Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has assigned several ministries and Hanoi capital to work with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and relevant agencies to pull the plug on the hosting of the 2019 Asian Games (ASIAD 18).

At an April 17 meeting in Hanoi, PM Dung said the Party’s Political Bureau, Party Secretariat and government support the hosting of regional and international sporting events, including ASIAD, at an appropriate time to develop sports, as well as the economy.

Vietnam participated in ASIAD 16 in Guangzhou, China, in 2010

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee launched campaign and won the bid to host the 18^th Asian Games in 2019 in Hanoi.

The Vietnamese government thanks OCA for supporting and assisting Vietnam in developing sports and Hanoi capital in particular in hosting the upcoming ASIAD 18.

However, the PM said Vietnam lacks experience in organising such a big event like ASIAD, and it has not thoroughly made preparations for the event.

To date the master plan on hosting ASIAD 18 has not been approved by the Prime Minister. Whether or not hosting the event has provoked public arguments, regarding the purpose, significance and budgets for organising the games.

Undoubtedly, successfully hosting regional and international sporting events will help contribute to national socio-economic development and promote the country’s profile. Yet, hosting the games without thorough preparations can be counterproductive.

Taking into account the impact of the global economic slowdown, the country’s limited budget, and its priority development tasks, Vietnam has decided to withdraw from hosting ASIAD 18, and will bid for the games at another appropriate time.