Vibrant Atmosphere at the 2026 Southern Emulation Cluster Sports Festival and the Autumn Pickleball Tournament – Inspiration Cup 2026 at HUB
On the morning of September 26, 2026, at Ho Chi Minh University of Banking (HUB), the 2026 Sports Festival of the Grassroots Trade Union Emulation Cluster under the Vietnam Bank Union in the Southern Region and the Autumn Pickleball Tournament – Inspiration Cup 2026 officially took place, creating a vibrant, engaging, and high-energy sports day.
The Emulation Cluster Sports Festival was organized to create a playground for health training, enhancing exchanges and bonding among union members and employees of the grassroots trade unions under the Vietnam Bank Union in the Southern Region, while spreading the spirit of "working out to labor, working out to dedicate". The 2026 Sports Festival saw the participation of 05 units, including: the Grassroots Trade Union of Ho Chi Minh University of Banking (HUB), Viet A Commercial Joint Stock Bank (VietABank), Viet Nam Thuong Tin Commercial Joint Stock Bank (VietBank), Ho Chi Minh City Development Joint Stock Commercial Bank / Ban Viet Bank (BVBank), and Kien Long Commercial Joint Stock Bank (KienLongBank). This year's activity is even more meaningful as it takes place in an atmosphere looking forward to celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Ho Chi Minh University of Banking – the host institution.
Representatives of athletes from the 5 participating teams of the Sports Festival
In particular, the Sports Festival received attention, encouragement, and practical support from the Vietnam Bank Union both materially and spiritually, contributing to favorable conditions for participating units to exchange, compete, and continue developing the sports movement among union members and employees.
Attending the Opening Ceremony were representatives of leadership from units within the Emulation Cluster, including: Mr. Le Van Be Muoi – President of the Grassroots Trade Union, Deputy General Director of BVBank; Mr. Dinh Viet Quan – Vice President of the Grassroots Trade Union, Deputy Director of the Risk Management Division, KienLongBank; Mr. Vu Anh Tuan – Vice President of the Grassroots Trade Union, BVBank; Mr. Nguyen Dinh Bao Ai – Executive Committee Member of the Grassroots Trade Union, Director of the Dong Saigon Branch, VietBank; Mr. Nguyen Dinh Minh Tri – Executive Committee Member of the Grassroots Trade Union, Director of the Lac Long Quan Branch, VietABank; Mr. Tran Thanh Tung – Executive Committee Member of the Grassroots Trade Union, Deputy Director of the Technology Division, KienLongBank.
Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duc Trung presenting souvenir gifts to the 5 participating units of the Southern Emulation Cluster
On the side of HUB were Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duc Trung – Secretary of the Party Committee, University President; Dr. Nguyen Tran Phuc – Vice President; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoang Thi Thanh Hang – President of the HUB Grassroots Trade Union; members of the HUB Grassroots Trade Union Executive Committee, teachers representing the HUB Affiliated Trade Union Branch Executive Committees, leaders of units across the university, along with the referee team and athletes from the 5 sports delegations participating in the Festival.
Delivering the opening speech, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duc Trung – Secretary of the Party Committee and President of Ho Chi Minh University of Banking, expressed sincere gratitude for the attention and accompaniment of the Vietnam Bank Union towards this year's Sports Festival. He encouraged the athletes to compete wholeheartedly, honestly, fairly, with respect for opponents, and to spread the spirit of solidarity, exchange, and bonding among units. Furthermore, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duc Trung emphasized that the spirit of cheering, sharing, and mutual respect among delegations would contribute to the values of the Sports Festival, thereby enhancing cohesion and spreading the culture of cooperation throughout the entire Emulation Cluster.
Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duc Trung – Secretary of the Party Committee and President, delivering the opening remarks
At the ceremony, representatives of the 05 head delegates performed the opening ritual together, marking the moment when the two main sports activities officially entered the competition phase. The joint opening ritual was built on the spirit of solidarity and connection among the participating units.
Representatives of the 05 head delegates performing the opening ritual together
Immediately following the Opening Ceremony, the athletes of the Emulation Cluster Sports Festival entered their first competition contents.
Opening the event was the 6x300m mixed relay race, where individual speed was combined with teamwork and coordination skills. Continuous sprinting performances along with enthusiastic cheers from the delegations quickly warmed up the festival atmosphere.
Athletes participating in the Relay Race event
Next, the tug-of-war event brought fierce competitions, clearly demonstrating the collective strength, coordination, and determination of each team. On the Pickleball courts, athletes also entered engaging matches with many technical ball shots, contributing to a diverse and vibrant competition program.
Teams competing in the Tug-of-War event at the Emulation Cluster Sports Festival
Athletes competing in the Pickleball event
Concurrently with the contents of the Emulation Cluster Sports Festival, at the HUB Pickleball court cluster, the Autumn Pickleball Tournament – Inspiration Cup 2026 also took place with bustling matches.
As the Autumn leg in the HUB 50 Four-Season Pickleball Grand Slam series, the tournament continued to provide a platform for exchange and physical training for officials and employees, while maintaining the heat of the competition journey throughout 2026.
Athletes competing in the Autumn Pickleball Tournament – Inspiration Cup 2026
Pairs of athletes entered matches with high determination, bringing many engaging plays and dramatic contests. Aiming not only for achievements in individual events, the results of the Autumn leg will continue to shape the HUB 50 Grand Slam rankings before the series enters the final stage of the season.
Following the competition events, the Organizing Committee awarded prizes and honored outstanding collectives and athletes.
The results of the 2026 Southern Emulation Cluster Sports Festival recorded many exciting competitive contents, from relay races, tug-of-war to Pickleball, reflecting clearly the spirit of solidarity, effort, and determination of the participating units:
- Relay Race
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- Gold Medal: HUB; Silver Medal: BVBank; Bronze Medal: VietBank
- Tug-of-War
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- Gold Medal: BVBank; Silver Medal: HUB; Bronze Medal: KienLongBank and VietBank
- Pickleball
- Men's Doubles (Over 45 years old):
- Gold Medal: Nguyen Pham Thanh Long – Le Van Toan (HUB)
- Silver Medal: Nguyen Binh An – Phan Dien Vy (HUB)
- Bronze Medal: Pham Chi Dai – Nguyen The Hung (BVBank); Dang Minh Quan – Mai Duc Anh (KienLongBank)
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- Men's Doubles (Under 45 years old):
- Gold Medal: Vo Hoang Phuc – Ho Dai Hai (KienLongBank)
- Silver Medal: Nguyen Minh Phuc – Ho Minh Duc (KienLongBank)
- Bronze Medal: Dang Dinh Son – Phan Huy Cuong; Dao Kim Long – Nguyen Trong Tri (BVBank)
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- Women's Doubles (Under 45 years old):
- Gold Medal: Ngo Thi Xuan – Nhan Kim Anh (HUB)
- Silver Medal: Phan Thi Hai Yen – Tran Ngoc Thao Quyen (KienLongBank)
- Bronze Medal: Nguyen Thi Hong Trang – Nguyen Thi Anh Quyen (KienLongBank); Nguyen Thi Hanh – Le Thi Diem Nghi (VietABank)
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- Mixed Doubles (Under 45 years old):
- Gold Medal: Nguyen Van Hai – Vo Thi Ngoc Mai (KienLongBank)
- Silver Medal: Tran Ba Phuc – Doan Thi Thanh Hang (HUB)
- Bronze Medal: Cao Thanh Tung – Ha Thi Chung (KienLongBank); Bui Thi Cam Nhung – Le Hoang Anh Khoa (VietABank)
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- Mixed Doubles (Over 45 years old):
- Gold Medal: Duong Van Phuong – Doan Thi Hong Minh (HUB)
- Silver Medal: Ngo Thi Thu Hien – Ha Minh Tam (HUB)
- Bronze Medal: Nguyen Van Diem – Truong Thi Ngoc Phuong; Nguyen Gia Minh Long – Tran Hong Ngoc (KienLongBank)
With outstanding competitive results across categories, Ho Chi Minh University of Banking excellently won the First Prize Overall at the 2026 Southern Emulation Cluster Sports Festival. KienLongBank ranked Second Overall and BVBank ranked Third Overall. This result concluded an energetic day of competition, while recognizing the active, solidary, and hardworking spirit of the units participating in the Sports Festival.
At the Autumn Pickleball Tournament – Inspiration Cup 2026, the Organizing Committee awarded main and subsidiary prizes to impressively performing athlete pairs, contributing to an exciting Autumn leg in the HUB 50 Pickleball Grand Slam journey.
The simultaneous organization of the 2026 Southern Emulation Cluster Sports Festival and the Autumn Pickleball Tournament – Inspiration Cup 2026 created a colorful sports festival day at HUB. From sprinting steps, fierce tug-of-war matches to technical Pickleball games, each content contributed to spreading the spirit of health training, solidarity, exchange, and connection.
The success of the two activities not only helped promote the physical education and sports movement among officials and employees but also continued to create meaningful highlights in the series of activities towards celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Ho Chi Minh University of Banking (1976–2026).