The Vietnamese capital, which hosted the 2003 Southeast Asian Games and the 2009 Asian Indoor Games, was chosen at the 31st Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) General Assembly in Macau.

"Everyone remembers the Asian Indoor Games in Hanoi in 2009 and all the participants were very satisfied and wanted to go back to Vietnam," said OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah.

"Vietnam will also host the fifth Asian Beach Games at Nha Trang in 2016, and through this experience I am confident they will organise a very successful Asian Games in 2019.

"We have trust in their leaders, the Government of Vietnam, the city of Hanoi and the National Olympic Committee.

"Vietnam has all the tools - a country with big potential and a booming economy."

Vietnam Olympic Committee general secretary Hoang Vinh Giang said they hoped to put on the event for between $150 (£94 million/€118 million) and $300 million (£188 million/$€236 million).

Hanoi, a city with a population of seven million, is planning to hold 36 sports, including the 28 in the 2020 Olympic Games, and 16 days of competition in late November 2019.

A new airport terminal, highways and bridges, as well as sports facilities, are part of Hanoi's long-term development plans.


The 18th Games were originally scheduled to take place in 2018 but the OCA decided in 2009 to permanently shift the quadrennial event to the year before the Summer Olympics.

Guangzhou in Southern China hosted the 2010 edition, when nearly 10,000 athletes took part, and spent 122.6 billion yuan (£13 billion/$20 billion/€16 billion) on infrastructure, venues and operating costs.

The 17th version of the Games will take place in Incheon, South Korea in 2014.

As a consolation Surabaya was awarded the fourth Asian Youth Games in 2021.

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