HANOI: The official torch relay for 2023 SEA Games-ASEAN Para Games took place in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi on Friday morning, 24 March 2023. According to the Cambodian SEA Games Organizing Committee (CAMSOC), the torch will continue on to other countries in Southeast Asia before returning to Cambodia to kick off the games in May.

Hor Sarun , Secretary of State for the Ministry of Tourism and Special Envoy of CAMSOC, attended the relay ceremony, along with members of the Hanoi People's Committee and a crowd of local youths.

Speaking at event, Secretary Hor Sarun said he was pleased and honored to participate in the torch ceremony for the 32nd Southeast Asian Games and the 12th ASEAN Para Games. He went on to thank the relevant authorities of the Vietnamese government for organizing this important event.

He emphasized that the torch relay passing through Vietnam and other ASEAN countries allowed communal pride in Cambodia’s hosting of the event, and that it also strengthened the partnerships between Cambodia and all ASEAN countries. He went on to highlight the cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia in many fields, especially tourism.

After leaving Vietnam, the torch relay will continue to the Philippines, Timor-Leste, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos before returning to Cambodia, where it will be paraded around the Tonle Sap Lake, before finally ending up at the Morodok Techo National Stadium in Phnom Penh.