Vietnam defense ministry to take over My Dinh national sports complex

The management of My Dinh National Sports Complex in Hanoi will be transferred to the Ministry of National Defense, as authorities move to address long-standing operational and financial problems at the country’s largest sports venue.

Officials from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Tuesday said that agencies are finalizing a transfer plan, after which the ministry and the defense ministry will determine a detailed handover roadmap.

The move comes after Lieutenant General Le Van Huong, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, chaired a meeting on preparations for the takeover.

Under the proposed plan, the defense ministry will establish a steering committee and working group to conduct a comprehensive review of the complex, including its infrastructure, assets, personnel and ongoing projects, while also drafting a post-transfer operational strategy.

The transition follows a government meeting held four days earlier by Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra with ministries and agencies regarding the restructuring of the sports complex’s management.

Officials acknowledged that the venue has played a significant role in hosting major political, cultural, and sporting events over the past 25 years, but management inefficiencies and unresolved financial issues have undermined operations.

The government said any transfer must be carefully assessed and supported by sufficient legal, political, and practical grounds, while aligning with Vietnam’s broader sports infrastructure strategy and Hanoi’s century-long urban master plan.

The transfer is expected to include the entire existing structure of the complex, including personnel, assets, infrastructure, and unfinished projects. Officials stressed that unresolved legal, land-use and financial issues must be clarified before the handover is completed.

The government has tasked the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism with finalizing a comprehensive report detailing the legal basis for the transfer and plans to address existing liabilities.

In the meantime, authorities said operations at the complex must continue without disruption.

The My Dinh National Sports Complex was inaugurated in 2003 ahead of the Southeast Asian Games, with total investment of about $53 million. Key facilities include the My Dinh National Stadium and an aquatic sports palace.

However, the complex has suffered years of deterioration and underutilization. In 2018, the Government Inspectorate concluded that the complex improperly leased land and commercial space without auctions and failed to fulfill land-related financial obligations, causing losses to state assets.

In early 2024, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the complex had accumulated roughly VND1 trillion ($37.93 million) in tax liabilities and late-payment penalties, while many facilities remained in poor condition due to delayed renovation and maintenance work.

Meanwhile, the country's biggest private corporation Vingroup is developing the Hanoi Olympic Sports Urban Area project, a mega-project spanning over 9,171 hectares with an estimated investment of up to VND925.65 trillion ($35.18 billion).

The complex will span 11 communes (Dai Thanh, Ngoc Hoi, Nam Phu, Thuong Tin, Hong Van, Chuong Duong, Thuong Phuc, Binh Minh, Tam Hung, Thanh Oai, Dan Hoa), all on the outskirts of Hanoi.

The development is planned as a multi-zone sports and service-oriented city centered around an international-standard sports complex. Its flagship feature will be the 135,000-seat Hung Vuong Stadium, which Vingroup says would become the world’s largest domed stadium once completed.

The company said the project is intended to transform Hanoi into a regional sports and cultural hub while creating long-term economic momentum for the capital.