2026 Vietnam National Games: Dates, Tickets & Venue (Ho Chi Minh City)

What the 2026 Vietnam National Games actually are

This is the 10th Vietnam National Games (Đại hội Thể thao toàn quốc), the domestic equivalent of a national Olympics held roughly every four years. It runs November 20 to December 12, 2026: 973 events, 48 sports, thousands of athletes from provinces and cities across Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City is the lead host, sharing duties with Đồng Nai and Đồng Tháp provinces.

For a visitor this means three weeks of near-continuous competition rather than a single-day spectacle. Expect the load spread across HCMC’s existing sports infrastructure: stadiums, indoor arenas, aquatic centers, and shooting or combat-sport halls scattered across the city and its outlying districts, supplemented by venues in the two partner provinces.

Where events happen

With 48 sports split across three localities, no single stadium hosts the whole Games. HCMC’s larger venues, including its main national stadium-scale facilities and university sports complexes, typically absorb the marquee sports like athletics, swimming, and gymnastics.

• Đồng Nai province: additional venues for select sports, a short drive northeast of HCMC.
• Đồng Tháp province: further events, in the Mekong Delta region southwest of the city.
• Exact venue-by-sport assignments and full schedules sit on the official Games site, not in general press coverage.

If you’re targeting one sport, look up its specific venue and session times before booking transport, since a shooting final and a swimming heat on the same day can be an hour apart by car.

Getting tickets and timing your trip

Multi-sport national games of this scale in Vietnam have historically mixed free-entry qualifying rounds with ticketed finals for popular sports, but exact arrangements vary by venue and sport. Confirm timing and tickets on the official site rather than relying on secondhand listings.

Because the Games span three and a half weeks, pick your dates around the sports you actually want to see rather than trying to catch everything. Opening and closing ceremonies typically draw the heaviest crowds and tightest logistics; mid-run weekday sessions are usually calmer.

Getting around during Games weeks

Ho Chi Minh City runs on scooters, ride-hailing apps (Grab is dominant), and metered taxis; public buses exist but are slower for cross-city hops between venues. Grab bikes and cars are the practical default for reaching outlying sports complexes.

• Book Grab rides in advance around session start/end times, when demand near venues spikes.
• If a sport is held in Đồng Nai or Đồng Tháp, treat it as a day trip: factor two to three hours of road travel each way.
• Vietnamese is the primary language at venues; basic event signage may not be bilingual, so confirm gate and entrance numbers ahead of time via the official site.
• Late November to early December sits in HCMC’s dry season, so expect heat and sun rather than rain; carry water for outdoor athletics or shooting venues.