The Ho Chi Minh City TV Station (HTV) has said it will broadcast live for the first time all stages of its annual bicycle tournament this year, in addition to livestreams on social media.

The TV station confirmed to Tuoi Tre News that all the 16 stages of the Ho Chi Minh City Television Cycling Tournament will be broadcast live on terrestrial TV channels, while streaming will also be available on Facebook, YouTube, and smart device apps.

“Viewers can watch the riders on three conventional channels HTV7, HTV9, and HTV The Thao on TV,” said Nguyen Dinh Khoi, deputy chief of HTV’s sports department, which organizes the annual competition.

"They can also follow the tournament on HTV The Thao on Facebook, HTV Sports on YouTube, and HTV The Thao on Android and iOS apps."

This is the first time HTV has planned to broadcast live all stages of the prestigious cycling race, which has been held annually since 1989.

“The riders will face more pressure this year even though they will have to cover fewer stages than those in 2018,” Khoi said.

“They will have to race over a far tougher route.”

Khoi warned that Stage 10 from Pleiku City in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai to Tuy Hoa City in the south-central province of Phu Yen will be the longest, as the bicyclists will have to cover 220km.

“It would be easy for our commentators to get distracted over harsh weather conditions and a long distance,” the deputy chief said, referring to the work of his subordinates during the Tour de France-like tourney.

“The toughest part for both the riders and producers would be conquering the passes along the 1,926km length of the competition.”

Khoi revealed his TV station would deploy 70 people and 10 specialized vehicles to produce the live broadcasts of the tournament, in which riders will race over 16 stages, starting from Vinh City in the north-central province of Nghe An on April 13 and ending in Ho Chi Minh City on April 30.

Thirteen teams will compete in this year’s tournament, the 31st edition, with the participation of such cycling clubs as VUS Ho Chi Minh City, Loc Troi An Giang, Bikelife Dong Nai, Domesco Dong Thap and foreign riders like Sarda Javier (VUS Ho Chi Minh City) from Spain, his teammate Alex Ariya Phounsavath from Laos, Mirsamad Pourseyedi (Loc Troi An Giang) from Iran, and Loic Desriac (Bikelife Dong Nai) from France.

The tourney is organized every year to celebrate Vietnam's national reunification, which was achieved on April 30, 1975.

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