Sports land fund, gaps that need to be filled in industrial parks

Solving the problem of sports land fund in industrial park planning

After work, what a worker wants is sometimes very simple. Not a modern gymnasium or a large-scale sports complex, but just a football field near the workplace, a yard with some training equipment, or a multi-purpose house to be able to play badminton and volleyball with colleagues.

In fact, many businesses have paid attention to adding space for movement and exercise for workers right at the company. In August 2026, the Hai Phong City Labor Federation organized a football tournament for male and female union members and city workers. Among the participating women's football teams, the Sumidenso Vietnam Co., Ltd. team (Dai An Industrial Park) competed outstandingly and won the championship. One of the things leading to this success is that the business has a football field right at the company. Workers can practice regularly, without spending much travel time. After working hours or at appropriate times, workers can use the field to play football, exercise and socialize. For the women's football team, the grassroots trade union creates conditions for female workers to both complete their work and participate in sports activities.

Or like LG Display Co., Ltd. (Trang Due Industrial Park, Hai Phong) with more than 24,000 workers, including migrant workers and foreign workers. Here, the company's trade union has established football, dance, music, photography clubs, weekly and monthly performances organized according to separate programs or integrated into internal company programs, helping employees have the opportunity to show their talents and passions. The trade union proposed that the company's leaders build 2 football fields, 1 gym, 1 sports room, table tennis... attracting thousands of workers to practice every day.

In Hanoi, at Nam Ha Noi Supporting Industrial Park (HANSSIP), Dai Xuyen commune, Hanoi City, the investor, N&G Company, also committed to allocating land fund for sports activities for company employees. Mr. Tran Phuong Lam, Deputy General Director of N&G, said: "We aim to build a dynamic and modern community cultural space; a place that not only connects FDI investors and businesses in the industrial park but also brings a practical playground for young people, workers and families in the locality through a series of sports and cultural activities rich in experience, exchange and community connection".

However, in many industrial parks, such spaces are still lacking. In boarding houses with large concentrations of workers, after work hours, many people return to their rooms, prepare meals and rest, even immerse themselves in phone screens to surf the internet to kill time. People who want to exercise often have to walk around the boarding house or find playgrounds of the residential community. Wherever there are outdoor sports equipment, workers often take advantage of waking up early to practice, but there are times when they have to wait for their turn.

Talking to Lao Dong, Ms. Truong Thi Cuc - a worker at an electronics company headquartered in Hap Linh ward, Bac Ninh province - confided: "I almost don't have time to go for exercise. Even for free sports like walking and jogging, I can't participate, let alone sports that cost money. For workers like us, going to yoga studios or gyms is too luxurious.

Working hard, not exercising regularly, eating temporarily, so this female worker is older than her age. "Recently, I went for an examination, and the doctors concluded that I had spinal spurs in the cervix. I often feel tired, lack sleep, and am not alert. Partly, I also do not exercise regularly" - Ms. Cuc said.

And Mr. Duong Van Kien - railway barrier guard, belonging to Nghe Tinh Railway Joint Stock Company - shared that he hopes the Trade Union, businesses and the State will pay attention to investing in more cultural and sports facilities; organize more diverse cultural, artistic, and sports activities. Thereby, helping workers improve their spiritual lives and train their health after hard working hours.

Contributing to human resource development

Currently, the demand for sports facilities for workers is very large, while the number of businesses and industrial parks investing in these projects is still limited. One of the reasons pointed out is difficulties in land fund and investment costs.

The proposal to allocate land fund for sports in the industrial park planning was also raised in the National Assembly hall when discussing the Law on Physical Education and Sports. Many delegates said that industrial parks and high-tech parks are places where many workers are concentrated, so land funds should be allocated for physical education and sports activities. It is not necessary to have massive works; it may just be a football field or a simple training ground but still have a great impact on the sports movement among workers.

3 years ago, the National Institute of Architecture announced the topic "Typical design of cultural and sports works serving workers in industrial parks", which proposed three design templates corresponding to the scale of industrial parks with over 10,000 workers, from 5,000-10,000 workers and under 5,000 workers.

The research options also consider multi-functional indoor spaces, outdoor multi-functional spaces, football fields, volleyball courts, badminton courts and functional areas serving workers. Notably, the study determined that the construction site must be in accordance with the overall industrial park plan, convenient for traffic and easy access.

This approach is considered appropriate: Not applying a rigid model to every industrial park, but based on the number of workers, area, production characteristics and conditions of each locality to arrange corresponding facilities. However, the most important thing is still having land funds. Therefore, the conclusion of General Secretary and President To Lam recently on paying attention to arranging operating space and sports land funds in industrial park planning will open up a new direction, expected to be institutionalized by legal regulations in creating playgrounds for workers.

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