Eleven outstanding Vietnamese athletes who represented the 11 participating sports delegations took park in the ignition ceremony.
They had laid wreaths and paid tribute to late President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum before Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Chu Ngoc Anh handed over the lit torch to fencer Vu Thanh An at the Ho Chi Minh Museum.
The flame will be kept at the Ho Chi Minh worshiping hall of the stadium before it lights the cauldron at the opening ceremony on May 12 evening and shines throughout the Games that lasts until May 23.

Themed “For a Stronger Southeast Asia”, SEA Games 31 will feature 40 sports and take place in Hanoi and 11 nearby localities.