Circular No. 23/2025/TT-BVHTTDL stipulates certain measures for implementing state management functions over physical education and sports concerning the National Sports Association.

CIRCULAR

REGULATIONS ON CERTAIN MEASURES TO PERFORM STATE MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS IN SPORTS AND PHYSICAL TRAINING FOR NATIONAL SPORT ASSOCIATIONS
REGARDING THE NATIONAL SPORT ASSOCIATION

Pursuant to the Law on Sports and Physical Training No. 77/2006/QH11 and the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Law on Sports and Physical Training No. 26/2018/QH13;

Pursuant to the Government Decree No. 126/2024/NĐ-CP dated October 8, 2024, stipulating the organization, operation, and management of associations;

Pursuant to Decree No. 43/2025/NĐ-CP dated February 28, 2025 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism;

At the proposal of the Director of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training of Vietnam;

The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism promulgates this Circular stipulating certain measures to perform state management functions in sports and physical training for national sport associations.

PART I
GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

This Circular stipulates certain measures to perform state management functions in sports and physical training for national sport associations.

Article 2. Applicability

1. The General Department of Sports and Physical Training of Vietnam.

2. National sport associations include:

a) The Vietnam Olympic Committee;

b) The Vietnam Paralympic Committee;

c) National federations, associations, and unions of sports for a particular sport or several sports (hereinafter referred to as national sports federations).

3. Organizations and individuals related to the activities of national sport associations.

Article 3. Principles of Implementation

1. Compliance with laws on sports and physical training, laws on associations, relevant laws, and the division of management authority of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

2. Clearly defining the functions, tasks, and roles of state management of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training of Vietnam and the professional and specialized functions of national sport associations.

3. Ensuring transparency and respecting the autonomy and responsibility of national sport associations.

Chapter II
SPECIFIC PROVISIONS

Article 4. Building and Implementing Policies, Programs, and Plans for the Development of Sports and Physical Training

1. The General Department of Sports and Physical Training of Vietnam shall organize consultations with national sport associations when developing strategies, plans, and policies for the development of sports and physical training. Within seven days from the date of receipt of the request for comments, the national sport association shall be responsible for responding, except in cases where other requirements are specified.

2. The General Department of Sports and Physical Training of Vietnam shall notify in writing about the approved strategic plans and annual work programs for the development of sports and physical training to national sport associations within seven days from the date of issuance to coordinate implementation.

3. Based on the approved strategic plans and annual work programs of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training of Vietnam and the international sports organizations' plans that the national sport associations are members of, the national sport associations shall be responsible for building their activity plans for the entire term and annual work programs, and submit them to the General Department of Sports and Physical Training of Vietnam before December 31 of the preceding year for consolidation, monitoring, and coordinated implementation.

Article 5. Management of Organizing Major Sports Events and Dissolution

1. Hosting major regional, continental, and world sports events held in Vietnam

a) The Vietnam Olympic Committee, based on the organizing plans of the corresponding international sports organizations, shall provide information on the organizing plan to the General Department of Sports and Physical Training of Vietnam for consolidation and advisory reporting to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism;

b) The entity proposing to host the event shall follow the procedures and formalities for hosting the event as stipulated in Article 40 of the Law on Sports and Physical Training.

2. Hosting major regional, continental, and world sports events for persons with disabilities held in Vietnam

The Vietnam Paralympic Committee, based on the organizing plans of the corresponding international sports organizations for persons with disabilities, shall provide information on the organizing plan to the General Department of Sports and Physical Training of Vietnam for consolidation and advisory reporting to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

3. Hosting championship and youth championship competitions in each sport at the regional, continental, and world levels held in Vietnam

a) The national sports federation shall propose to host the competition no later than July 1 of the preceding year of the proposed hosting year for the General Department of Sports and Physical Training of Vietnam to consolidate and coordinate implementation according to its authority;

b) The national sports federation shall follow the procedures and formalities for hosting the competition as stipulated in Article 40 of the Law on Sports and Physical Training.

4. Hosting and organizing competitions in each sport at the regional, continental, and world levels for persons with disabilities held in Vietnam

a) The Vietnam Paralympic Committee shall provide information on the hosting plan no later than July 1 of the preceding year of the proposed hosting year for the General Department of Sports and Physical Training of Vietnam to consolidate;

b) The Vietnam Paralympic Committee shall follow the procedures and formalities for hosting the competition as stipulated in Appendix I attached to this Circular.

5. Organizing national sports events

a) Developing and issuing the national competition schedule annually: By no later than July each year, the national sports federations and the Vietnam Paralympic Committee shall propose competitions that are consistent with the regional, continental, and world competition systems. The General Department of Sports and Physical Training of Vietnam shall consolidate and announce the competition schedule for the next year before October 31 each year for the national sports federations and the Vietnam Paralympic Committee to coordinate implementation. In case there is disagreement with the proposals of the national sports federations and the Vietnam Paralympic Committee, the General Department of Sports and Physical Training of Vietnam must issue a written notice and specify the reasons;

b) Issuing the regulations for sports competitions: The regulations for national sports competitions issued by the national sports federations and the Vietnam Paralympic Committee must comply with the competition rules and be consistent with the development plans for each sport, and must be submitted to relevant agencies and units no later than 60 days before the competition;

c) Deciding to organize sports competitions: The General Department of Sports and Physical Training of Vietnam decides to organize the annual national championships and youth championships in each sport and national mass sports competitions.

d) The organization proposing to host the national championship tournament and the annual national youth championship tournament for each sport must follow the procedures and formalities for hosting the tournament as stipulated in Article 40 of the Law on Physical Culture and Sports; for the national mass sports tournament, it must follow the procedures and formalities as prescribed in Appendix I attached to this Circular;

đ) Establishing organizing committees and refereeing committees: The General Department of Sports shall seek opinions from the National Sports Federation and the Vietnam Paralympic Committee before deciding to establish organizing committees and refereeing committees for national sports tournaments that utilize state budget funds; the National Sports Federation and the Vietnam Paralympic Committee shall decide to establish or propose to the General Department of Sports to establish organizing committees and refereeing committees and bear full responsibility for organizing national sports tournaments that do not use state budget funds;

e) The General Department of Sports shall inspect and supervise the implementation of the competition rules of the sport and the regulations of the sports tournament issued by the National Sports Federation and the Vietnam Paralympic Committee. In case of any violations being discovered, the General Department of Sports shall provide written comments for the National Sports Federation and the Vietnam Paralympic Committee to make adjustments and supplements to ensure compliance with the regulations;

Article 6. Establishment and Management of National Sports Teams

1. Authority to Decide on Establishment

a) The General Department of Sports decides to establish national sports teams to participate in international sports congresses; national sports teams to train and participate in regional, continental, and world sports tournaments;

b) The National Sports Federation and the Vietnam Paralympic Committee decide to establish sports teams to train and compete internationally, which are not covered under point a, Clause 1, Article 6 of this Law, using their own funding or other lawful sources of funding;

2. Selection Standards for Coaches and Athletes

a) The General Department of Sports shall develop and promulgate the framework standards for selecting coaches and athletes for national sports teams;

b) The National Sports Federation and the Vietnam Paralympic Committee shall develop and promulgate specific standards based on the framework standards issued by the General Department of Sports to select coaches and athletes for national sports teams in the sports they manage, while sending these standards to the General Department of Sports. If the standards are inconsistent with the framework standards, the General Department of Sports shall provide written comments for the National Sports Federation and the Vietnam Paralympic Committee to make adjustments and supplements to ensure compliance with the regulations;

3. Procedures and Formalities for Establishing and Managing National Sports Teams

a) Based on the regulations and programs of regional, continental, and world sports congresses, the General Department of Sports shall take the lead and coordinate with the national sports associations and relevant agencies and units to select and decide on the members of the national sports team participating in the sports congresses and disabled sports congresses at the regional, continental, and world levels;

b) The Vietnam Olympic Committee and the Vietnam Paralympic Committee shall register the participation of members of the national sports team in regional, continental, and world sports congresses and disabled sports congresses; they shall manage the national sports team when participating in international competitions;

4. Procedures and Formalities for Establishing and Managing National Sports Teams:

a) The procedures and formalities for establishing national sports teams are as stipulated in Appendix II attached to this Circular;

b) The National Sports Federation and the Vietnam Paralympic Committee shall be responsible for registering the participation of national sports teams in international competitions according to the decision of the General Department of Sports;

c) The General Department of Sports and the National Sports Federation and the Vietnam Paralympic Committee shall be responsible for coordinating, organizing guidance, and inspecting the implementation of training and coaching of national sports teams in accordance with the approved plan.

Article 7. Management of athletes, coaches, and sports referees

1. Establishing, managing records, and confirming the qualifications of athletes, coaches, and sports referees:

a) The Vietnam Sports Administration shall cooperate with the Vietnam Olympic Committee and the Vietnam Paralympic Committee to establish and manage the records of athletes and coaches for national sports teams.

b) The Vietnam Sports Administration shall establish and manage the records of athletes and coaches for national sports teams established by its decision.

c) National sports federations and the Vietnam Paralympic Committee shall establish and manage the records and confirm the qualifications of athletes, coaches, and referees for their respective sports according to their authority, in accordance with the regulations of corresponding international sports organizations.

d) The Vietnam Sports Administration shall take the lead in developing software for managing databases of athletes, coaches, and sports referees. The National Sports Association shall cooperate with the Vietnam Sports Administration to regularly update information data and effectively utilize this data source.

2. Training and instructing athletes, coaches, and sports referees: The Vietnam Sports Administration shall guide and cooperate with national sports federations and the Vietnam Paralympic Committee to develop programs and organize training and instructing athletes, coaches, and sports referees in accordance with professional development orientations and requirements of corresponding international organizations; research and apply science and technology in the training process of athletes.

3. Recognizing the level of athletes and sports referees

Based on the competition results of athletes and the professional level of referees, national sports federations shall implement the recognition of levels for athletes and referees of their respective sports according to the standards for awarding levels issued by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; recognize the awarding of levels of international sports organizations for Vietnamese athletes and referees.

Article 8. Management of professional sports activities

1. Based on the requirements for the development of professional sports disciplines, national sports federations shall develop plans and programs for the development of professional sports in their respective disciplines in accordance with the provisions of the law and the regulations of corresponding international sports organizations, and submit them to the Vietnam Sports Administration for review and approval in accordance with the procedures and formalities stipulated in Appendix III attached to this Circular.

2. National sports federations shall establish and manage systems of professional sports competitions in accordance with the provisions of the law and of corresponding international sports organizations; notify the system of professional sports competitions to the Vietnam Sports Administration and members after issuance.

3. National sports federations shall develop programs and organize the training of professional sports coaches and referees within their management authority in accordance with the regulations of international sports federations; send professional sports coaches and referees abroad for training or cooperate with international sports federations of which they are members to organize the training of professional sports coaches and referees in Vietnam.

4. National sports federations shall issue procedures and implement inspections, recognitions, and non-recognition of the qualifications of professional sports coaches and athletes under their management, and uniformly manage professional sports coaches and athletes of their respective sports disciplines.

Article 9. Recognition of Facilities and Equipment Meeting Standards for High Performance Sports Competitions

The National Sports Federation shall issue procedures for recognizing facilities and equipment meeting standards for organizing high performance sports competitions in accordance with Clause 12, Article 71 of the Law on Physical Culture and Sports, and publicly announce the recognition results on the website of the National Sports Federation, and notify the recognized units.

Article 10. Implementation of Tasks Assigned by the State

Based on determining tasks suitable to the capacity of the National Sports Federation, no later than June 1st each year, the National Sports Federation proposes activities related to specialized tasks assigned by the state to be sent to the Vietnam Sports Administration for consolidation and submission to the competent authority before July 1st each year. In case of disagreement with the proposal of the National Sports Federation, within seven days, the Vietnam Sports Administration must notify in writing and specify the reasons.

Article 11. Management and Coordination of International Cooperation Activities

1. Responsibilities of the Vietnam Sports Administration

a) Informing the National Sports Federation about international treaties and agreements on physical culture and sports that have been signed by the state with countries and international organizations;

b) Guiding and creating conditions for the National Sports Federation to participate in international cooperation activities in physical culture and sports;

c) Providing opinions to competent authorities regarding decisions on the National Sports Federation joining international sports organizations;

d) Deciding to send personnel under the management of the Vietnam Sports Administration to serve as members of the National Sports Federation participating in elections at international sports organizations upon the recommendation of the National Sports Federation.

2. Responsibilities of the National Sports Federation

a) Informing the Vietnam Sports Administration about the annual international cooperation plan of the National Sports Federation; the content of agreements on specialized sports cooperation between the Federation and international sports organizations; plans for organizing regional, continental, and world sports congresses; plans for participation in international sports competitions by national sports teams; plans for hosting international sports competitions, conferences, and training courses in Vietnam; joining international sports organizations as members and the election of Federation members to leadership or specialized committees of international sports organizations, and other international cooperation activities;

b) Implementing decisions of state management agencies concerning important issues in international cooperation between the National Sports Federation and international sports organizations as stipulated by law.

Article 12. Information and Reporting System

1. Within fifteen days from the completion date of the tasks specified in Point d, Clause 5, Article 5; Point b, Clause 2, Article 6; Clause 3, Article 7; Clause 1, Article 8; Article 9; and Article 10 of this Circular, the National Sports Federation has the responsibility to report to the Vietnam Sports Administration for monitoring.

2. No later than December 31st each year, the National Sports Federation has the responsibility to report on the organization and operation of the Federation to the Vietnam Sports Administration and relevant state agencies as prescribed by law.

Article 13. Inspection of National Sports Association Activities

1. Annually, the General Department of Physical Training and Sport shall develop and implement plans to inspect the professional activities of national sports associations. The inspection procedures and formalities shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the law.

2. National sports associations shall have the responsibility to cooperate and provide complete information and documents as required by the inspection team.

Article 14. Awards

1. Based on annual results and achievements, national sports associations shall carry out awards within their authority for collectives and individuals who have made significant contributions to the association's activities according to the regulations stipulated in the Charter and the law, or submit requests for awards to competent authorities for organizations and individuals who have achieved outstanding results during the term of office or on the anniversary of the founding of the association.

2. The General Department of Physical Training and Sport shall be responsible for guiding national sports associations on the procedures and formalities for requesting awards; receiving, reviewing, and compiling files to submit to competent authorities for awards for national sports associations, organizations, and individuals who have made significant contributions to the association's activities in accordance with the law on competition and rewards.

Article 15. Handling Complaints, Accusations, and Violation Dispositions

1. The General Department of Physical Training and Sport shall be responsible for handling complaints, accusations, and violation dispositions involving civil servants, public officials, and employees under its management related to state management activities concerning national sports associations in accordance with the law on handling complaints and accusations.

2. In cases where national sports associations violate the provisions of this Circular, the General Department of Physical Training and Sport shall examine and handle such violations within its authority or recommend that competent state management agencies examine and handle them in accordance with the law.

Chapter III
IMPLEMENTATION

Article 16. Implementation Provisions

1. This Circular takes effect from February 15, 2026.

2. Circular No. 01/2021/TT-BVHTTDL dated February 3, 2021, of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which stipulates certain measures for implementing state management functions over national sports associations in physical training and sport, shall cease to be effective from the date this Circular takes effect.

3. In cases where the legal normative documents cited in this Circular are amended, supplemented, or replaced, they shall be implemented according to the newly issued amended, supplemented, or replacement documents.

Article 17. Implementation Organization

1. The General Department of Physical Training and Sport shall be responsible for monitoring, inspecting, and supervising the implementation of tasks assigned to national sports associations as stipulated in this Circular.

2. The General Department of Physical Training and Sport, national sports associations, heads of agencies and units under the Ministry, relevant organizations, and individuals shall be responsible for enforcing this Circular.

3. During the implementation process, if any difficulties arise, relevant agencies and organizations are requested to promptly report to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for research and resolution.