The Standing Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee has given in-principle approval to the plan for the municipal to seek government permission to host the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, the region’s biggest competition, in 2021.

With backing from the Party Committee, the Ho Chi Minh City administration will prepare the final proposal on hosting the event to submit to the government and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for consideration and approval.

The southern metropolis plans to earmark about VND15,600 billion (US$687.22 million) to host the biennial event.

Of these, VND8,136 billion ($358.41 million) will be spent on developing the 180-hectare Rach Chiec Sports Complex in District 2, excluding the construction of the VND3,125 billion ($137.67 million) Rach Chiec Stadium.

Another VND1,953 billion ($86.04 million) is expected to be allocated for the construction of the Phan Dinh Phung Sports Center in District 3, while organizing cost is expected to be some VND904 billion ($39.82 million).

No ‘athlete village’ will be built.

Ho Chi Minh City expects to rake in some VND269 billion ($11.85 million) from hosting the competition, including VND104 billion ($4.58 million) from accommodation expenses of the athletes, VND65 billion ($2.86 million) from TV rights and VND100 billion ($4.41 million) from ticket sales.

The city will try to save more cost by making use of existing facilities and attracting investment from the private sector.

Hosting the SEA Games is considered an opportunity to encourage sports participation, the city’s development and the nation’s sports achievements.

Apart from the host Ho Chi Minh City, local provinces Dong Nai and Binh Duong will also organize several events and therefore contribute part of the needed hosting expenses.

Featuring 30-36 sports, the Games are scheduled to run for 12 days in August 2021 with estimated 9,800 participants of 11 Southeast Asian countries.