SEA Games torch tours Hanoi

Hanoi (VNA) — The 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games torch was carried along several streets around Hoan Kiem Lake in the downtown of Hanoi, the first stop outside the host Cambodia in its tour of the10 ASEAN countries, on March 24 morning.

Cambodian Ambassador to Vietnam Chea Kimtha said the torch relay shows a well-developed Cambodia – Vietnam relationship as well as the friendship and solidarity that the two countries have built and cultivated.

She thanked the Government of Vietnam, the Vietnam Olympic Committee, and relevant units for supporting, coordinating, and creating favourable conditions for the relay in Vietnam to proceed smoothly.

Vietnamese runner Nguyen Thi Huyen, who is multi-time SEA Games winner, and 200 Vietnamese athletes carried the torch around the Hoan Kiem Lake area. Theu started from the Cambodian Embassy and marched through different streets in Hanoi before returning to the embassy.

The next stop of the torch will be the Philippines, to be followed by Brunei, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, and Laos, before returning to Cambodia on April 27.

The torch is 75cm tall and weighs 1kg. It is designed following the shape of the Romdoul, Cambodia’s national flower. The torch relay stands for solidarity, friendship, and good cooperation among nations in the region.

Earlier, King Norodom Sihamoni presided over a torch-lighting ceremony on March 21 at Angkor Wat in Cambodia, marking the start of the relay.

The torch arrived in the capital city on March 22.

The SEA Games will be held on May 5-17 in Phnom Penh and four localities of Siem Reap, Preah Sihanouk, Kampot, and Kep. It will be followed by the 12th ASEAN Para Games on June 3-9./.

VNA