Vietnam to host the Olympic?

Japan hosted the Olympic in 1964 (the first Asian country to do so), followed by South Korea in 1988, and now Beijing 8-8-8. When will it be Vietnam's turn to host the Olympic. The new expanded city of Hanoi will invest $18.75 billions USD in infrastructure and public transit from now until 2020, laying the foundation as a future Olympic site. The investment is made in connection with Hanoi's 1,000th anniversary celebration in 10-10-10, the perfect occasion for Vietnam to make formal announcement on its Olympic bid. Despite its current economic downturn and the looming of 30% inflation, Vietnam is set to become a lower middle-income country (GNI per capita $936-$3705) by the end of the year. GDP is expected to grow 7% , and registered FDI estimated to hit record high of $50+ billions this year. Economic achievement is the ticket to host the Olympic Games, and the country is on target to become an industrialized and modern nation by 2020. So 2028 is the ideal time for Vietnam; continuing the trend of two decades apart for the next Asian metropolis to host the Olympic Games.

For now, its modest delegation to Beijing consist of 21 athletes in eight official sports of taekwondo, weightlifting, badminton, table tennis, gymnastics, shooting, swimming, athletics, and 1 demonstration sport of wushu. In comparisons, China has 639 athletes, USA sent 596 athletes, and Thailand with 51. Vietnam first participated in the Olympic in 1952, and its only medal so far came in 2000, a silver by woman taekwondo athlete Tran Hieu Ngan. For 2028, the main concern will not be economic nor infrastructure as Vietnam will be more than ready by then, but how to train athletes to compete at the world's biggest stage. On that front, the Vietnam Olympic Committee needs to set a target of doubling its delegation at each of the next Olympic Games leading to 2028, and to start submitting exploratory bid for 2020 & 2024 to gain experience. The future starts now, and it will require the commitment and dedication of the Vietnamese people, athletes, and everyone involved.