Young goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien earns first Vietnam national team call-up

The organizing committee of the Gia Lai City Trail 2026 has unveiled the official race routes ahead of bib registration opening on March 12, outlining five distances designed to take runners through the landscapes and cultural setting of Vietnam’s Central Highlands.

Nearly 400 fighters from 41 muay clubs across Vietnam gathered in Gia Lai Province on Tuesday for the opening of the 2026 National Muay Club Championship, marking the first major sporting event in the province’s National Tourism Year 2026 programme.

Vietnamese football coach Vu Tien Thanh has left Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) to take over as head coach of Ninh Binh FC, the club announced on March 4.

The first-ever Bình Định Fight Night in Pleiku drew large crowds on 25–26 February as fighters delivered high-intensity bouts and traditional martial arts performances at Dai Doan Ket Square, marking a highlight event ahead of the 2026 National Tourism Year.

Vietnam has finalized a nine-member squad for the 2026 Youth Olympic boxing qualifiers, scheduled from March 5 to 16 in Thailand, naming Gia Lai boxer Đào Hà Tâm Du among those set to compete.

Young players from Gia Lai delivered one of their strongest performances to date at the 22nd Central Region Youth Chess and Xiangqi Championship, securing a large medal haul after a week of competition in Huế.

Excitement swept through Pleiku on February 25 as crowds filled Dai Doan Ket Square for the opening night of the two-day “Binh Dinh Martial Arts Night”, an event organized by the Gia Lai Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to promote traditional Vietnamese martial arts.

For more than a decade, instructor Siu Hồng Phát, 42, has sustained the Vovinam - Việt Võ Đạo movement in the remote Ia Pia commune of Gia Lai province, running low-cost martial arts classes that have become a key social space for local children.

In the remote border district of Đức Cơ District in Gia Lai province, a family of three has become a rare phenomenon in Vietnamese martial arts: both parents and their teenage daughter have competed for provincial teams, collecting national medals and bringing pride to their community.

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.

Quy Nhon United Football Club earned a 1-1 draw in their away fixture against Dong Thap FC at Dong Thap Stadium on January 31, marking their comeback after a break of more than three months in Round 8 of the National First Division Football Championship - Bia Sao Vang 2025-2026.

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.