An aerial view of Viet Tri Stadium. The venue has a capacity of 18,000 seats and is equipped with Bermudagrass and a automated watering system. Upgrades to the stadium have been completed and it is ready to host matches in Group A of the men’s football at SEA Games 31 slated for May. SEA Games 31, themed “For a stronger South East Asia”, will run in Hanoi and 11 neighbouring localities from May 12 to 23. It will feature 40 sports with 526 events and expect to attract around 10,000 participants. The biennial event was initially slated for late 2021 but delayed due to the pandemic’s impact.(Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Many facilities in the largest stadium of Phu Tho province now stand ready to serve the regional sporting event. In order to host matches in the men’s Football at SEA Games 31, Phu Tho has invested more than 44 billion VND in upgrading the stadium, bringing it up to Asian Football Confederation standards. Vietnam is pooled in Group A together with Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Timor Leste, as the result of a draw held on April 6. Fixtures held at Viet Tri Stadium will start from May 6. Matches of Group B, comprising Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia and Laos, will take place at Thien Truong Stadium in Nam Dinh province. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Inside Viet Tri Stadium. Due attention has been paid to the quality of the lighting system, grass, spectator stands and seats. Vietnam are defending champions of the men's football at the region's biggest sport event. The Vietnamese players will gather for training in Hanoi from April 7 and play two friendly matches before the start of SEA Games 31. While the Games will officially begin on May 12, matches of the men’s football kick off six days prior to the official ceremony in Phu Tho and Nam Dinh provinces. Following the men’s football rules at the SEA Games, the participating teams can register up to three players over 23 years old. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The pitch and spectator stand at Viet Tri Stadium. The host Vietnam has registered 965 athletes, including 534 males and 431 females, for the upcoming SEA Games 31 to be held in May. They are set to compete at all 40 sports of the Games, striving to win 140 gold, 77 silver and 71 bronze medals and secure the top place in the tally. Vietnam bagged 73, 58 and 98 golds in the last three Games from 2015 to 2019, respectively. Vietnamese athletes obtained 158 gold medals out of 444 when the country hosted the event for the first time in 2003, together with 97 silver and 91 bronze medals. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The grass at Viet Tri Stadium. Until SEA Games 31 kicks off, maintenance of the grass will be held regularly to meet international standards regarding international competitions. As scheduled, Phu Tho will host competitions in Group A from May 6-21. If the Vietnamese U23 team comes first or second, they will play the semi-final match at Viet Tri Stadium. In the previous edition of SEA Games hosted by the Philippines in 2019, the men's football team of Vietnam claimed the gold medal for the first time in 6 decades after defeating Indonesia 3-1 in the final. Following the men’s football rules at the SEA Games, the participating teams can register up to three players over 23 years old. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
A closer look at benches for coaches and reserves at Viet Tri Stadium. Vietnam are pooled in Group A of the men’s football at SEA Games 31 together with Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Timor Leste, as the result of a draw held in April 6. Group B includes Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia and Laos. The seed groups were based on teams’ performance at the two most recent SEA Games in 2017 and 2019. Vietnam and Thailand were in the top seed group. Teams are to play each other in a round-robin format in the group stage and the top two of groups A and B will qualify for the semi-finals. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The VIP area has gone under renovation to welcome high-ranking officials of Vietnam and regional countries. Over recent years, the national men's football team attained prominent achievements at regional and continental tournaments, including being runners-up at the Asian Football Confederation U23 Championship in 2018, champions of the VFF U23 cup for the second time, and champions of the 30th SEA Games in the Philippines. SEA Games 31, themed “For a stronger South East Asia”, will run in Hanoi and 11 neighbouring localities from May 12 to 23. It will feature 40 sports with 526 events and expect to attract around 10,000 participants. The biennial event was initially slated for late 2021 but delayed due to the pandemic’s impact. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
A number of spectator stands have yet to be equipped with seats, but boards have been in place to serve spectators. In the face of complex developments of COVID-19, Vietnam has devised three options of allowing full capacity, restricting or banning spectators. In case no fans are allowed in competition venues over COVID-19 concerns, all individuals are required to wear face masks, except for competing athletes. If capacity restrictions are observed, seats will be arranged to maintain distance among spectators. As for the no-restriction plan, spectators must still observe the 5K message on the prevention of the spread of the virus. The commute of sports delegations and athletes must be held in a closed routine. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Constructors exert effort to complete the preparation for spectator stands at Viet Tri Stadium before the opener of Group A slated for May 6. The Vietnamese players will gather for training in Hanoi from April 7 and play two friendlies with the U20 team of the Republic of Korea before the start of the SEA Games 31. Vietnam is defending champions of the men's football at the region's biggest sports event. In the previous edition of SEA Games hosted by the Philippines in 2019, the men's football team of Vietnam claimed the gold medal for the first time in 6 decades after defeating Indonesia 3-1 in the final. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
An area for welcomingdelegates at Viet Tri Stadium in the northern province of Phu Tho. Organising committees of SEA Games 31 in localities have been encouraged to give free tickets to spectators during the event, thus spreading the sports spirit in line with the event's slogan “For a stronger Southeast Asia”. The local organising committees have been allowed to decide on the plan to manage, and issue invitations or tickets to events they will host in accordance with the principle of priority. The preparation for SEA Games 31 is being actively implemented by the local national organising committees of 12 localities. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Changing room at Viet Tri Stadium. Teams are to play each other in a round-robin format in the group stage and the top two of groups A and B will qualify for the semi-finals. Fixtures will be held at Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho and Thien Truong Stadium in Nam Dinh from May 6. The host Vietnam is pooled in Group A together with Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Timor Leste. Group B comprises Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia and Laos. The seed groups were based on teams’ performance at the two most recent SEA Games in 2017 and 2019. Vietnam and Thailand were in the top seed group. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
A meeting room inside Viet Tri stadium. Other facilities such as press conference room, health care area and equipment storage room have been completed. Representatives from Southeast Asian sports delegations highly valued Vietnam’s preparations for the upcoming SEA Games 31 while inspecting some competition venues for the Games in March. The Games, themed “For a stronger South East Asia”, will run in Hanoi and 11 neighbouring localities from May 12 to 23. It will feature 40 sports with 526 events and expect to attract around 10,000 participants. The biennial event was initially slated for late 2021 but delayed due to the pandemic’s impact. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
A display screen at Viet Tri Stadium. The stadium will be the home of Vietnam’s U23 in the group stage, where the team’s journey to defend the championship title begins. In the previous edition of SEA Games hosted by the Philippines in 2019, Vietnam quenched their thirst for the gold medal in the men's football at SEA Games for the first time in 6 decades after defeating Indonesia 3-1 in the final. This time, Vietnam are pooled in Group A with Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Timor Leste. Following the men’s football rules at the SEA Games, the participating teams can register up to three players over 23 years old. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
It is likely that Phu Tho province and the organising committee of SEA Games 31 will soon open ticket sales for matches held at Viet Tri Stadium. Of note, Vietnam's match against Indonesia is viewed as the fiercest in Group A, scheduled to take place on May 6. As scheduled, Phu Tho will host competitions in Group A from May 6-21. The province has coordinated with relevant authorities to implement measures to ensure traffic safety, security and order during the men's football matches of Group A at Viet Tri Stadium. The provincial Department of Public Security have built detailed plans, and another on preventing terrorism and riots, and arranged forces to strengthen patrol. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Viet Tri stadium will host a friendly of the Vietnam’s U23 with the U20 team of the Republic of Korea on April 19, while another one will take place at Hang Day Stadium in Hanoi three days later. The matches will offer an opportunity to test some new players of Vietnam who did not get a chance to make appearances before. These matches are also hoped to help the Vietnamese team evaluate its forces and perfect their tactics before entering SEA Games 31. The Games, themed “For a Stronger South East Asia”, will be held in the capital city of Hanoi and 11 neighbouring provinces and cities from May 12 to 23. (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
A bird’s eye view of Viet Tri Stadium. The upcoming friendly is deemed a previous chance for the stadium to test its readiness to host events of the upcoming SEA Games 31, to be held in May. The venue has a capacity of 18,000 seats and is equipped with Bermudagrass and a modern automated watering system. In order to host matches in the men’s Football at SEA Games 31, Phu Tho has invested more than 44 billion VND in upgrading the stadium, bringing it up to Asian Football Confederation standards. Local authorities and relevant agencies are working to complete the remaining tasks as SEA Game 31 is nearing. (Photo: VietnamPlus) VNA
