Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung issued a decision on Monday to establish a sports delegation of 1,003 members to compete in the 2023 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Cambodia next month.

This is the biggest number of members in Vietnam’s sports history to be dispatched to a SEA Games edition.

The biennial sports event will take place from May 5 to 17 in Cambodia.

Dang Ha Viet, head of the Vietnam Sports Administration, will be in charge of leading the contingent.

Two deputy heads of the sports delegation are Hoang Quoc Vinh, director of the High Performance Sports Department 1, and Ngo Ich Quan, director of the High Performance Sports Department 2.

The delegation includes over 700 athletes, 190 coaches, 10 experts, 64 doctors, and other staff members.

The Vietnam Sports Administration will cover all expenses for travel, meals, insurance, equipment, and other related fees.

The Vietnamese sports contingent is targeting a top-three finish with 90-120 gold medals.

At a meeting on Monday morning, Minister Hung asked the Vietnam Sports Administration not to miss out any talented athletes. 

Among over 700 athletes is Le Tu Chinh, dubbed 'Queen of Speed.'

The minister also advised the sports delegation to adopt anti-COVID-19 measures to ensure the safety of participating athletes and staff members due to the so-called complicated development of the pandemic.

The official also encouraged athletes to try their best to win gold medals.

Hung expected the sports contingent to come in first place in the SEA Games, while male and female football teams were encouraged to retain the championship titles.

He also ordered the Vietnamese sports delegation to tighten anti-doping measures to avoid unexpected punishment. 

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