At the beginning of the meeting, on behalf of the leadership of the Vietnam Sports Authority, Deputy Director Lê Thị Hoàng Yến extended a warm welcome and expressed her honor in receiving the Minister Counselor of the Embassy of Nicaragua at the headquarters of the Authority. Introducing the country's sports, Deputy Director Lê Thị Hoàng Yến affirmed: Vietnamese sports have integrated internationally and participated in many major tournaments; developing sports from grassroots to high-performance levels. Among them, football is the most popular sport in Vietnam and has achieved many accomplishments in the region. In the Asian arena, Vietnam has approached the regional football landscape by being able to compete with many strong teams. Women's football has reached the World Cup. As for other sports, Vietnam is focusing on key disciplines and preparing our forces for the 2028 Olympic Games as well as other major international sporting events.
In the field of sports for all, Vietnam has projects and target programs aimed at enhancing the stature of the Vietnamese people by introducing sports into schools and implementing drowning prevention programs.... The Vietnamese sports sector also places great emphasis on preserving and developing ethnic sports, traditional sports, creating resources, and promoting sports development for people with disabilities...
Ms. Yến also emphasized: We have learned that Ms. Lwanda Palacios - the Minister Counselor of the Nicaraguan Embassy visited the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism to work with Deputy Minister Hoàng Đạo Cương and expressed her desire to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in the field of sports. Nicaragua is a country strong in water sports and has many advantages in developing various other sports, so we hope that both sides can exchange ideas to find common ground in all areas, leading to a fruitful cooperation that contributes to the overall development of sports in both countries.
Speaking at the meeting, Ms. Lwanda Palacios expressed her sincere gratitude for the warm welcome from the Sports Authority. Acknowledging and appreciating the achievements that Vietnamese sports have attained, Ms. Lwanda Palacios expressed hope that after today's meeting, there will be insights for both sides to gain more information about each other, leading to exchanges and cooperation in the field of sports. "To pave the way for sports cooperation between the two countries in the near future, we highly value today's meeting, considering it the first step for both sides to better understand each other, leading to extensive and multifaceted cooperation in all areas of sports." Ms. Lwanda Palacios affirmed.
Introducing country's sports sector, Counselor Lwanda Palacios shared: We are always very concerned about the development of sports in our country, particularly focusing on the application of science and technology, and sports medicine – essential factors for the professional development of a sports sector.
Before 2007, Nicaraguan athletes did not have many opportunities to participate in major sports competitions. But since 2007, when the National Liberation Front continued to lead the country, along with many other fields, we have intensified investment in sports infrastructure, and sports have always been considered a part of national identity, introduced into schools so that students can access various sports to develop domestic sports...
To date, regarding the sports infrastructure system, we have built a new national stadium - which has been selected to host the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, a gymnasium to host regional volleyball championships; a swimming complex qualified to host aquatic sports events... We are also constructing stadiums in the provinces so that students have places to practice sports, meeting the conditions to host a series of sporting events for Caribbean nations...In recent years, Nicaragua’s sports team have paticipated in the Central Americans Games, U23 Baseball Quarlifiers and many other regional sports tournaments…. And to further develop our national sposts, we belive that exchange experiences and leaarning from Vietnam is extremly important and meaningful.-he Counselor emphasized.
The expectation to promote cooperation and develop traditional sports is a highlight that both sides are aiming for in today's meeting. Regarding this issue, Deputy Director Lê Thị Hoàng Yến stated: We have traditional sports that can enhance cooperation with your country, such as Vovinam. This is a sport that embodies the essence of the Vietnamese nation and has been promoted and introduced to many countries around the world. Vietnam has also established the World Federation of Vietnamese Traditional Martial Arts and organized three world-level tournaments. In October 2026, Vietnam plans to hold the World Championship in Italy, and thru this, Vietnam hopse Nicaragua can participate. Regarding long-term development, Vietnam is ready to send experts to train and support you in developing this traditional sport. Nicaragua’s side fully agrees with this suggestion from Vietnam.
The two sides also agreed to share experiences in sports development, training systems, and sports management; and to consider the possibility of organizing professional visits and exchanges of athletes, coaches, and sports experts between the two countries. On the occasions of the two countries' anniversaries, sports competitions can also be organized to enhance exchange and cooperation.
The Nicaraguan diplomatic mission in Vietnam, along with the Vietnam Sports Authority can organize sports activities to foster closeness, thereby enhancing mutual understanding and facilitating more extensive exchanges in sports between the two countries...
Those are the proposals that both Parties put forward during the meeting and agreed to move toward long-term cooperation. Not just a simple collaboration, both sides also hope that sports will serve as a diplomatic bridge between the two countries.
Huyen Trang