cafés, automobile repairing center, and a two-story furniture supermarket. “But all of them have ornamented the complex, not destroying its landscapes as criticized,” director Can Van Nghia told Tuoi Tre. He said the sporting venues should be accompanied by constructions that serve the people and other events. “The stadium pitch is not merely for playing football. It should be accompanied by hotels and services,” he said. Nghia said leasing the complex’s space to such facilities help increase revenues at a time when the venue has become deteriorated after ten years of use. “The Vietnam Football Federation only pays us VND100 – 120 million (US$5-6,000) every time they hire the stadium, a sum that is not enough to cover expenses,” he said. “Moreover, we only earn a modest amount when organizing track-and-field or swimming tournaments,” he added. The sporting venue is now cooperating with some 30 business units, he said, adding all of the major deals were approved by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. “As for land lease contracts of less than one year, we have signed them through our own initiatives,” he added. Nghia said the complex expects to reap VND35 billion in revenues this year, and has so far raked in VND19 billion. “Around VND7 billion will be earmarked for repairing and maintaining the complex,” he said.