Vu Tien Thanh leaves Hoang Anh Gia Lai to become head coach of Ninh Binh FC

The inaugural U9 Sao Viet Cup in Gia Lai has underscored Vietnam’s growing shift toward earlier youth football development, drawing more than 120 players from eight community clubs for two days of competition marked by enthusiasm and strong grassroots engagement.

The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Gia Lai Province has announced plans to host the 2026 National Muay Club Championship from March 1 to 11 at Dai Doan Ket Square and the sports arena in Pleiku Ward.

Senior martial arts master Lê Văn Công has led a sweeping effort to embed Vietnamese traditional martial arts into the school system of the former Phù Cát district, expanding local training clubs from three in 2017 to 22 across primary and lower-secondary institutions.

As Lunar New Year approaches, communes across the province are ramping up preparations for a series of traditional boat racing festivals, preserving a long-held cultural heritage as communities welcome the Year of the Horse 2026.

A cluster of unexpected mid-season resurgences from relegation-threatened clubs, led by Hoàng Anh Gia Lai (HAGL), has injected fresh unpredictability into the 2025–2026 V-League campaign, tightening the bottom-half race and reshaping the league’s competitive landscape.

Striker Nguyễn Đình Bắc has made tournament history after sweeping six individual awards at the AFC U23 Asian Cup, marking an unprecedented achievement for a Vietnamese footballer in an AFC competition.

Vietnamese cueist Nguyễn Quốc Nguyện has clinched the PBA Tour championship, marking his most significant victory nearly four years after entering the elite professional circuit.

The 2026 Youth Basketball Club Championship, set to run from February 6-8 in Gia Lai Province, is expected to showcase emerging young talent as 24 teams prepare to compete across primary, lower-secondary, and upper-secondary divisions.

Demand for pickleball coaches is rising sharply as the sport expands rapidly across the province, drawing new players to structured training programs offered by former badminton, tennis and table-tennis athletes.

More than 100 athletes from 15 teams across residential groups, armed forces units, and local businesses competed in Thong Nhat Ward’s 2026 traditional table tennis tournament, which concluded on January 25 in Gia Lai Province.

A friendly football match marking the Binh Ngo Lunar New Year 2026 was held on January 25 at Quy Nhon Stadium, bringing together former Bình Định football players and members of the Gia Lai Young Entrepreneurs Association.

LPBank Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) Academy has named 24 successful candidates for its 2026 U13 cohort following a five-day recruitment process, the academy announced on January 22.

LPBank Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) Academy on January 17 launched its 2026 “Future warriors” recruitment festival, drawing nearly 500 candidates under 13 from 28 training centres and community football clubs across Vietnam to the Ham Rong Training Center in Gia Lai province.

Quy Nhon University’s men’s football team booked a place in the play-off round of the 2026 Vietnam Youth and Student Football Championship after finishing top of their group with a perfect record in the Ho Chi Minh City regional qualifiers.

Gia Lai province has approved an expansive plan to restructure and modernize its elite sports system for the 2026-2030 period, aiming to overcome persistent shortcomings in athlete development, facilities, and funding. 

Gia Lai’s athletics team has signalled a strong return to national contention after the administrative merger, winning two gold medals and one bronze at the 2026 National Mountain Marathon “Conquering Ba Ra Peak” and finishing second overall, behind the Military team.

Gia Lai Province has outlined an ambitious plan to strengthen and expand its traditional martial arts movement, following the first congress of the Gia Lai Traditional Martial Arts Federation for the 2026–2030 term held on January 17 at the Provincial Convention Center.

Gia Lai Province hosted its first pickleball tournament for banking sector officials and employees on January 18, drawing nearly 70 participants to the High Five Pickleball court in Pleiku Ward.

Phạm Thị Hồng Lệ of Gia Lai claimed the women’s 42km title at the Ho Chi Minh City Marathon 2026 on the morning of January 11, finishing in 2 hours, 46 minutes and 19 seconds. The men’s marathon crown went to Huỳnh Anh Khôi of Ho Chi Minh City.

Young chess player Hoàng Tấn Vinh from Gia Lai has received a Certificate of Merit from Viet Nam’s Ministry of National Defence in recognition of his outstanding achievements at international competitions, including medals at the World Youth Chess Championship.

U23 Vietnam launched their AFC U23 Asian Cup campaign in Saudi Arabia with an emphatic 2-0 victory over U23 Jordan, defying pre-match expectations to secure a confident opening win.

Chess player Huy Duy Tấn of Kỳ Ngộ Club clinched the championship title at the 3rd Dam Me Chinese Chess Variant (cờ úp) Tournament 2025, which concluded on the evening of January 3 after more than a month of competition.

Vietnam’s U22 success at the 33rd SEA Games has delivered a timely and emphatic response to long-standing doubts over the effectiveness of Hoang Anh Gia Lai’s (HAGL) youth development system and the vision of its chairman, Đoàn Nguyên Đức, widely known as boss Đức.

More than 1,300 people took part in the APC Green Color Run 2025 on the morning of December 27, an event organised by Asia Pacific International School Gia Lai to promote environmental protection and community health.