Hanoi (VNA) – About 3,000 volunteers have beendeployed for the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) now underwayin Hanoi and 11 northern cities and provinces. They are seen everywhere fromhotels where athletes and coaches are staying to competition venues, helping make a successful regional meet.

Among them, most of who were recruited frommajor universities, about 1,900 are working in Hanoi while the remainders are sentto neighbouring localities, according to Nguyen Hai Duong, vice head of the organisingsub-committee for reception and ceremony.

To be qualified, they must be proficient in English and ingood health, and have high sense of responsibility, Duong said.

They are mainly responsible for providing assistance toforeign national teams and high-profile guests, directing spectators to seatingat competition venues, hosting medal award ceremonies, and interpreting atpress conferences, among others.

Nguyen Tat Thanh, a third-year student from HanoiUniversity, is among volunteers working tirelessly at Thanh Tri Gymnasium wherebasketball competitions are being held from May 13 – 22.

Expressing his pride and honour to be a SEA Games 31volunteer, Thanh said it offers him an opportunity to interact with foreignfriends and play a part in the meaningful event.

His job is to guide the Philippine basketball team around.He must make sure the players are picked up from their hotel to travel to trainingand competition venues on time.

“Tired, yet I’m very happy to help international athletesand coaches coming to my hometown,” he said.

Luong Trung Hieu, another volunteer at the same gymnasium,said he hopes to gain experience through getting to know internationalguests.

Working as an interpreter for Malaysia’s basketball team, Hieualso described his job as a cultural and tourism ambassador who brings foreignathletes and fans closer to Vietnam’s culture, friendly people, beautifullandscapes and great cuisine.

To prepare himself for the regional event, Hieu said he hadsaved some money to buy English books on basketball so as to enrich hisvocabulary about the sport.

Any day the Malaysian basketballers compete, he has to get upat 5:00am to pick them up at the hotel and remains at the competition venue untillate to support the team.

During his first few days, he was quite nervous of makingmistakes that would possibly affect the event in a bad way. But thanks toencouragement from organisers and friends, he has constantly gained confidenceand fulfilled his work quite well.

“It is truly an exciting and brand-new experience for me,”Hieu said.

Pham Minh Thu, a University of Finance student, has beenvolunteering at Bac Tu Liem Sports Centre where pencak silat competitions arehosted. The good-looking girl has been tasked to assist the medal awardceremonies. Like Hieu, she felt quite nervous at first.

“It was very solemn when national anthems are played andnational flags raised,” she said, “so I told myself to stay calm and do thebest I can, not to make any mistakes.”

Nguyen Thi Phuong Hoa, Director of Thanh Tri Gymnasium,expressed her satisfaction about the student volunteers, saying young as they are, the volunteers' English command is fairly good, adding they have fulfilled their tasks, contributing to the success ofeach competition.

SEA Games 31, themed “For a Stronger South East Asia”, areunderway in Vietnam from May 12 – 23 in 12 cities and provinces. The regionalbiennial event welcomes almost 10,000 coaches, officials, and athletes who are competing in 40 sports./.