Quang Ninh (VNA) – The northern province of Quang Ninh is speeding up preparations to host events within the framework of the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) this May.

Quang Ninh will host seven out of 40 sports in the Games, including volleyball and women’s football.

The province’s organising board for SEA Games 31 also gives priorities to communications and logistics tasks.

To date, Quang Ninh has fundamentally arranged accommodation facilities with more than 3,000 rooms for organisers and sport delegations. A 5,000-seat gymnasium which will host indoor volleyball matches has been upgraded.

Some 163 billion VND (7.13 million USD) was allocated to double the capacity of Cam Pha Stadium, which is the venue for women’s football, to 16,000 seats. An additional 83 billion VND was disbursed to improve function facilities at the stadium.

In addition, about 300 volunteers have been recruited to support delegations during the region's biggest sport event.

About 1,725 members of delegations are projected to travel to Quang Ninh, including 978 athletes.

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./.