Vietnam expected to host 31st SEA Games in 2021

Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung

Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), April 6 (IANS)

Vietnam is expected to host the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in 2021 and Prime Minister Nguyn Tn Dung's approval is awaited.

The SEA Games has been held every two years, starting in 1959 in Thailand. Vietnam first hosted the games, organised under the auspices of the Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF), in 2003, reports Xinhua.

Chris Chan of the SEAGF sport and rules committee has sent a letter on SEA Games 2021 to Vietnam's minister of culture, sports and tourism Hoang Anh Tuan.

Chan said in the letter that according to the SEAGF's charter, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members will take turns to host the Games. At a recent meeting in Singapore, the committee agreed that Malaysia would be the hosts in 2017, followed by Brunei in 2019, and then Vietnam.

If the prime minister agrees with the ministry's proposal, the Vietnam Olympics Committee will make its confirmation to SEAGF in the next meeting on June 4 in Singapore.

In case of prime minister's rejection of the proposal, the committee has to inform SEAGF so that SEAGF will appoint another country to replace Vietnam as the host nation.

The games are expected to be organised here, the country's economic and sports hub.