Unforgettable experience of volunteers at SEA Games 31

The recruitment of volunteers for the 31st SEA Games started in February 2022 with about 5,000 applications registered by young people. More than 3,000 volunteers have been carefully evaluated and selected by the organizers based on the criteria of appearance, foreign language ability, sense of responsibility and must ensure health.

The volunteers are mainly students from universities in Hanoi, participating in training and training to be able to meet the needs of the Congress.

With the role of guiding and welcoming delegates, the volunteers of the Reception – Inauguration Department are the representative faces of this Congress. Not only meeting the criteria set forth by the organizers, the receptionists also need to understand the diagram and seating position of guests in each area. There are many situations that arise that require volunteers at the Reception position to have a reasonable and timely solution.

Bui Thi Ky Duyen (student of Russian Department, Hanoi University) – Volunteer at the Reception position on the opening night of SEA Games 31 shared: “On the opening day, I was assigned to stand at gate 8A to guide the athletes and guests to the seats. But because the number of people watching was too large, there were a few small incidents.

Before the ceremony started, a few athletes separated from the group, so they entered the wrong stands and could not find a seat. I informed the volunteer team so that I could guide them to the right stands with my group.

At the end of the ceremony, there was also an athlete from Singapore who lost his guide to the hotel. She did not have a number to contact, so I informed the brothers and sisters in the organizers to help you. After a while, that athlete also found his team leader.

When I receive everyone’s thanks, I feel very happy that I was able to contribute to bringing the image of the host country, Vietnam, warm and hospitable to international friends.”.

Ky Duyen took a commemorative photo with the athletes of the Singapore sports delegation (Photo provided by the character)

Talking about the process of training, training and preparing for the 31st SEA Games, Nguyen Vu Nhat Lam (student of the Department of Russian, Hanoi University) – one of the volunteers participating in the joint service at the ceremony. Opening story: “Being a volunteer for the 31st Southeast Asian Games is really something I never thought of. When I received the notification of admission and knew I had the opportunity to be a small part of the 31st SEA Games. , I feel very honored and proud.

In the first days, after being divided into departments and teams and receiving tasks, we were able to participate in a joint training session on skills and professionalism such as: welcoming guests; assisting athletes, referees and other departments such as doping checks; preparing the arena area, etc. At first, I felt quite nervous because I was afraid that there would be mistakes, affecting the event. But thanks to the help and dedicated guidance of the brothers and sisters in the organizing committee, I became bolder, more confident, ready to serve the Congress.

Before the opening ceremony started, the weather was quite bad and there was heavy rain, we were assigned the task of cleaning, cleaning the stage, ensuring the ceremony was safe and successful. After the end of the program, volunteers like us also stayed to pick up trash, clean up and check the stands to see if anyone had forgotten anything.

The opening ceremony on the evening of May 12 took place within 1 hour and 30 minutes, but we have worked hard to prepare for more than a month so that we can contribute a small part to the success of the program.”.

Volunteers clean the stands after the show (Photo: SEA Games 31 volunteer community in Hanoi)

Hoang Thi Tu Quyen – a student at the Russian Language Department, Hanoi University was assigned to the Awarding Committee, responsible for supporting the organizers in awarding medals to athletes with good results at the competitions. content of the competition. Although she only started on duty on May 14, Quyen already has many memorable memories.

“The first time I participated in the SEA Games with the role of leading athletics athletes to receive medals, I had unforgettable emotions. That was when Vietnamese athlete – Ms. Nguyen Thi Oanh participated. competed and won 2 Gold medals on May 14. When I saw the national flag of Vietnam being raised with the national anthem music, my feeling was mixed with emotion and pride.

Being able to directly watch the athletes compete, seeing them wear the sun and rain to practice and compete, I can feel their sportsmanship and efforts in the largest sports arena in the region.

Another honor that I have is holding the prestigious medals and being able to take pictures with athletes of the sports delegations. This is an extremely valuable experience that I have in my student life.”. – Tu Quyen recounted.

Tu Quyen (2nd from right) and volunteers take a photo with athlete Joshua Robert Atkinson – the gold medalist in Athletics of the Thai sports delegation (Photo provided by the character)

Many other students of the SEA Games 31 volunteer team have been contributing their youth and enthusiasm to contribute to the success of a major regional congress. This is not only an opportunity for you to exchange and learn, but also a pride and honor to bring the image of Vietnam to international friends.