At the meeting, Minister Nguyễn Văn Hùng expressed his pleasure in welcoming the Chinese delegation to attend AMMS-8 and related events, as well as for taking the time to meet with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MOCST). Appreciating the goodwill and respect shown by the Chinese delegation, the Minister emphasized his wish to listen to the Vice Minister’s insights and suggestions.
Minister Nguyễn Văn Hùng met with Chinese Vice Minister of Sports Li Jing.
On behalf of the Chinese delegation, Vice Minister Li Jing thanked Minister Nguyễn Văn Hùng for his warm reception. He expressed his deep appreciation for the long-standing friendship between Vietnam and China, especially on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and the Vietnam–China Year of People-to-People Exchange.
Vice Minister Li Jing highlighted the achievements of sports cooperation between the two countries, notably the visit to Vietnam by General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping. During that visit, the two sides signed a new five-year Memorandum of Understanding on sports cooperation, reaffirming their determination to jointly foster traditional friendship and deepen the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China.
In November 2024, China welcomed a Vietnamese delegation of ten officials to inspect training facilities for national teams in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan provinces. In December 2024, Chinese Vice Minister of Sports Zhang Jiasheng visited Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. During these visits, both sides agreed to further strengthen comprehensive cooperation in line with the current context of their strategic partnership.
Vice Minister Li Jing also shared that in November this year, China will host the 15th National Games in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area. On this occasion, he cordially invited Minister Nguyễn Văn Hùng and a Vietnamese sports delegation to visit China and attend this important sporting event.
Regarding the proposal to designate March 21 each year as “International Tai Chi Day,” which will be officially adopted at the 221st Session of the UNESCO Executive Board in Uzbekistan, Vice Minister Li Jing expressed his hope for Vietnam’s support.
The Vice Minister also noted that there remain untapped opportunities for sports cooperation between the two countries, particularly in resuming the annual reciprocal delegation exchange mechanism. This mechanism, he said, had once operated effectively, but its implementation was disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, he emphasized the need to restore this valuable activity.
The meeting took place on the afternoon of October 16.
In response, Minister Nguyễn Văn Hùng thanked Vice Minister Li Jing for his positive assessment of bilateral cooperation achievements, both in general relations and specifically in sports. The Minister affirmed that Vietnam and China enjoy a special relationship, and that their bilateral cooperation is developing effectively across various fields.
He stressed that the renewed five-year Memorandum of Understanding on sports cooperation provides a solid legal framework for the two sides to advance toward new cooperative agreements in the future.
Minister Nguyễn Văn Hùng also expressed gratitude to Vice Minister Li Jing for the invitation to attend the 15th National Games of China—an event of great importance and influence in Chinese sports. The Minister announced that Vietnam would send a delegation of sports officials to attend the Opening Ceremony and observe competitions to learn from China’s experience in developing elite sports. These insights, he added, would help Vietnam successfully organize its own 10th National Sports Games in Ho Chi Minh City in December 2026. On this occasion, Minister Nguyễn Văn Hùng also extended an invitation to Vice Minister Li Jing and the Chinese sports delegation to attend Vietnam’s National Games.
Speaking about China’s achievements in high-performance sports, Minister Nguyễn Văn Hùng expressed appreciation to the Chinese Government and people for their continued support in helping Vietnam develop its sports sector, particularly elite sports. He expressed his hope that in the coming time, China would continue to receive Vietnamese key athletes and national teams for training at major sports training centers, with priority given to those in Guangxi, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Yunnan.
Regarding mass sports, the Minister noted that China’s traditional martial art of Wushu and Vietnam’s Traditional Martial Arts are both cultural treasures. He proposed that the two sides jointly organize martial arts exchange and performance events to promote cultural understanding and boost sports tourism between the two nations.
Vietnam also highly appreciates China’s initiative in hosting the China–ASEAN International Sports Science Conference on Public Fitness and Health Promotion following the first ASEAN + China Ministerial Meeting on Sports held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in 2023.
Strengthening Bilateral Cooperation Between Vietnam and China
Minister Nguyễn Văn Hùng agreed with Vice Minister Li Jing on the importance of reinstating the annual exchange mechanism and acknowledged the significant potential for further collaboration in sports between the two nations.
To enhance bilateral cooperation in this field, the Minister assigned the Department of International Cooperation and the Vietnam Sports Administration to develop specific plans, starting from smaller opportunities and gradually expanding to larger initiatives.
The Minister expressed his hope that with the concerted efforts of both sides and the close coordination between their respective sports authorities, cooperation in sports between Vietnam and China would continue to yield fruitful and meaningful results in the years to come.
Ha Phuong