Hoa Binh, a province where over 74% of the population belongs to ethnic minorities, is renowned for its rich array of traditional sports that reflect the unique cultural heritage of its communities.
A stick pushing competition at the provincial-level crossbow shooting, tug-of-war, and stick pushing championship in 2024.
Among these, crossbow shooting, tug-of-war, and stick pushing are particularly popular, especially among the Muong people. Other ethnic groups, such as the Hmong, also have their own distinctive sports, like pao throwing and tu lu. These activities are not only forms of entertainment but also integral to local festivals and cultural events.
Hoa Binh has institutionalised many of these traditional sports through annual competitions, with the crossbow shooting, tug-of-war, and stick pushing championship becoming a major event in the province. These sports are also featured in larger competitions, such as the 2022 provincial sports festival, where they were official events.
Athletes from Hoa Binh have achieved significant success at the national level, winning multiple medals, including gold at national sports games and ethnic minority sports festivals. The province's team was ranked third at the 13th National Sports Festival for Ethnic Minorities, Zone 1 in 2023, with 8 gold, 3 silver and 11 bronze medals.
The province supports these sports through various clubs, boasting 836 sports clubs, including 64 dedicated to stick pushing and 60 to crossbow shooting. These clubs not only provide a healthy environment for physical activity but also play a crucial role in promoting and preserving ethnic sports.
In its ongoing efforts to preserve these traditions, the province is investing in infrastructure and organizing more events. The province is committed to keeping these traditional sports alive, ensuring they remain a vibrant part of local culture and community life.
Along with promoting the spirit of volunteerism and completing the core tasks of the Youth Communist Union and the youth movement, in recent years, the Youth Communist Union at all levels in the province has regularly organized the movement of physical exercise and sports attracting the participation of a large number of union members and young people. These activities help the union members and the young people raise their awareness of self-training, improving their health, and building a healthy lifestyle and they are also a solution to attract and gather the young people in many localities.
In recent years, modern dance has gradually become popular and emerged as a trend, attracting more and more young people in Hoa Binh to practice and perform. As an art form consisting of many different dancing genres, participating in modern dancing activities, practitioners not only improve their health, physique, flexibility, agility, and confidence, but they also contribute to building a healthy cultural and artistic movement in the community.
In the afternoon of January 18th, at Hoa Binh Provincial Stadium, Hoa Binh Football Club (Hoa Binh FC) played against Hue Football Club (Hue FC) in the 6th round of the National First Division Football Tournament - Bia Sao Vang, 2024-2025 tournament.
After two tense and dramatic halves of the final round of the ASEAN Cup 2024, the Vietnamese football team played excellently, winning convincingly with a score of 3-2 and being crowned champions with total score of 5-3 against opponent Thailand.
After the final whistle of the second leg of the ASEAN Cup 2024 semi-final between Vietnamese team and Singaporian team sounded, thousands of football fans in Hoa Binh City burst into the joy of victory. Vietnamese team officially won a ticket to the final of the ASEAN Cup 2024 with a 3-1 victory (the total score after 2 semi-final matches is 5-1) against Singapore.
Hoa Binh Football Club (Hoa Binh FC) has just organized a special friendly match, combined with a tour and cultural exploration in Mai Chau district. This activity aims to strengthen solidarity and exchange between the players and the community, and at the same time, it introduces the cultural beauty of Hoa Binh province.
