On the morning of December 14, the 24th meeting of the 18th term of the People’s Committee of Thanh Hoa province continued on its third working day. At the meeting, Mr. Do Minh Tuan, Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, gave a speech to address the concerns of the Provincial People’s Council delegates and voters.
Regarding the comments made by Delegate Cao Tien Doan, Chairman of the Thanh Hoa Football Club, about the challenges in investment policies for infrastructure and rewards for the team, the Provincial People’s Committee Chairman acknowledged and highly appreciated the efforts of the club’s management and their achievements over the past time.
“Initially, people considered Thanh Hoa as a weak team, but we improved with each game. There are localities with better economic development whose football teams have disbanded, while our team remains strong. Our province may be poor, but our football team is getting better,” shared Mr. Tuan.
According to the Provincial People’s Committee Chairman, in recent years, the province has made significant investments in sports infrastructure, and the Dong A Thanh Hoa Football Club has also contributed considerably. While not grandiose, the Thanh Hoa Stadium is among the top stadiums in the country when it comes to the quality of its turf.
Current stadium of Thanh Hoa Football Club
Mr. Tuan stated that while the turf and running track are in good condition, they are old and cannot be expanded on all four sides. The province has planned to develop a large sports center in the coming time.
“We have already designed a beautiful stadium in Quang Thanh ward, Thanh Hoa city, similar to the Old Trafford stadium in the UK, which is the home of Manchester United Football Club. Going forward, we will attract private investors and promote socialization to make this project a reality,” Mr. Tuan informed.
Addressing Delegate Cao Tien Doan’s feedback about the dim stadium lights and concrete benches, the Provincial People’s Committee Chairman assured that the province has allocated VND 40 billion to address these issues, and the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism will promptly take care of them.
Earlier, on December 13, during the discussion session, Delegate Cao Tien Doan, Chairman of Dong A Thanh Hoa Football Club, proposed that the investment in the team was not commensurate with their achievements.
Specifically, Mr. Doan suggested that the stadium’s lighting system was outdated and did not meet the standards, providing insufficient lighting for the athletes’ performance. He also pointed out the lack of a training ground, the absence of benches, forcing spectators to sit on concrete ledges, and the low reward for the team…
The current reward system is based on standards from five years ago, when a bowl of pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) cost VND 5,000, but now it costs VND 50,000. Other provinces reward their champion teams with tens of billions of dong, while our reward is only VND 1 billion,” said Delegate Cao Tien Doan.
Located in the North Central Coast region of Vietnam, Thanh Hoa province spans over 11,000 km2, making it the fifth-largest province in the country. With a population of 3.72 million people (as of 2022), Thanh Hoa is the most populous province in Vietnam, following only the two centrally-controlled municipalities of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
